What Is Wireless Expense Management, and Does My Business Need It?

Workplaces have changed. We are no longer tethered to a desk via computer cables and telephone wires. Laptops, smart devices, and wireless connectivity have allowed us to communicate, access data, and complete tasks anywhere and at any time. While this ability to work remotely has increasingly become a necessity for many employees, it’s created some new challenges for IT departments.

“Work is what we do, not where we are.”

In addition to procuring, configuring and deploying thousands of devices, IT departments are often tasked with managing other aspects of a successful mobile infrastructure. This can include end-user support and education, mobile policy development and enforcement, contract negotiation, asset allocation, disposal of old devices, and a myriad of security tasks. Mobile Expense Management aims to help mitigate some of these challenges.

What Is It?

In its simplest form, Wireless Expense Management (also known as WEM), is the management of expenses associated with mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, air cards, and any other device that uses wireless telecommunication networks.

WEM solutions can effectively:

• Reduce costs, both capital and service costs, associated with mobile device usage
• Provide transparency and granular insight into individual or department usage
• Identify operational inefficiencies
• Support mobile policy compliance

How Does It Work?

WEM software tracks the inventory of all mobile assets across the organization as well as their usage and the costs associated with each device.

What Are the Benefits?

Cost Reduction

The system analyzes usage and compares it to thousands of available cellular rate plans to ensure that devices are on the most cost-effective plan and that data pools are being fully utilized. It recommends changes and plan optimizations to further maximize savings without compromising quality or access to features. It provides insight into zero-usage devices and flags excessive charges, overages, and underutilized services.

Analytic Power

WEM software allows you to monitor policy compliance, enjoy evidence-based decision making, and increased accuracy in budgeting and expense tracking. Conveniently follow usage trends, view cost-center allocations, and analyze data. Leverage data to increase negotiation power with carriers to further reduce costs.

Audits and Dispute Management

Mistakes happen (more often than you might think) and carrier portals make it difficult to catch and correct billing errors. The more devices an organization has, the more difficult this becomes. WEM software will perform routine invoice audits to ensure that charges accurately reflect real-time usage. A high-quality WEM will file disputes on your behalf and pursue carrier credits through to completion.

Operational Efficiency

Managing a successful mobile infrastructure takes time and resources. Adding lines, analyzing plans, managing invoices, disputing charges, compiling reports … these all take time away from your team. Effectively reducing costs also requires visibility into unpublished rates, familiarity with carrier portals and data groupings, as well as knowledge of obscure billing tactics. A WEM solution will automate these tasks, compare data that is unavailable to your in-house team, and utilize expert industry knowledge.

Device procurement, approval flows, configuration and deployment and other aspects of inventory management can be also automated through a WEM, further reducing the demands on your team.

A powerful solution will effectively analyze your spending, improve reporting and transparency, improve operational efficiency and effectively maximize your savings potential.

Does My Business Need It?

Below are some of the most common issues we hear about from new clients. If you are experiencing any of these and you manage more than 50 lines, you will likely benefit from implementing a WEM solution.

1. Do you struggle to find the time to check invoices for accuracy and dispute billing errors? 

You may be surprised by how often invoicing errors happen and go by unnoticed. Deactivated lines that appear for an extra billing cycle, charges and fees that should be waived per contracted terms, incorrect plan rates, duplicate billing, and unauthorized third-party services are some of the most common errors we see (and we see them regularly). If your team does not have the time for a thorough review each month, then you are leaving money on the table.

2. Do you find yourself creating reports or reformatting data because your carrier portal does not offer information in the format you need?

A WEM solution pulls data points from your carrier and allows you to create custom reports that are formatted to meet your needs. They can save you a considerable amount of time and allow you to view information from various angles.

3. Do you find yourself spending a lot of time on the phone with your carrier when activating, changing or deactivating lines? 

If this is a task you have come to dread, you’re not alone. A WEM solution will automate these tasks for you. No more wasting time on hold, following up to see if your requests have been completed, and ensuring that they are properly invoiced at the end of the billing cycle.

4. How often does your carrier rep reach out to tell you about new plans and promotions?

New plans and promotional offers are released approximately every 1-3 months. A WEM solution will compare your current plans against all published and unpublished rates to ensure that your lines are on the best and most cost-effective plan.

About GoExceed:

Founded in 2001, GoExceed is recognized as an industry leader in Wireless Expense Management solutions. We service over 2 million enterprise wireless devices per year, and our clients range from midsize businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Our comprehensive suite of management solutions have revolutionized the way companies manage their wireless accounts, devices, users, costs, data, cost centers, contracts, policies, and more. We firmly believe that innovation is not only the key to our success, but essential in an ever-changing wireless landscape across the world. GoExceed empowers businesses with real-time reporting and analytics, enabled by Microsoft Power BI, in order to proactively reduce time, money, and resources. Your success is what drives our passion for technology and innovation.