| If you have ever wondered if your business | | | | users who have no or only a very few number |
| users are on the correct mobile phone plans, you | | | | of minutes of use. If you have a cell phone that |
| are not alone. Optimizing wireless phone plans may | | | | costs $45 per month and there are just 10 |
| seem complicated, but if you follow these 3 easy | | | | minutes of average traffic on the cell phone, you |
| steps, you can create a very efficient plan for | | | | are paying an effective mobile wireless rate of |
| your organization. Wireless plan optimization is a | | | | $4.50 per minute - that is way too much. |
| key component to your wireless expense | | | | Some of the low usage or no usage mobile |
| management plan and can lead to significant cost | | | | phones may no longer be necessary. Determine if |
| reductions. | | | | these mobile phones can be cancelled (note, you |
| Follow these steps to get a handle on your | | | | should check the contract expiration date to |
| wireless voice plans: | | | | make sure you do not incur early termination |
| 1) Assemble a spread sheet of all of your | | | | penalties). If the wireless phone is necessary, but |
| wireless voice users that includes their name, | | | | not expecting heavy usage (emergency wireless |
| telephone number, the number of minutes in plan, | | | | phones for delivery vehicles, or spare wireless |
| the monthly recurring charge for the voice plan, | | | | phones kept as quick replacements for lost |
| billed usage in minutes (this is typically excludes | | | | broken wireless phones until they can be replaced, |
| nights and weekends) for the last three months, | | | | for example), consider prepaid mobile phones. |
| and any billed usage charges over and above the | | | | Prepaid mobile phones cost very little to purchase |
| plan. If you have a wireless expense management | | | | and can be put on auto-refill plans with the |
| system, the information should be at your finger | | | | carriers. |
| tips (if you don't, see below for a free one). If | | | | 3) For the rest of the users consider whether a |
| you do not yet have a wireless expense | | | | mobile phone pooling plan might be appropriate. |
| management system in place, this information can | | | | You can determine whether a pooling plan is |
| be obtained on-line from your wireless carriers. | | | | appropriate by determining how many total |
| Average the billed usage minutes and the billed | | | | minute of use you have purchase through the |
| usage charges. Total the billed usage minute | | | | individual plans and how many actual minutes of |
| average, the billed usage charges average and the | | | | use you have incurred. If the vast majority of |
| monthly recurring charges. The sum of the | | | | your users are on the lowest plan available and |
| monthly recurring charge total and the billed usage | | | | you are not seeing usage charges, a pooled plan |
| charge is your total voice cost. This is the number | | | | will probably not save you much money. If you |
| we are going to reduce. | | | | have a significant number of users on higher plans, |
| 2) Sort the list by the average number of billed | | | | a pooled plan will generate significant wireless |
| usage minutes from low to high. Examine any | | | | phone expense savings. |