Without using mobile phones, you can’t do business today. Whether you want to close a deal, coordinate with field employees, or ensure overall business productivity, you will need to use your mobile phone.
However, mobile phones can also contribute a lot towards the overall business expenses. This is why you should understand how to keep the expenses under control.
Read this guide and we will share how to do it.
Audit Your Current Mobile Usage
The first step towards managing costs is to audit your current mobile phone usage. Compile details on:
- Number of company-owned devices vs employees using personal devices
- Monthly charges for mobile plans and extras like international roaming
- Frequency of overages – minutes, texts, data
- Costs of business vs personal usage
This will identify problem areas contributing to uncontrolled spending. It will also give you a baseline to measure future improvements.
Set Clear Mobile Policies
Well-defined mobile policies ensure costs stay predictable and reasonable. Essential elements include:
- Reimbursement rules for BYOD employees, if applicable
- Approved monthly plan spend thresholds
- International roaming enabled/disabled
- Payment process for employees’ mobile expenses
The policies should aim to balance business needs, cost management, and employee flexibility. Review and update them annually considering changing business requirements.
Right size Mobile Plans
With clear usage data from the audit, you can select mobile plans that provide necessary voice minutes, texts, and data without overspending. Consider pooling talk minutes and data allowance company-wide. Also, leverage family/shared plans if buying devices. The goal is to avoid paying for unused capacity.
Some sizing tips:
- Choose unlimited UK plans only for proven high-volume users
- Set hard data limits with overage protection to control costs
- Disable international roaming except for essential travel
As business needs evolve, resize plans up or down so you pay for what you require.
Use VoIP Apps
VoIP (Voice over IP) apps provide low-cost calling alternatives. For example, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, and Google Voice offer free VoIP functionality. Using Wi-Fi instead of voice minutes reduces mobile spending. Also, VoIP apps facilitate conference calls eliminating paid services.
Train employees on setting up and using approved VoIP platforms for business communications. It keeps regular cellular voice usage under check across the organization.
Limit Expensive Extras
Ringtone downloads, directory assistance calls, text voting on TV shows, premium rate text/voice services – these seemingly small expenses add up across employees every month. Default blocks on premium numbers along with a usage policy will significantly save costs.
Also, provide free resources to reduce these extra bills. For instance, upload a company directory online for number lookups rather than calling directory assistance repeatedly. Or set up an intranet platform for employees to access work information on the go without expensive calls/texts.
Negotiate Corporate Discounts
Service providers offer varying discounts for companies buying bulk mobile connections. Plus, they provide better tariffs for renewing and extending existing contracts.
Direct the purchase to your procurement department to negotiate the best possible deal. Verbal promises mean little – make sure everything is provided in writing for accountability.
Even fledgling companies with a handful of connections can benefit from corporate discounting. So use your purchasing power, however limited, to maximize savings on mobile.
Keep Personal Use Reasonable
With remote working blurring lines between personal and work mobiles, controlling costs gets tricky. BusinessMobile.com noted that you should spell out specifics in your policy – whether personal use is allowed and terms for post-pay plan reimbursements. Also, give guidelines on what constitutes reasonable use to avoid misuse.
If some personal use is permitted, set fair use caps using data allocation, minutes limits or a percentage of the bill. Require employees to reimburse personal excesses appropriately.
As enforcing 100% business-only use on personal mobiles is unrealistic for most SMEs, setting clear boundaries is key. It maintains productivity while capping spending on consumer mobile activity.
Use Mobile Expense Management (MEM)
MEM systems provide centralized visibility and control over mobile communications. Key features like usage monitoring, policy enforcement, spend optimisation, and automated reporting help in costs substantially.
Unlike manual audits and checks, MEMs deliver real-time insights for prompt optimization.
While targeted primarily for large enterprises initially, cloud-based MEM solutions now cater to SMEs too.
The savings outweigh their relatively low fee, making them a worthwhile investment for long term cost control. Even going with a basic MEM package to start with provides better oversight compared to no tech-management.
Keep Your Eyes on The Big Picture
As mobile phones get smarter, their usage and costs will continue rising. So you need ongoing evaluation and planning for sensible budgets aligned to regular business operations. Use the steps above to optimise current spending plus allow reasonable growth if required.
The goal is keeping mobile communication costs reasonable without affecting strategic objectives and employee productivity. Get a complete picture with audits, have clear policies, choose value-packed plans, and leverage helpful technology.
Monitoring usage patterns and fine-tuning approaches periodically keeps you firmly in control.
With some diligence around mobile costs coupled with bigger priorities in view, you can deliver excellent products/services while delighting customers and employees alike. And that’s the mark of a company successfully maximizing opportunities for the long haul.
Final Words
Mobility drives modern business, but uncontrolled mobile costs can negatively impact profits. For UK companies, staying on top of mobile spending is essential as usage and monthly bills continue rising.
By auditing current usage, right-sizing plans, limiting extras and leveraging technology, businesses can optimize budgets. Reasonable policies balancing productivity, costs and flexibility provide clear guardrails.
With regular monitoring and fine-tuning based on insights, companies can enable mobility for strategic gain without overspending.
Achieving mobile communication that serves business needs within sensible budgets frees up resources for long-term growth and success across operations. Ultimately, sensible spending ensures mobile drives profits rather than eroding them.
