Communications and Technology Industry Research

Despite the perceived popularity of wireless mobility, organizations are limiting or pulling back on deployment of wireless devices as they are facing rapidly escalating expenses for wireless service and support costs for their wireless mobility programs.

In its new benchmark report, “Wireless Mobility Expense Optimization,” Aberdeen (News - Alert) Group, a Harte-Hanks Company, found that Best-in-Class performers are taking a more conservative approach to wireless deployment.

The benefits of selective deployment are twofold. First, Best-in-Class average monthly expense per user is 72 percent compared to all others. Second, Best-in-Class require nearly half the support personnel compared to all others for help desk applications, security and device support.

The success these companies have in controlling costs can be attributed in part to the act that three times more Best-in-Class performers have a well documented policy for corporate wireless devices compared to Laggards.

"Two and one-half times more Best-in-Class organizations have visibility into an accurate up-to-date inventory of wireless devices compared to Laggards. Inventory needs to be tracked with personnel status, job function, usage, and costs,” stated Joe Basili, Research Director at Aberdeen Group in a company statement.

“As employees leave the company, enterprises must request that the carrier disconnect service and billing or reassign the device and services associated with the device to new employees. This helps to explain why Best-in-Class organizations are able to spend nearly two times less on their wireless expenses compared to all others even though they have 21 percent more wireless devices."

This report examines how enterprises are dealing with managing wireless expenses, the number of employees required to manage wireless services, and the impact that adoption of smart devices in the enterprise has on wireless expense management. The report also benchmarks technology solutions for wireless expense management that enables Best-in-Class organizations to achieve cost savings and operational efficiencies.

When considering whether or not an organization has a tool for ongoing wireless plan optimization, Best-in-Class companies had such a tool four times more often than Laggards. Deployment of wireless plan optimization tools contributed to six times more Best-in-Class organizations reporting a decrease in the actual wireless cost per minute compared to Laggards.
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This study is made available to the public through the underwriting of MTS, Net Results Group, Perlego Systems, Rivermine (News - Alert), Symphony Services Spend Management Solutions, and TeleBright Corporation. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, click here.

Our consistently mobile society has dictated that this ability be available in the corporate world as well. However, unless costs can be controlled while also capturing the direct benefit of these technologies to prove an effective ROI, companies have no choice but to control deployment of wireless devices.

Best-in-Class companies are making it work with the use of effective tools to help drive efficiency. Until mobility service and support costs can be minimized through mass deployment, a conservative, selective approach will likely be the best approach.

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