Do You Need Telecom Expense Management with BYOD?
August 26, 2014
By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor
The telecommunications media space is practically overrun with coverage on the benefits associated with the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend. You’ve heard all the great ways you can streamline cost while still protecting the independence of your employees. You’ve probably also heard how to properly monitor access to the network and remote-wipe a device when the situation calls for it.
For some companies, however, the BYOD policy falls flat. Simply requiring that employees use their own phones for work doesn’t really qualify as a policy, although it does fit the description of BYOD. In the state of California, the practice has to be followed up with reimbursement. An appellate court in the state ruled that businesses have to pay a “reasonable percentage” of the phone bill if employees are required to use their own phones.
When such requirements are thrown in to the mix, telecom expense management takes on a whole new role as decision-makers try to balance the budget against regulatory requirements. When employees are given the opportunity to select their own phone and plan, a “reasonable percentage” could vary according to the individual user. This is why putting an actual policy in place is important.
In addition to this policy, there are few other things you can consider if you want to ensure your BYOD policy supports fiscal responsibility and your telecom expense management goals. For instance, a corporate billing plan could make the whole process easier. Employees would still have the option of selecting their own device, yet the company receives a monthly bill for better monitoring. Reimbursement can be sought for non-work activities, although the efforts needed in this area could negate the benefits of this arrangement.
Paying a percentage of the employee’s individual phone bill is another option. Generosity has to be taken into consideration to avoid legal challenges. At the same time, monitoring has to be put in place to ensure the company isn’t paying more through this method than if you were providing all phones and plans. Taking this approach will require close attention to telecom expense management to ensure usage and costs are kept under control.
Finally, it’s never advisable to manage each employee’s phone bill as part of the process. If employees need to itemize texts, calls and data usage to be reimbursed each month, productivity is going to be reduced. Likewise, checking the submitted information for mistakes would also take too much time and effort from your financial staff.
The point is, simply putting BYOD in place to reduce costs is not enough. You have to have a strategy and policy in place to protect the company and your employees.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson