Before the proliferation of both BYOD and corporate-owned mobile devices at work, organizations only really needed a well-performing telecom expense management (TEM) program to keep a handle on their telecom assets. However, with 91% of organizations now planning to have a mobile work style strategy, managed mobility services (MMS), have become an essential addition.
We've already examined exactly what managed mobility is and the reasons for implementing it. Now let's take a closer look at its biggest benefits.
1. Increased Mobile Workforce Productivity
Having a strong MMS solution in place creates confidence in the security and suitability of your enterprise mobility, meaning you can allow more employees to work remotely.
What's more, as noted by Forbes, MMS and collaboration tools are cloud-based, which confers the following benefits:
- Using cloud-based servers and communications systems drastically
reduces costs. Much like BYOD, the reduced need to purchase on-site equipment reduces overhead. This is because cloud technologies usually operate on a per-seat cost model or a per-user licensing model. The need for in-house servers is reduced/removed, and so is all of the associatedhassle . - Employees can work anywhere, at any time. Enterprises can then extend their service hours, increasing customer satisfaction.
- Instant file-sharing over the cloud enables workers across the globe to work efficiently and collaboratively.
- Workers can utilize the always-on presence indicators of co-workers, increasing the pool of people that can help with queries or take customer calls.
2. Improves Bottom-line Results
By having mobility managed outside the business, staff – who otherwise would have to spend time and effort on the procurement, deployment, and management of mobile devices and software – are freed up to focus on core activities and to work more strategically.
As mentioned above, MMS enables increased mobility, which can bring its own savings. Enabling more workers to be mobile means enterprises need less office-space, again reducing costs significantly. In fact, the newest available US census data
- A typical business would save $11,000 per person per year.
- Employees would personally save between $2,000 and $7,000 a year.
3. Ensures Mobile Services Are Optimized
Most MMS vendors will set up mobile devices with the software, settings, and apps that each employee needs before delivery. This ensures each mobile device is ready to go immediately upon receipt, removing the burden from IT teams and getting new devices to employees more quickly.
Some common examples include:
- Microsoft Outlook and Calendar installed and successfully linked to the employee’s user credentials, so they’re usable straight away.
- The app and associated settings for the company’s travel and expense provider ready to go.
- Video conferencing apps such as GoToMeeting and Skype installed and configured with the company account.
- Software specifically needed by an individual worker or department installed on the device. For example, this could be a CRM app for a marketing or sales employee.
4. Achieves the Best Possible Contract Terms, Rates, and Conditions
The key to MMS contract negotiation is benchmarking. This is data that lets you compare prices and services between various vendors. Your MMS provider should be able to help you with this. As noted by Gartner, the key questions for benchmarking activities are:
- Is this a competitive market price for the services being provided?
- How do services, service levels, terms, etc., compare to the market?
5. Gives Insight into Ownership Best Practices
MMS providers are experts in mobile-ownership best practices and can support you in:
- Adding encryption, network access controls, virus protection, and authentication.
- Setting up remote locks and data wipes, should devices be lost or stolen.
- Establishing policies with employees regarding usage of devices.
- Configuring software that enables personal and business content to be partitioned.
6. Dedicated Support
When vendors include an end-user support desk, it adds value for both the account holder and end-user. When problems occur, with the device or service, the employee has a named support team to turn to. The expertise of MMS support staff means they are best placed to quickly and competently resolve any issues that arise. This in turn frees up the time IT staff can spend trouble-shooting employee device issues.
7. End-of-Life Services
A good MMS provider should support you throughout the mobile life cycle, including the end-of-life stage. Key activities include:
- Full sanitization of data and devices.
- The refurbishment of working devices, readying them for reuse.
- The sale of any device that is no longer needed by the company, which recoups initial costs as much as possible.
- Recycling of any devices that are beyond the point of repair.
Conclusion
A well-executed TEM program is no longer enough – workplace mobility has been on the rise for several years and the trend is only set to continue.
Whether you support your employees or don't, they are not going to stop using mobile devices (corporate or personally owned) for work. An effective managed mobility strategy recognizes the importance of mobile-device usage in business, adding surety and expertise to the procurement, deployment, and management of mobile devices.
If you want to know more about how Cass Telecom can help you gain a firmer grasp on workplace mobility, please get in touch with one of our experts.
Topics: TEM, managed mobility, BYOD
