What is Telecom Lifecycle Management?

March 29, 2010 By 2 Comments

Telecom lifecycle management is a hot topic in companies with mid to enterprise level telecommunications needs ranging from wireless phones to landlines and internet. What is it? Why is it essential to modern telecom expense management?

telecom expense management cycle

Tele-Watch's system audits and adjusts the entire usage and billing cycle

This January, the Aberdeen Group published “Recovering with Telecom Lifecycle Management,” a report that details the advantages of this method and how it can help drive a company’s re-emergence into the economy after the last two difficult years. According to the report, best in class service resulted in a 16% reduction in telecom spend on services that covered 45% of employees with advanced communications (such as smartphones and video).

Saving 16% on some of the most expensive telecom services is certainly nothing to sneeze at! But how does it work?

A 360 Degree Approach

Traditional telecom expense management deals with everything from wireless to long distance as if its needs have “fallen out of the sky.” The client has a number of phones, carriers and services in play and it’s the job of a telecom audit to find flaws and errors, research the field for better solutions and apply them as much as possible.

Where traditional telecom expense management reacts, telecom lifecycle management acts. Telecom lifecycle management is a holistic approach that starts with sourcing and procuring the most appropriate hardware for business functions at the best price. Lifecycle management applies appropriate carriers, plans and policies, and tracks every handset and service from its beginning to end. Tracking includes traditional telecom expense management functions such as bill monitoring and cost management. When service is necessary, telecom lifecycle management gets it done. Experts plan upgrades and service changes along with the gradual reassignment, recycling and replacement of each unit.

Perfecting the Cycle

This program results in constant improvements in cost efficiency and quality. The cycle of procurement, monitoring, service and replacement includes data collection and analysis of all aspects of company communications. Telecom managers apply this information to the next cycle, selecting appropriate hardware, services and agreements based on the most comprehensive, up to date information. This virtuous cycle of self correction provides the best possible solution.

Technology Managed Through Technology

Telecom lifecycle management depends on accurate, information that can be sorted, connected and applied to management decisions. This requires a specialized application, which is why it’s the newest telecom expense management method. Tele-Watch is our technology for lifecycle management, and it not only tracks data for telecom experts, but for non-specialist managers as well.

Filed Under: Cellular Customer Service, Cellular Expense Management, Cellular Phones, Communications Management Software, Cost Reduction, Telecom Audit, Telecom Expense Management Tagged With: ,

Four Steps to Troubleshoot Your Mobile Handset

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Every long time wireless user has encountered a “cursed phone.” One of the functions of complete mobile device management is to keep these experiences to a minimum and when necessary, get the unit upgraded or replaced as quickly as possible. We help clients with virtually every problem, whether they need information on how to use a service or have a more serious situation at hand, such as billing irregularities or a broken handset.

troubleshooting wireless

Not all problems are so obvious

Don’t hesitate to call – but did you know that you can take several steps to deal with problems yourself, without needing to be an expert? The secret is to understand how to narrow down an issue to a definite cause – something called “reducing to the solution.” To do this, you rule out possible causes in a logical order, “reducing” the number of possible causes. For phones, try the following process, step by step:

1) Check the Power

Many problems can be caused by low or intermittent power and sometimes, software doesn’t do a good job of displaying true power levels. Take the time to fully charge your phone and check if the problem is still there. If the phone won’t charge across at least two outlets, there’s definitely a power issue with the battery or adapter.

2) Check the Network

Contact your carrier to check on network status in your area. You may discover an outage or that your coverage defaults to a lower level of service. If the problem goes away when your phone connects to a full service network, then the network is the source of your problem – not the phone.

3) Check Your Settings

You may have accidentally changed your phone’s settings, or suffered an unanticipated side effect from changing them intentionally. Go through each menu and look for settings that are different from the default, factory settings. Change them back. If that fixes the problem, great!

4) Check Your Software

Back up any saved information and files on your phone, and install the latest version of its software (iPhone OS, Android, etc.). If you already have the latest version, reinstall that. If this doesn’t solve your problem, perform a “clean” installation if you can to put the phone back to basic factory and carrier settings.

Once you’ve done all of the above, you should end up with a working phone or one that needs professional help. By recording these steps, support staff will know what the problem isn’t and your phone will be repaired that much faster.

Filed Under: Cellular Customer Service, Cellular Phones Tagged With: , ,

Get to Know Your Canadian Carriers

March 25, 2010 By 1 Comment

Since 2008’s Advanced Wireless Spectrum Auction there’s been a great deal of excitement about new carriers coming in to compete with Canada’s “Big Three” of Bell, Telus and Rogers. This is sure to open up new telecom expense management opportunities and might just lead to lower prices overall for Canadians. With lukewarm competition at best, the Canadian wireless industry inflicted some of the highest prices in the developed world for core services, offering little advantage between carriers beyond occasional coverage considerations.

Canadian Telecom Expense Management

Not all Canadian carriers are who they appear to be

If you’re a Canadian wireless user, you may be wondering why we’re only talking about a handful of companies. What about the discount providers and other brands you keep seeing on TV? Aren’t they competitors? Nope. Most of them are Big Three brands or resellers. Here’s how it breaks down.

Bell Mobility: In Canada, Virgin Mobile is a Bell brand, used under license. Solo and PC Mobile are both independent resellers operating on Bell’s network.

Telus: Koodo Mobile is Telus’ discount brand. Mike is a Telus brand that uses push to talk technology.

Rogers: Rogers resells to 7-Eleven, Petro-Canada and Sears. Its own discount brand is called Fido.

Bell, Telus and Rogers have designed their pricing to be comparable with each other (there is virtually no difference in pricing for similar data plans, for example) and to close loopholes that might be allowed if you purchased phone on one carrier brand and used it on another. Resellers must take their own costs into account with their rates, and the Big Three have managed to prevent deep discounts from that source.

Fortunately, careful telecom expense management can find the best plan for a company based on its desired handsets, services and location – specifics that vary enough to create savings compared to simple head to head comparisons.

But competition is coming. WIND Mobile and now Public Mobile have thrown down their gauntlets to compete, shunning the Big Three’s traditional contracts and rates, but they currently have small coverage areas outside of a few major cities. How do they compare?

WIND Mobile has a limited number of phones available because it uses the Advanced Wireless Spectrum, and its coverage is currently limited to the Greater Toronto Area along with the Ottawa and Calgary regions. It is expanding, however, and phones can be used in “away zones” covered by Rogers for additional fees. WIND offers unlimited data and other benefits, but these only provide real savings in coverage areas.

Public Mobile is focused on basic consumer phones – it’s not set up for business use. Its coverage includes Windsor, Toronto and Quebec City, with more additions on the way. Due to its basic, consumer focus, it probably isn’t the right choice for most businesses.

More carriers can only mean more choice, competition and savings in the Canadian market, so we welcome new players, even if we wouldn’t necessarily recommend them.

Filed Under: Cellular Customer Service, Cellular Expense Management, Cellular Phones, Cost Reduction, Telecom Expense Management Tagged With: ,

Are You Getting the Best Internet Speed on Your Smartphone?

March 24, 2010 By 1 Comment
smartphone speed mobile management

Not all signal bars are created equal

Many people think their mobile device determines how fast their wireless Internet’s going to be. Phone manufacturers emphasize this by highlighting new hardware and software, such as the iPhone 3GS (according to Steve Jobs, the “S” stands for “Speed”). But your smartphone is only part of the equation when it comes to speedy web page loads and data transmission. If your company’s mobile management plan relies on high speed data transfer you need to consider what your phone will be able to do.

Your carrier’s network is the ultimate limit on data transfer speeds. A fast phone will still slow down on an older network.

How do networks and phones interact to determine your data transfer speed? We field questions about this every day. Let’s answer a few for you now.

Would the data on my Blackberry be slower than on an iPhone or Android phone?

Older Blackberries and phones are limited to slower networks, so if you’re on the second or third year of a contract you might be stuck with legacy technology such as the EDGE network. Newer Blackberries along with iPhones and Android handsets can use faster 3G networks such as Bell and Telus’ HSDPA, but there’s a catch: You need to be in range on the newer network.

In many areas you’ll be stuck with EDGE or other slower protocols, ultimately defaulting to basic GSM with no data access at all. New phones will still work, but at a reduced speed. Make sure you know your area’s coverage before you count on high transfer speeds.

What about Wi-Fi?

Some smartphones (including the iPhone – check the model of any phone you plan to get) can also connect to nearby Wi-Fi hot spots. Some carriers (such as Bell in Canada) operate Wi-Fi in busy areas. Otherwise, you can make use of Starbucks, home Wi-Fi, work Wi-Fi and other options. The great thing about Wi-Fi is that it doesn’t count as data transfer through your phone for billing purposes and it’s fast. The disadvantage is that older phones can’t connect through Wi-Fi, and it may not be available in all areas.

How can I tell what degree of coverage I have in my area?

First thing’s first: Ask carriers about their coverage in areas you plan on using your phone before you sign a contract! Once you have your phone out and about, the display will show what type of connection is available. This will normally display as follows:

3G: Indicates a 3G connection is available. This will only appear on 3G capable handsets.

EDGE: Indicates a slower EDGE (2G) connection is available.

edge (“lowercase edge”): Indicates only a GSM connection is available, with no data transfer.

Wi-Fi Symbol: The Wi-Fi symbol appears in Wi-Fi capable phones in range of a nearby network. You will be prompted to enter login information for any unfamiliar network. You can sometimes set up familiar networks (home, work) to connect automatically.

We hope this clears up some confusion and helps you find plans with the best data transfer speeds.

Filed Under: Cellular Customer Service, Cellular Phones, Smart Phones Tagged With: , ,