Have you seen it? The one that states ‘Data Plans Aren’t One Size Fits All’? My first thought was: ‘Nice! A powerhouse like Verizon is highlighting a service that is one of the most unpredictable, management challenging concepts in the industry.’ To be honest, I didn’t catch the rest of the message so I’m not sure what the end result was but I can tell you from experience, when not managed correctly, data plans represent one of the largest consumers of wasted money for companies with corporate liable devices.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the most challenging aspects of data plan management is usage. Why?  Typically, consumers and companies choose over-inflated plans to avoid overage.  If you have been on the receiving end of going over, then you know why someone would choose a bigger plan than needed; going over on a data plan can be expensive in a frightening way.  It’s why companies tend to err on the side of buying bigger to avoid overages.  For them, bigger means more data which means less money over time.  However, this ideology couldn’t be further from the truth.  When data plans are not managed properly, it can cost companies upwards of 20 to 35% more when data usage doesn’t match the data plans.  This statistic includes plans that are underutilized.

Another issue where companies overlook is management oversight. By not inspecting usage monthly companies are, in a sense, throwing caution to the wind and counting on luck that the plans they chose are performing optimally.  Click here to learn more about the complexities of wireless invoices.  Data consumption is at an all-time high with no end in sight of slowing.  Even if a size fits now, it is guaranteed to not always fit and why it is more important than ever to be vigilant by inspecting the data usage of employees monthly.  Another thing most employers don’t consider is the amount of off hour data usage that is consumed.  Video streaming, Skype, gaming; it all adds up and if you don’t have eyes on the game you’re going to miss the pass.

Mobile Expense Management is designed to provide the keenest oversight and optimal invoice optimization. Add a little-known industry secret called pool adjusting and your company will be positioned to not only stay within budget, but save anywhere from 10 to 35 percent on mobility cost.  Click here to read about a MobilSense client who did just that.