For most finance departments, a mobility invoice can be as large and complicated as a foreign novel. Pages upon pages of charges, data usage, line information, and departments can overwhelm AP, causing the invoices to be paid with little review from IT.

This is just an acceptable fact of mobility, right? Wrong.

With software platforms and access into carrier systems, real time analytics can and should be utilized by every enterprise. But often real time analytics is mentioned, and CIOs and IT departments roll their eyes stating that would be nice but there is no tangible benefit beyond micromanaging mobility. The reality is real time analytics is not about micromanaging a company’s mobile devices or usage.

Real time analytics is about reducing the bloat found in most mobility programs.

So, how does having real time access into usage and data save a company hard dollars?

The Lie of Unlimited Plans

Major carriers have come out with their unlimited plans, offering what appears to be the best savings for those individuals and companies who cannot keep tabs on their data. While this may seem like a great idea, it’s not.

A lot of companies consider unlimited plans as a set-and-forget scenario. No need to manage the invoice, and no need to pay someone to watch usage. However, often companies are paying for data they don’t need. In the end, the carrier profits and the company pays too much.

So how to prevent paying money to a carrier for a service you don’t need?

Analyze the company’s true usage. And this does not mean look at the company wide average data use. The reason why is usually most employees use far less data than the average.

In fact, most employees use far less data than set by a limited use plan. However, there can be a few high-end users who take so much data the average is driven high, making an unlimited plan look like a money saver. Real time analytics can expose true usage of the company, as well as those individuals who use far more than their share.

The Myth of Carrier Homogeny

In most companies, mobility needs can differ from department to department, level to level. Some departments need more sophisticated phones and IoT, lending to higher data use. While other departments can be efficient with minimal cost.

Gone are the days of when one carrier held the contract for an entire enterprise.

In fact, the best way to ensure the most save on the bottom line is to price each department’s needs independently, with all major carriers. However, that can be a lengthy and arduous ordeal for any enterprise to take on. Most departments will overestimate their needs, causing the business to buy more plan than needed.

Rather than rely on the subjective self-reporting of each department, real time analytics can save time and provide hard data on which lines are being used when and how. Not only can this provide month over month data, if needed, but can allow an enterprise to make changes quickly and easily in the moment.

Unused Lines

Most enterprises are blind to the money wasted on unused lines.

Regardless of policies and processes, it is inevitable for some phones to remain active after an employee leaves the company. Unused phone lines use up budget dollars, regardless if they are sitting in a desk or a storage closet.

Carriers charge for every active line, regardless if the phone is using data.

Rather than paying for someone to scrub each novel sized invoice for lines assigned to past employees, real time analytics can flag if a line is not being used. Not only is the line noticed, but the line can be terminated immediately, preventing additional months of charges while invoices are scrubbed.

MMS and Real Time Analytics

Software and Mobile Device Management has come a long way. There are plenty of platforms that can provide real time analytics, highlighting the above issues and saving an enterprise money. However, there is an additional cost associated.

If mobility is managed internally, the company must pay an employee to manage the platform.

A strong Mobility Management Service (MMS) can provide the software and platform, as well as skilled account manager who handles device management. An MMS provided account manager frees an IT department to make an impact.

To find out how MobileWare’s Maestro Platform can help your enterprise save money while becoming mobile efficient, click here.