With remote working set to continue for the foreseeable future and potentially grow, there are some factors that many businesses will need to review.
For example, how will work from home impact company culture? What mental health support will be required to assist WFH workers with potential feelings of isolation? Does remote working offer more significant opportunities for recruitment?
While these questions will need to get answered, one of the most important queries involves the additional expenses required to facilitate remote working. One that is forecasted to increase exponentially relates to telecommunication costs.
More specifically, it is fees relating to voice, mobile and data. However, you don’t have to sit back and watch your expenses grow. There are steps you can take to keep these charges under control.
Putting Your Plan to the Test
Validating and Auditing Your Current Plan
As you browse line by line, there is a high chance you’ll come across something you shouldn’t be paying for or a feature you didn’t know you’re entitled to. Carriers provide an enormous number of products and services, so sometimes mistakes are made. There’s also a possibility you negotiated certain products you thought you needed that didn’t end up getting fulfilled.
You’ll want to confirm you’re getting the correct discount, paying the right rate, and receiving all of the products you’re entitled to. Not only that, but you should also confirm everything in your contract is still relevant to your business as you make the shift to remote working.
Optimising to Suit Your Business
If you’re going to have a higher reliance on your data instead of voice calls, then you’re going to want your plan to reflect that. You should also review features and offerings that may not be activated yet. Do you still need these, or are they no longer relevant now that you’re moving to a remote work model?
For example, is international roaming required anymore? Features like these may look minor on paper, but they start to add up across all the employees in your enterprise. If you’re moving to a new working model, then you’re going to want to optimise your telecommunications plan to ensure it’s fit for purpose.
Benchmarking Against Other Providers
If your contract happens to be up for negotiation, then it’s worth exploring the market to see what offers are available. You could choose to issue an RFP and wait for the deals to come to you. However, this will only tell you so much.
Engaging telecoms expense management companies can benchmark your current or new contract against all available carriers. It can even be customised to suit your remote working needs. Telecom benchmarking can also provide future requirements modelling. If you’re new to WFH, you might not have all the data you need to make an informed decision. A telecoms expense management service can provide you with the information you need to put you in a better position during the negotiation phase.
Telecom Expense Management Solutions
Telecom expense management companies can offer more than just benchmarking. More and more enterprise businesses around the world are employing these services to manage costs better, especially when it comes to mobile devices and communication services.
The best companies can provide software that offers real-time in depth cost visibility to monitor inappropriate usage, adherence to compliance policies, and minimise overspending. As complexity grows with the advancement of remote working models, these tools will be critical to managing costs long term.
Keeping Your WFH Costs Under Control Long-Term
Handling your telecom costs for remote workers is something you will need to review regularly. You could leave this up to the finance team or procurement professionals. However, you’re best to engage with telecom expense management companies that can validate your bills, optimise your plan, and provide you with software to monitor costs. They can also benchmark your contract to ensure you’re getting the best deal possible.
Want expert advice and help to gain cost certainty and savings on your telecom bills? Smartbill provides a comprehensive suite of services from independent bill validation, optimisation, and benchmarking to telecom expense management and fully outsourced managed services for your telecoms needs.
We help clients gain an accurate view of their costs to provide them with levers for improvement. We save our clients’ money by verifying that they only pay for the services they have signed for and by ensuring that they are benefiting from the best deals from their current carrier or versus other carriers in the market.
For more information, call us today on 1300 880 575 or via email: team@smartbill.com.au Website: https://www.smartbill.com.au/
