Perspective

Recently, we painted the roof on part of our farmhouse. This part of the house is the older, smaller part of the house, and while it is not as high as the rest of the house, getting on the roof sure gives one some perspective. It gives you an idea of a bigger picture: what is important, what isn’t and a better opportunity to get outside yourself and put things in their rightful place.

I was thinking the parallels are also interesting with wireless. Sometimes businesses cannot see the forest through the trees. While they know something is amiss, they have no perspective, no context, no visibility into seeing the big picture. This leaves the enterprise manager not only with a sense of confusion, but also a sense of helplessness.

One of the biggest frustrations with businesses and wireless is that they really have no idea what they spending and what they are getting for the spend: there are no standard measurement criteria. Who is using what device? What does that get the business? How is the business using this technology to the best of its abilities in order for the organization to get the most out of the technology? These are all very difficult quetsions out of context. I recall one business manager saying to me, “trying to get good, understandable summary data is like pulling teeth. Why can’t someone just give me meaningful data? See?…all about perspective and context.

The carriers are relatively good about providing LOTS of data and in portals that are very sexy. They look really cool and are helpful to the individuals, but they show the business little in terms of good meaningful summary data, nor do they provide it in any easy to decipher format. Usually it is an individual roll-up which isn’t of much assistance when looking at 5000 devices.

What is needed is some perspective: what is really important to the enterprise and how is it measured and improved? In our patented methodology, we use the WEM PATROL process which look at 3 key performance indicators: Data usage (measured in cost per KB), Voice (measured in cost per minute) and Total cost (measured in cost per phone). These 3 indicators are indeed the measurements that truly illustrate how the account (and users) are exploiting the capabilities of the devices. In a perfect world, these amounts should be on a decreasing trending scale based on optimization. Additionally, these 3 categories make it very easy for the enterprise manager to see on a holistic level what the account is doing and provides perspective.

Keep in mind, this is done with a great deal of work behind the scenes, millions of dollars and hours put into software to manage the solution as well as time to review in person (yes, human to human, imagine that!) with the enterprise manager to insure the solutions are continuing the fit the needs of the organization.

But, we believe this approach provides us and (more importantly) the enterprise with greatly needed meaningful information on which to base good management decisions. Spending big bucks on wireless bills, although not such a big deal a few years ago is becoming the norm for any business that wants to stay competitive.

So, go paint your roof. It will help you sort through the quagmire to get some perspective on what’s important.

These data plans, they are achangin…

Here goes the long awaited data plan changes……

Carriers have been warning for awhile now that the ALL YOU CAN EAT plans are going away and here we go. ATT announced recently that it is doing away with the UNL plans and will set the new top level of KB usage at 2GB. Currently, according to AT&T, 65% of their smartphone customers use less than 200MB per month — although this is well below what we see from the average enterprise customer. Additionally, AT&T says that only 2% of the users use over 2GB per month.

While this does not seem to be big news for the majority of the users right now, beware…it will be soon. With the rollout of 4G speeds, the GB usage will be rolling over the networks faster than white on rice.

With all the new 4G applications moving at faster speed and ease, data plan maintenance will soon become an optimization challenge, i mean opportunity. Like voice in the old days of unlimited talking in a local area, data has now expanded areas to national and internationally unlimited plans. The carriers will need to limit data usage in order for their networks to support the traffic and will also need to increase revenue to expand networks to handle the increased data utilization. This means creative plans for the enterprise to figure out on their own to keep up with the changing dynamics of both the plans and the usage.

So, pay attention to the plans as they roll out, pay attention to the carriers as they roll out creative technologies, and for goodness sake, pay attention to grandfathered unlimited plans and associated discounts to take advantage of these rate while they still exist. Protect your wireless rights! Right data truncated plan, right data price for the associated KB and the right service and price result for the enterprise!

It is 3pm: do you know where your MAC is?

It is the middle of the work day. Do you know where your MAC attainment is? Better not rely on the carrier to know.

With another carrier negotiation comes another insight that the carriers have become so big that many times they are not even sure how they are billing enterprises for their wireless. Nor do they understand their own complicated rate structures or their own math for their requirements they mandate customers abide.

We recently underwent 4 very long iterations of MAC (minimum annual commitment) attainment figures with a carrier and one of our customers. The original current MAC attainment given by the carrier was overstated by 20%. That is, when we asked what the customer was spending today in MAC attainment numbers, they gave us a figure that was well above what the customer was actually spending. This is troublesome only because that is the amount that the carrier uses as a determining factor in the discount structures. If you are spending more, you get a bigger discount which is great– unless wha the enterprise is spending is not what the enterprise is actually spending. Then, you get penalized by a lower discount.

Because of our industry knowledge and previous negotiations like this, we (The Bill Police aka TBP) debated the MAC amount several times with the carrier coming back each time stating that the previous figures were indeed incorrect. Their MAC number kept decreasing; ours remained constant. We even heard a statement made that said, “here is the correct MAC. The old MAC was wrong, but we can’t tell you why”. Really.

They even asked if we could provide them information on how to come up with our MAC number and why their figures were incorrect. Really.

Those conversations were still 2 MAC discussions before the final where our numbers finally were confirmed after seeing that in the last attempt, the carrier had added several items two times and therefore falsely inflated their numbers. Math: can be tricky sometimes. Yes, really.

Let us end on a happy note that the outcome was a better overall financial position for the customer in the end (to the tune of about a 20% savings each month on the bill from what they were spending). In the carrier’s defense, they are not in the business of making your bills right nor optimized. That’s our job. Their job is to get you a device that allows you to be mobile while doing business and being exceptionally more productive. They do pretty well with that.

So, keep a check on your MAC. It may be wandering aimlessly with no control nor oversight and if you aren’t watching it, few others are — keep it safe.

Spring — the old is new again in wireless too

As spring approaches, it only makes one contemplate the amazing rebirth of the earth — year after reassuring year. There is nothing new beneath the sun.

This also applies to the wireless world.  It is now hip to communicate once again, albeit in a different methodology; but still the old is new again.   We are now merciless communicators in all mediums and are addicted to staying in touch.    To that point, I recently saw a bill with over 14,000 text messages — now that’s a communicator.

We even think its cool again to read:  on the e-reader of your choice with more options to come (Andrew Berg of Wireless Week says that iPad sales forecasts for 2010 ranged from between 5.5 million and 7.1 million units).

Because we at The Bill Police assist enteprises in reducing their wireless bills, it is important to understand what businesses are getting from these new technology methodologies.  Thus, it is important to first establish metrics then measure productivity gains, customer responsiveness improvements and increased efficiencies in operations due directly to these new tools.

Second, what do these tools cost from both hard and soft cost perspective.  For soft costs:  how much time is it taking these users to manage devices, applications and content which make them more effective.  How can the organization provide concierge global service to combat diminishing efficiencies?

For hard costs, users need to be on the correct plan for their usage (do they really need an unlimited data plan?  Do the organization realize users are being charged $9.99 each month for ringtone downloads — is that a productivity gain?).  These costs must be matched to user requirements and also monitored.  Check for redundant billings (e.g. users on unlimited data plans which include messaging who are also paying separately for a messaging plan.  I know, it sounds obvious, but you would be surprised!!)

So as spring brings about its renaissance, make sure you are familiar with one of the oldest adages that is also new again:  there is no free lunch.

New twist to the GPS concept? Interactive traffic reporting via vehicle speed.

Using cellphones to beat traffic?

A trial using GPS-equipped mobile units provides a picture of freeway speeds. Now — how to get the information to motorists.

By Steve Hymon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 09, 2008

 

A fleet of 100 cars rolled onto a Bay Area interstate Friday to begin perfecting a tool that could one day transform the lives of commuters around the world.

Maybe.

With San Francisco Bay shimmering to the west, university students drove the cars all day back and forth along Interstate 880. Each was carrying a cellphone loaded with Global Positioning System software. And as they drove, it beamed back signals that researchers shaped into a real-time map of traffic speeds.

Of course, maps of freeway conditions already exist and are popular. Who doesn’t know about SigAlert.com or Google maps?

But in the ubiquitous cellphone, some researchers see a two-way device that can not only gather high-quality data on what’s happening on the road, but then deliver information to motorists on which route they should take to shave time from their travels. “Getting that information back to the drivers, that’s the Holy Grail — so drivers can make smart decisions about their commute,” said Thomas West, director of the at UC Berkeley, one of the backers of Friday’s experiment.

Text Messages limit you to 160 characters, WHY?

Who decided a text message would be limited in scope? How was it decided? Frustrated rewording a text to work within the limit?

 

Alone in a room in his home in Bonn, Germany, Friedhelm Hillebrand sat at his typewriter, tapping out random sentences and questions on a sheet of paper.

As he went along, Hillebrand counted the number of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. Each blurb ran on for a line or two and nearly always clocked in under 160 characters.

That became Hillebrand’s magic number — and set the standard for one of today’s most popular forms of digital communication: text messaging.

Are you calling and driving? Texting and driving? Are you okay with it or should it stop?

 

Take a look at the below article from the Washington Post.  All of us have been behind someone who holds up the green light as they are busy texting. Cell phones, blackberries, PDA’s are incredible efficiency machines there is no doubt. With the advent of new technologies comes these types of questions.

Is going hands free for calls enough? Bluetooth technology makes it easy. Now, how is texting handled with one hand on the wheel?

 

Nationwide Cell Phone Ban for Drivers Urged

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
Monday, January 12, 2009; 12:00 AM

SUNDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) — A leading consumer safety organization is calling for a nationwide ban on drivers using all cell phones and other messaging devices.

While there are a few state and local laws banning drivers from using hand-held cell phones, the National Safety Council (NSC) believes it’s time to make it unanimous.

The NSC plans to lobby in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., for laws that ban both hand-held and hands-free cell phone use as well as texting while driving. The council also plans to work with the U.S. government to develop incentive programs and sanctions that will force states to enact such laws.

Cost Cutting Tips for IT professionals

CIO.com posts 20 cost cutting can’t miss Tips:

1) “Buy a wireless telcom expense management service. It pays for itself and more”.

2) “Deploy a corporatewide plan for buying cell phones…this will be cheaper than letting empoyees buy phones and plans and then expensing them”.

See the link for all 20 cost cutting measures!

www.cio.com/article/455127

Cell Phones or Used Cars?

According to the Better Business Bureau on Feb 5, 2009, the cell phone industry received the largest number of complaints surpassing the used car industry. This is a 9% increase in complaints over last year.

Industries doing a large volume of business are naturally going to have a high complaint number…and of course the resolution of complaints is key.

 

The top 3 most complained about industries in 2008 were:

Cell Phone companies

Used cars

Banks

Survey Says…..+ 15m

The CTIA-The Wireless Accociation survey reports that as of December 2008, the industry recorded more than 270 million wireless users. Year over year increase of nearly 15m subscribers! The 12-month record was in 2005 when 25.7m new users came on line.

Other highlights of the survey, over 2.2 trillion minutes used is an increase of over 100 billion minutes from last year, 6 month wireless service revenue breaking records at $75m  w/ annual service revenue topping $148b by end of 2008.