BILOXI — If employees charge cellular phone bills on expense reports, it might cost more because there is little incentive to optimize the plan.
A user who regularly goes over allotted minutes could need a change in plans.
An employee who travels often might need special roaming rates.
When international roaming is involved, charges can be high if the proper plan is not in effect.
Look at your charges over three months. Consider local, long distance and roaming charges.
Improper equipment charges sometimes show up on Under-use Remember that competition is fierce. Compare your service to competitors’ prices. - TELECOM MANAGEMENT INC. Ever wonder whether your company is paying too much for cellular phone service? The answer is probably, «Yes.» «For the most part there are very few companies where their (cellular phone plans) are optimized,» said Sheila Stevenson of Alexandria, Va., who started her billing consultant company Telecom Management Inc. after 10 years in cellular phone sales. The best deal on cellular phone service can escape managers who don’t have Stevenson’s familiarity with cellular rate plans that can have widely varying rates for long distance and international calls. «It’s just knowing what’s out there and managing it,» said Stevenson, who reduced one international company’s bill by $250,000. Cellular phones have become indispensable for businesses. While companies value good service, not all of them know how to review their cellular phone plans in order to save money. But some do. «The sales representative comes in periodically, and we update the plan. We review the bills,» said Steve Cox, regional director for purchasing for Caesars Entertainment The company provides about 100 cellular phones for key managers. If one user goes over the allotted plan, that plan can be altered. The company is not locked in to uneconomical rates. «We can change our plans monthly,» said Cox. «We review our bills and look at the current plans.» Cox said Caesars chose one of the leading cellular phone providers in South Mississippi because the company offered to mount a signal repeater on the casino barges, so the cellular signals would be strong in the company’s offices. Cox said his company is in a position to demand flexibility and rate changes to save money. The cellular phone industry is very competitive and willing to accommodate customers. «If you have your own phone and get unhappy with it, you change it,» said Cox. «The plans aren’t all that different from what’s offered to the general public.» Competitive ball game If you haven’t updated your company’s phone plan recently, you probably should. The cost is going down. «As we have been able to reduce our cost of business, we’ve been able to pass that cost to consumers,» said Jim Richmond, director of corporate sales for Cellular South in Jackson. The company has a software program that can help corporate customers check to see that they are getting the best rates. Account managers are encouraged to make sure they offercorporate customers the best rates. «It’s a very competitive ball game these days,» said Richmond. Most cellular companies allow corporate customers to change their plans freely to save money. «You kind of have the opportunity to build your own plan,» said Richmond. Cellular customers can even purchase long distance minutes in anticipation of travel or of a special need and then drop that option when the extra Customers can and should take advantage of greater flexibility. «A customer that’s going to stay with us is going to be happy,» said Richmond. Mississippi Power Co. helped cut its communication costs by establishing its own cellular network. SouthernLinc provides the company with «It was developed as a way to meet the radio needs of our service employees and power plant employees,» said Kurt Brautigam, MPC spokesman. «It’s been a remarkable success in that realm. Cellular phone service has been added.» Even with the SouthernLinc system, MPC carefully monitors the phone use of its employees. «Management throughout the company manages the employees under their supervision from the standpoint of the plans, as well as the expenses,» said Brautigam. «We’ve seen costs go down, simply because there are more options.»