Some enterprise plans nickel and dime you – until that change adds up to thousands of dollars in unplanned expenses each month.
A few years ago, people worried about the high cost of voice minutes while roaming. Now, as we increasingly rely on data, your data fees can quickly spiral out of control.
However, it’s hard to estimate each employee’s data usage so that you can give them the most cost-effective plan. Here are five ways to keep your enterprise wireless costs under control – without sacrificing productivity or convenience while employees travel:
1. Automate your roaming option.
Many telecom plans require you to manually apply a roaming package before someone travels.
But if you don’t know in advance when someone is roaming, you can’t take this proactive step to keep your costs down. Employees often have a million things to do before a trip and may forget to tell you about their roaming needs.
The plan should instead automatically apply an employee’s preferred rates when they travel outside the country, so you don’t need to worry about outrageous roaming charges. Then, when the employee returns, the plan should stop charging them roaming rates.
With an automated data plan, you can avoid the hassle of manually adding and removing roaming options – while keeping your costs under control.
2. Move to a predictable billing model.
Look for a flexible wireless plan that allows employees to share data, texting, and voice minutes. These plans are useful for employees whose data usage fluctuates, as they offer a pre-defined set of services for a predictable monthly cost.
You also don’t need to monitor individual usage, as multiple employees share the same pool of data. Find a plan that won’t charge high fees if the group goes over their monthly shared data limit.
3. Empower your road warriors.
Your road warriors rely on data to do business.
But if you give them the same wireless plan that you give everyone else, they will blow past their data limits. Then, you can receive thousands of dollars in overage fees every month.
A tiered pricing plan can dramatically reduce your fees. These plans automatically change based on how much data or how many voice minutes an employee uses. Your road warriors can stay connected and collaborative – and you don’t need to worry about micromanaging their plans.
4. Keep employees in the loop.
Employees often have no idea how much their data plans cost. They might fear driving up huge bills while they travel and then refuse to use their mobile devices. This impacts their productivity and your bottom line.
Let employees know the details about their plans and if they have preferred rates. That way, they won’t be afraid to use data while they are on the road.
5. Reduce your number of service providers.
Many enterprises use different providers for office lines, wireless plans, conference calling systems, and other telecommunications services.
Not only can using multiple vendors create an administrative nightmare, but it can also drive up your costs. The more vendors you use, the harder it is to track your expenses and gain a complete picture of your telecom usage.
Reducing your service providers simplifies your management – saving you time and making it easier to control your costs.