A company that works like a single organism is capable of reaching new heights. However, this is only possible with the help of a reliable means of communication. This is the very reason why having a business mobile plan is considered a crucial element in ensuring the success of a company. Industries where employees need to be out of the office often put a particularly high value in communication. However, before any mobile plan can help your business grow, you must first select the right one to help you and your people perform to the best of your abilities.
To navigate the market, you need to consider data limits, texting and call consumption, and the vast selection of carriers you can choose from. Since there are a lot of factors to consider, you may commit blunders that can put your business at risk.
In this article, you will learn about the top five mistakes business owners make when choosing a business mobile plan and what you can do to avoid them:
1. Not Determining Your Business Needs First
Before you can even look at the different packages offered by various carriers, you must first determine your company’s specific needs. Once you break down the essential services you and your employees require, it should be a lot easier to choose a mobile plan for your business.
To accomplish this, you need to understand how your employees will be using their devices by looking at old phone bills. This means you should have a record of their usage patterns, which covers:
- calls and texts made within office hours;
- mobile data consumed when outside the office Wi-Fi coverage; and
- roaming services for work performed outside the country.
2. Forgoing Mobile Data Packages
Mobile data can be crucial to many businesses. In fact, in the digital age, a company’s online presence fuels the biggest chunk of the customer engagement that, most of the time, converts to sales and profit. That said, you should never forgo mobile data inclusions in your business plan packages as they can prove to be useful for your company operations.
To check how much data you would need, you should factor in the amount of time you or your employees spend working online outside the coverage of a company Wi-Fi. You should also know the specific apps your people use to communicate and whether it is necessary for employees to have instant access to their emails. Upload and download of files are also crucial considerations under this aspect.
3. Forgetting Security
Another common mistake business owners make when deciding whether or not to get a company mobile plan is forgetting about security. Allowing your personnel to use their personal devices for work may pose a risk to your company security, especially if you are dealing with sensitive information like customer details, confidential emails, and even trade secrets.
Assigning work-dedicated smartphones to your employees can help you get more control over the information they send or receive throughout their stay in your company.
Doing so will also help you monitor applications installed in the devices and almost everything else that they use their devices for. Issuing work phones also gives you the right to back up information stored in a device or wipe it all remotely if the employee using it is no longer with the company.
4. Not Considering the Location
For many companies, major carriers are the first choice because of the comprehensive coverage they offer throughout the country. This makes working on a company device a lot easier, especially when the employee is traveling all over the place. However, you shouldn’t shrug off regional carriers aside so easily. Although some of them may lack in terms of international roaming services, there are still some that provide extensive coverage in different places.
They are also considerably cheaper than bigger mobile companies and offer cost-efficient packages that can help you get the most out of your money. Of course, this will largely depend on your company location and your employees’ mobile usage (see item no. 1).
5. Not Reading the Contract
Contracts not only serve as your guide to knowing what you get from what you pay for but also encompass the terms and conditions of your partnership with the carrier. Often, business owners make the mistake of signing contracts without reading the fine print, which can lead to costly mistakes.
Aside from looking at hardware discounts and freebies, you should also make sure you fully understand the fees that come with the corporate mobile plan you are considering. Check if the length of the contract is agreeable, and determine if there are penalties and fees that come with early termination.
Make Your Mobile Plan Work for Your Business
Making major blunders in choosing a mobile plan for your company can lead to consequences that can be both expensive and stressful.
Make sure you avoid committing the above mistakes by listing down everything you need to consider first before signing a contract with any carrier.
Author Bio
Al-moottil P Antony is a C-Suite Executive Support Professional for Zain, a leading mobile and data services operator with a commercial footprint in 8 Middle Eastern and African countries.