From setup to security and everything in between, there are a number of enterprise mobility tasks that your company needs to stay on top of to keep your employees mobile and productive. Billing is one of the more complicated tasks, especially when multiple carriers are involved. Ask any accounts payable department about carrier bills: hundreds of pages of detail from each carrier to be assigned to a variety of cost centers.
We’ll take a look at the biggest problems that companies face when it comes to enterprise mobility billing and how managed mobility services can help streamline the process, saving you time and money.
Enterprise Mobility Billing Pain Points
Whether your company manages 10 or 1,000 devices, carrier bills are a common pain point. Confusion and inefficiency are recurring themes in accounts payable departments that deal with enterprise mobile billing. Invoices are long, time consuming to wade through, and often unclear. Here are some of the major pain points companies face when dealing with enterprise mobility billing:
Confusion. Carrier bills are rarely straightforward and only become more complicated as more devices are added. Contracts, plan features, and fee breakdowns are just a few of the many obstacles that leave room for confusion and error.
Negotiations. Cellular providers are generally willing to negotiate on rates and contracts, but without industry knowledge, it can be difficult and often ineffective. Plus, your accounts payable department probably has higher priorities over sitting on hold to speak with a representative.
Tracking. With tens, hundreds, or thousands of devices on an enterprise mobility plan, it can be tedious and time-consuming to analyze usage, overages, available data, and other details. This becomes exponentially more difficult when adding multiple carriers into the mix.
Cost inefficiencies. Carriers generally don’t like to mention potential cost savings, so it’s up to your company to identify ways to cut costs on your bills. But with so many devices and plans to manage, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where you’re overspending or how to reduce costs.
Time sucks. Carrier bills often span hundreds of pages, and the more devices you have, the longer the bills becomes. Reviewing invoices to untangle the different charges, fees, and taxes and allocate them to the correct cost centers can soak up a significant amount of time that could be better utilized.
Disputes. Disputes are a common frustration for anyone dealing with carrier bills. Coverage, fee increases, and overages are just the tip of the iceberg, and it’s up to your company to file, track, and resolve disputes to avoid being overcharged.
Benefits of All-in-One Managed Service Providers
As mobile devices become even more deeply intertwined with business operations, more companies are outsourcing enterprise mobility tasks to offload some of their workload. Managed service providers are a great way to free up time that would otherwise be spent dealing with billing. But beyond time savings, managed service providers can provide expertise that in-house can’t match:
Specialized knowledge. Managed service providers deal with carriers and enterprise billing all day, every day, so they know the industry inside and out. Because of that, they are able to process bills, analyze contracts, and understand fee breakdowns much faster than an in-house team.
Industry expertise. In spending so much time dealing with carriers and keeping a finger on the pulse of the enterprise mobility landscape, managed service providers are able to offer insights and solutions that your employees might not be aware of. They can help resolve disputes quickly and effectively, identify cost saving opportunities, and more.
Custom reporting solutions. Many companies struggle to track and manage their employees’ mobile device usage because they lack the tools necessary to do so. Managed service providers use custom reporting to help companies understand and make better decisions regarding their overall mobility costs.[1]
Unlock Time and Cost Saving Opportunities
Billing is just one of the major pain points for enterprise mobility plans. Learn how to identify other areas that are costing your company time and money here.
LINQ Tech Team