Have you got a good deal on your company mobile phones?

Mobile phone usage forms an integral part of most business operations, and the costs incurred are an unavoidable fact of life. 

But how do you strike a balance between sorting out a mobile phone deal that suits everyone, but doesn’t cost the company a fortune?

The huge range of deals and handsets available means that it can be a difficult and time consuming process to assess what is the best deal for your company.  But, using our contacts in the market place, we’ve come up with some hints and tips to consider when assessing company mobile phone requirements.  

It’s important to remember that mobile phone contracts aren’t like electricity or gas contracts.  Once the expiry date has passed they just roll on but can be moved anytime to anywhere else, without an increase in tariffs.  That being the case, don’t just rush in to a brand new deal - take time out to assess your requirements and match those to the deals on offer.

The first thing to check if you are looking for a new deal is the number of handsets needed, as all mobile tariffs have a maximum and minimum number of users.  If the number of users will remain the same there’s no problem, but if new users will be added or some removed that can impact on the value of the overall package.

When looking at your options, think about the providers you have used in the past and what the service was like.  If you used company X and thought they were great, but now use company Y and have had problems, then obviously there is an issue. 

However, it’s worth looking at what the problem is – it could be that nine users think company Y are great but the tenth user is the MD who regularly gets cut off when he rings his wife from the car.  The related hassle that ensues when the MD complains could give the perception that the whole deal is bad.  In reality, nine phones placed with company Y and the MD’s with company X could be the solution to the problem and the best deal for the company.

You also need to spend a bit of time looking at current bills, and have a look at the usage. Does someone send a lot of texts?  Some bundled deals offer a number of free texts per month, which may suit certain users. 

Another important issue is commonly called numbers.  Are users ringing the head office frequently?  Or maybe other users in the group?  Again, there are deals which offer free calls to nominated numbers, which could be extremely cost effective in certain cases. 

It’s also important to guard against unnecessary expense.  Mobile phones can be a bit like company cars – people want the best and most up to date model, whether they need it or not, and it’s often assumed a new handset will be provided as part of a new deal.  Unfortunately, mobile phones are like lunches – there is no such thing as a free one! 

Even the most basic mobile phone these days will be in perfectly good working order when it’s two years old, so why replace it when you don’t need to?  You will end up paying for new handsets one way or another in any deal, so don’t automatically go for a deal that offers new ones. 

This might mean you have to adjudicate on whether a particular phone is an expensive toy or a necessary accessory for the individual and the company, but it could be time well spent if you find that existing requirements are being met by the handsets already in place.

It can be a minefield, so if you feel you need some assistance with sourcing a new mobile phones deal, let Spiral help you in the decision making process.  We have recommended providers who can offer deals from all the main networks, including phones from more than one network on one single company account. 

If you would like more information, contact us.