A cell phone plans comparison is often the first step in reducing corporate communication expenses, which have become a major line item on many company budgets.
Comparing plans regularly results in an average initial savings of at least 20 percent.
No matter what size the company is, this is a substantial amount.
The savings do not end there because the plan comparison is only the initial phase of an expense management plan for mobile devices.
Wireless carriers promote business plans as the best deals for companies.
Though they can be, they are not always.
Choosing a prepackaged plan designed to fit all corporate users sometimes results in overspending.
What makes it worse is that though the company spends excessively, not all users receive the features they need.
The only party benefitting from this situation is the carrier, who is paid for underutilized services.
The carrier will never point this out, so the business customer must identify the issue and take steps to address it.
A technology firm that specializes in communication management can help by conducting an audit of the cell phone and data plans.
The results will identify what carrier and plan changes are needed.
The auditing firm will work directly with the carriers to get the best deal for the corporate client.
Businesses will then receive the services they need at the best prices.
By commissioning this audit on a regular basis, a company optimizes its communication expenses.
A plan comparison does more than just identify the best cell phone plans.
It also brings billing errors to light in a timely fashion.
Companies often assume that carriers never make mistakes and therefore, IT and accounting staff do not review carrier invoices.
The truth is that billing errors are commonplace.
If identified and brought to the attention of the carrier as quickly as possible, they can be corrected in time to receive a credit on the bill.
Carriers often make business customers feel beholden to them for the services being provided.
Companies should remember that they are the clients in this relationship.
Carriers should be working hard to gain their business, not the other way around.
A regular plan comparison keeps carriers on their toes so they always make their best deals available to avoid losing corporate customers.
Businesses can feel confident knowing they always have the most suitable plan at the lowest price.
IT workers often conduct plan review and comparison duties themselves.
With just one carrier and a few phones, this job is relatively quick and simple.
As more carriers are added, the number of devices increases, and type of devices expands to include various smartphones and tablet computers, the job becomes more time-consuming and complicated.
An auditing firm removes the burden of plan comparison from internal IT staff.
This does not mean that IT workers must remove themselves entirely from the process.
They simply have another party available to verify their own review, make suggestions regarding plan optimization and cost savings, and provide device management support as needed.