Controlling the Wireless Bite

Professional Help

Of course, many companies do worry about their wireless plans, often because they don’t have the time or expertise to adequately manage the plan. “Administration is critical,” Haigh says. “If someone is not paying attention to all of this, you’ll spend money that you don’t need to spend. This needs to be part of someone’s job—and it needs to be someone who understands it, not just someone who is responsible for paying the bill.”

Singh and Haigh agree that whoever is in charge of the plan needs to have the time to scrutinize the bills on a monthly basis, both for billing errors and for extra services employees may have signed up for. “You need to have a vigilant eye,” Singh says. “You need to keep an eye on invoices for mysterious charges and billing glitches . . . . The telecom industry is fraught with billing errors, and wireless bills are no exception.”

You also need to be vigilant about watching for new plans and promotions from carriers. Although companies can sometimes get better deals in a long-term contract, it’s important to include verbiage that allows the company to take advantage of better rates, should they become available.

“The longer the commitment you make, the better deal you’ll get,” Haigh says. “But you need some protection against market competitiveness. If the market changes, if there are new programs that would reduce your rates substantially, either from that carrier or others, you need to have the opportunity to go back in and redo the contract.”

Some businesses find managing all of those details too cumbersome to be done in house and outsource the work. “We have clients who tell us they don’t have the time or the expertise to manage their wireless internally,” Haigh says. “When you bring someone in who has that focus, there’s a strong likelihood that it will pay for itself.”

When Singh’s firm took over the management of one company’s wireless devices, it was able to create a first-year savings of more than $2 million. First, American Business renegotiated the service contract with another vendor. Then, it cut off service to hundreds of cell phones that could not be accounted for and implemented a management process that helped the company better track its devices—including bringing cellular decisions back to the corporate level, rather than the branch level. “For them, the expense was a no-brainer,” Singh says.

“It’s important to find someone you can trust,” Larkin adds. “Find someone who can really talk to you about all the features and benefits, someone who can go through the bills, look at the usage, and maximize how you’re using your money . . . . If you do it right, you will see a benefit.”