budget check: managing mobile expenses in the …...the simplest thing you can measure is usage. you...

SEPTEMBER 2019

SPONSORED BY

BUDGET CHECK:

Managing Mobile Expenses in the Enterprise

FOREWORD

2 B U D G E T C H E C K : M A N A G I N G M O B I L E E X P E N S E S I N T H E E N T E R P R I S E

As enterprises approach the final quarter of 2019, mobility leaders will be under intense pressure to cut costs. Managing mobile expenses in the enterprise can be easier said than done, as enterprises grapple with cost containment challenges such as international roaming and dropped connections. Without proper planning, these issues could result in in-creased mobility costs.

By speaking to industry-leading experts, this report will address solutions to control mobility costs, prevent overpaying and unlock potential savings.

By leveraging mobile performance management solutions, enterprises could gain visibility into identifying their biggest hidden expenses, such as redeploying devices instead of buying new ones, and negotiating mo-bile contracts before they expire.

Learn about suggested company policies regarding data and network restrictions that could reduce mobility expenses.

Adam MusprattEditor, IQPC Digital

TOC4THE CHALLENGE OF MONITORING MOBILE EXPENSES

5

11ABOUT ENTERPRISE MOBILITY EXCHANGE


6WHAT GOOD GOVERNANCE AND POLICY LOOKS LIKE

10ABOUT THE SPONSOR

WHAT A SUCCESSFUL MOBILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE

It goes without saying, but it is vital to keep track of how your organization is spending money. Maintain-ing a detailed and organized account of the corporate budget is the lifeblood of any organization – integral for productivity and efficiency. Yet, many organizations still wildly overspend on mobile expenses by using paper- and spreadsheet-based reporting.

The problem here is that the larger the organization, the more difficult it becomes to effectively collect data, monitor contracts, monitor mobile device usage and, ultimately, determine if your organization is spending its money on mobile assets wisely.

All too often, organizations only turn to mobile man-agement solutions after they realize there was a prob-lem controlling costs. As the years roll by, employees naturally change positions, job, role and department, meaning that the mobile device no longer serves the same remit as it did when it was initially issued.

By utilizing a mobile expenses management system and adhering to strong governance and policy, you can gain a full-spectrum view of your mobile expenses, giving you the data you need to make effective decision-making.

By having an auditory perspective on device usage, your organization benefits from trend analysis, the abil-ity to target specific devices, a reduction in employee misuse and better cost monitoring.

With these metrics in order, you can begin to make informed recommendations on how to action a de-vice and ensure it is not sitting in a limbo-like state of not being used – or being over used – to increase cost effectiveness.

MONITORING MOBILE EXPENSESTHE CHALLENGE OF


82%say mobile devices are critical to agility and the speed of decision-making.Oxford Economics

Addressing the cost management challenge does not have to be a complex ordeal says Andre Bromes, CIO of Goodwill Industries. Andre’s company implemented a Telephone Expense Management solution (TEM) to gain greater oversight over employee usage of their mobile devices.

Andre says, “By marrying to a mobile enterprise management platform, your organization has better impact for how it can manage those devices across the agency, from start to finish, from procurement, asset tracking and right through, making sure that policies, procedures and device security are properly represented for that device.”

However, prior to diving into a mobile expense solution, it is vital to review billing and assess how much your organization is currently spending with your phone provider.

Before starting your journey to more effective mobile expense management, you should have full knowl-edge of:

• Contract costs. • Devices being used on the contacts. • Devices currently being used by employees.

Once you have oversight and transparency on the above, you can make informed decisions on governing mobile device usage.

MOBILE EXPSENSES SOLUTION LOOKS LIKE

WHAT A SUCCESSFUL



For a policy to be successful, it requires a combination of good governance and technol-ogy systems, says Andre.

In his experience, managing the mobile purchasing and the procurement process did not fall under the remit of IT until recent years. Previously it was handled by a different department that was characterized by manual processes – and was largely inefficient.

Policy will change depending on the organization, industry and employee, affecting vari-ables such as unlimited data and international planning.

What should you measure?The simplest thing you can measure is usage. You need to decide if you want a plan that is more substantial than what the employee is using. Through a mobile expense manage-ment system, you will clearly be able to see if employees are underusing or overusing their plan. It is vital to ensure the plan meets the needs of the employee to ensure you are not overpaying for your service.

In instances where an employee is overusing the plan, you will end up with paying ex-cessive charges that are far great than what you pay if you use a plan that supports the needs of the employee.

GOVERNANCE AND POLICY LOOKS LIKE

WHAT GOOD

You can apply this to all areas of the enterprise to ensure that support is being met.

According to an Oxford Economics survey, enterprises that selectively provided devices to employees had high work-force satisfaction and collaboration.

Last, you may have a process where you want to ensure all of your employees have a mobile device. However, if your report show that 90% of employees have zero usage in the last six month, you can prove to the business that 90% of those devices should be removed.

Talking to employeesOnce you have a management solution in place – the rela-tionship with your telco providers becomes more transpar-ent, says Andre.

You have the ability to go back to your cellular service pro-vider and assess the scope for new conditions for your con-tract. For example, in instances where the service is being underutilized, you can ask if there is a condition to leave devices on standby for them to be easily activated as you are paying full charge for a service that is not being used to its full extent.

However, this is a conversation to be had with governance. Technology is relatively simple; it either works for the sys-tem or it does not. Policy and systems are not simple and this is often the area that is not paid enough attention to.

The primary area of focus should be the process, because you can be extremely proficient with your device manage-ment capabilities, but if you have an inefficient process and you bring in new systems and technology, the inefficient process will still be in place.

This is why you need to adhere to standard operating pro-cedure and best practices.

This is where governance comes in. It has to be written into a process that everyone is expected to adhere to. Then, you have a system that you can marry to a technology solution you opt for and then work that through and say: “This is a complete process now and it works.”

You can buy the most expensive solution or have one of the top mobile enterprise management providers – but you will still have inefficiencies without governance. People process the system and the people have to be trained and held ac-countable for managing the process.

This is where governance comes in. It has to be written into a process that everyone is expected to adhere to. Then, you have a system that you can marry to a technology solution you opt for and then work that through and say:

“This is a complete process now and it works.


Even if your organization operates a COPE (Company Owned/Personally Enable), BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or CYOD (Choose Your Own Device), you can still use a mobile device management solution. It just requires an extra layer of planning to get your employees aligned with your policy.

In fact, a software solution can actually give you greater scope over your BYOD, COPE and CYOD strategy, by providing the ability to set and manage authentication procedures and consolidate a disparate array of mobile devices into a single system.

This is particularly beneficial for BYOD, which carries with it some innate hazards as employees free to mix their personal and professional lives on a single device – which is an issue when you consider the increased possibility of cyber-attacks and confidential data leaks.

With a software solution and tough policy in place, you can see who manages the device and incor-porate strong controls on devices so they align with the security procedures of your organization. However, in instances where you require strong control over personal devices, you will also need strong support from employees and executives.

To approach this, clearly outline how the device will be monitored and integrated into security pro-cedures. Employees should have an understanding of what background applications will run on the device, what networks the device will be connected to, what areas of the device will be restricted re-stricted and more.

Thinking of the futureAfter you perform your quarterly analysis and you have oversight of how device usage has been trending, you are going to see some of the value that can be gained by having conversations with the provider. Here, you can discuss new proposals such as pooled data versus unlimited data.

One thing to consider in circumstances such as these is that people are creatures of habit. Why can this cause problems down the line?

Picture this: You have a person in the procurement office where they make a purchase for a mobile device, and everyone gets unlimited data and unlimited voice text. When you receive a report, you will be able to demonstrate to stakeholders that this service may be better under a pooled data plan.

In practice, you can take that information back to your cellular providers and tell them that your organization is spending too much quarter to quarter on the service, and there needs to be a more cost effective and efficient way of managing cellular de-vices. Furthermore, it is a better way of representing the cost of the service, because the report will clearly demonstrate where you are organization overspending.

COPE, BYOD CYOD AND THE

MOBILE ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

With mobile expense management solutions, the risk is with it not being properly facilitated, which is a qualitative risk as it does an audit against the spend and costs associated with supporting mobile device active usage.

The reports will reveal what your spend is. This is a very easy report to produce through a TEM, provid-ing the data to demonstrate how you can improve on the status quo over a quarter. That is because these systems often provide a minimum of three months of data to show you what changes you have made and how they have resulted in cost savings.

The cost of the actual solution is different. Each indi-vidual system uses the same methodology, but they can also be configured differently as well. In a nut-shell, during the evaluation process, the business has to issue regulatory compliance to be clear with what the requirements for a TEM are.

Lastly, put the requirements back on the TEM manag-ers – to demonstrate the ROI – because at the end of the day, they are experts. They have full oversight and understand the billing process and the different lines and codes provided by cellular providers when charg-ing for certain services. Ultimately, the responsibility should be for the TEM to tell business how they are going to help demonstrate value in helping the busi-ness manage their costs.

Accountability is important in the enterprise and businesses need more tools and impetus to under-stand accountability. With a mobile management system, you have measurements to ensure you are efficiently covering what is it is you are trying to accomplish in terms of short- and long-term goals. You have feedback, clear expectations and measure-ments, which enable you to support behavior that you want to continue and push down behavior you do not.


THE ROI OF MOBILE EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

THE CHALLENGE OF CALCULATING

SPONSOR SPOTL IGHT

Panasonic is changing the way work is done by delivering purpose-built mobile technology solutions designed to keep workers more connected and be more efficient. Manufactured with the evolving needs of the mobile worker in mind and engineered to stand up to the most challenging conditions, Panasonic TOUGHBOOK devices and accessories are part of an ecosystem of solutions, services and software designed to help today’s worker go anywhere and achieve anything. To learn more, please visit toughbook.com.


ENTERPRISE MOBILITY EXCHANGE is an online community for global mobility professionals and business leaders who are leveraging mobile technology and services to improve operational efficiency, increase customer acquisition and loyalty, and drive increased profits across the entire enterprise.

At Enterprise Mobility Exchange we’re dedicated to providing members with an exclusive learning environment where you can share ideas, best practices and solutions for your greatest mobility challenges.

You will receive expert commentary, tools and resources developed by experienced mobility professionals and industry insiders. With a growing membership and global portfolio of invitation-only meetings, Enterprise Mobility Exchange ensures you keep your finger on the pulse by delivering practical and strategic advice to help you achieve your business goals.

DORENE RETTASHead of U.S., Enterprise Mobility [email protected]

ADAM MUSPRATTEditor, Enterprise Mobility [email protected]

MIKE JOHNSONSenior Account Executive, Enterprise Mobility [email protected]

JESSICA TAYLORMarketing Manager, Enterprise Mobility [email protected]

T W I T T E R : https://twitter.com/mobilityxchange

L I N K E D I N :https://www.linkedin.com/company/enterprise-mobility-exchange/

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budget check: managing mobile expenses in the …...the simplest thing you can measure is usage. you...

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