Wireless Management Starts with Eliminating Unlimited Data Plans

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

The days of the unlimited data plan appear to be mostly in the past as now Verizon has joined AT&T (News  – Alert) in the elimination of its much-coveted plan. For organizations with mobile professionals who rely on their Verizon plan to deliver optimal connectivity in the field at a great value, this move will demand a change in their wireless management.

This OneCall Global (News – Alert) article highlighted how this change will demand that corporate telecom managers take a closer look at wireless management and how they purchase plans for their users. Unlimited data plans made the task easy as it required no thought into the overall usage or cost other than the monthly payment. Now, telecom managers will have to pay close attention to user behavior to understand how spending aligns with that behavior to try and keep it at a minimum. 

This creates an opportunity for OneCall Global, which can do this dirty work for you. Managers can be free to actually manage and allow OneCall Global to focus on the wireless management. And, while some users may be ‘grandfathered’ in with unlimited coverage, it doesn’t help those situations where plans must be changed, phones added or removed or users moving to a new geographical location. 

In fact, if some users will still be able to enjoy unlimited data, while others will have to settle for a limited plan; this creates both a problem and an opportunity for wireless management. On the one hand, there are additional elements to manage that can make the mix messy. On the other hand, it slows the progression to all limited plans, enabling your organization to get a better handle on your current and projected usage and expenses. 

OneCall Manage suggests that Verizon’s (News  – Alert) announcement could be just the motivation needed for organizations to pay more attention to wireless management and get their wireless focus in order. To help along the way, the company offers three actions that a company can consider today to become to maximize their wireless management efforts.

First, it is important for the overall approach to wireless management to create a baseline for data usage for every member of your team. It is impossible to make good buying decisions when you lack key information regarding your needs. Put a process in place that enables you to easily generate reports to show your top users, month-to-month utilization trends, and more. 

Second, determine what is actually driving that usage. Simply assuming that a high data usage is the result of browsing the Web could overlook the fact that your sales professionals are downloading funny puppy videos. Educate your team members on legitimate use of their available data and then enforce your policies. 

Finally, eliminate unlimited data plans now. It is quite possible that you have users on unlimited data plans that do not need them. Cheaper plans are available to match actual data usage. Consider making that move today and you will be on your way to more effective wireless management. 

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Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell