Sponsored by Republic Wireless:
Today’s consumers expect businesses to be at their beck and call 24 hours per day. Social media certainly helps businesses communicate with consumers, but there is still a need for many employees to be accessible from remote locations via phone.
Whether a salesperson has an important (and very needy) client or a tech employee needs to be contacted at midnight to fix a server outage, cell phones have become a standard piece of equipment for many employees.
How can companies, particularly small businesses, afford to give their employees mobile phones and pay for the monthly wireless carrier bills?
Fortunately, there are some alternatives. For example, you can allow your employees to use their personal cell phones for business purposes, and each month you reimburse them for business calls and data transfers. The BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) movement is spreading quickly across large companies, but this solution also brings problems to the company. What happens when an employee leaves the company? For example, if that employee is a salesperson, he’ll take with him the phone, his contacts, and all of the calls that will come to that phone number in the future. There are also security considerations related to keeping data safe that could affect your company if employees use their own devices.
Some companies are choosing to go the voice over IP (VOIP) route and allow consumers to use VOIP apps on their iPhones and Andriod devices to avoid paying high wireless carrier fees. However, this option requires a separate learning curve and reliance on a WI-FI connection.
Another alternative is moving to a no frills phone and wireless plan where consumers get phone access and that’s it. Do your employees really need access to the internet, mobile apps, and the ability to text? Take away all non-business features in both the phones and wireless plans, and you’ll save money.
There are even companies like Republic Wireless (featured in the sponsored video below) that focus on providing flat fee wireless services which can offer great solutions for small businesses.
Investigate your options, and remember to determine on an employee-by-employee basis whether a business cell phone is truly needed. Once you determine who really needs a wireless device, select the device and wireless plan carefully to ensure you’re not overpaying for things that employee doesn’t really need.
How does your company manage employee cell phone costs? Leave a comment and share your insights below.
