Mobility Managed Solutions Success

Please scroll down to see previous volumes.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 11

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: Enterprise client with over 40 locations who needs breakdown of charges by facility location.

WHAT: Detailed report with usage details for the IT department or managers and cost details with coding for the accounting department

CHALLENGES:

Multiple invoices are not easily summarized. Staff are spending too much time breaking down charges on services they don’t fully understand
The accounting department needed a quick and efficient way to allocate charges for each user, department, and facility
IT staff and managers needed a way to track usage per line
Breaking down the charges is taking accounting so long that there are late fees on the bill every month.
No easy way to run reports to track and audit our equipment charges as fixed assets

SOLUTIONS:

How: Our wireless team custom built a report that meets the needs of each key stakeholder

IT Department – Report provides a list of all users and their usage, allowing them to identify high data users or other problem areas
Managers – Out of the ordinary usage is highlighted for them to address, as well as any lines that have no usage so they can check with the employee to see if the device is still needed
Accounting Department – Each invoice is now summarized by department and facility, as well as fixed asset coding for any equipment charges.
All the information is presented in a format that is quickly referenceable, sortable, and simple to understand.
- Multiple formats, including a .csv file for uploading into accounting systems.
- Pivot tables allow for quick view of high level summaries of the accounts
- Processing time will be shortened

OUTCOME: Accounting department was able to reclaim days of their time to work on other projects, while IT staff and managers now have even more insight into their account and users.

With the summarized department and facility reports, what previously took days, now takes only a couple hours to enter into the accounting system
IT staff has been able to identify and address high data usage
With faster processing time we were able to considerably reduce the amount of time Accounting was spending to complete their work.
- Late fees have been eliminated
- .csv files can be uploaded to the accounting system in minutes
- With the addition of fixed asset tracking reports can be run easily to search and demonstrate a complete audit when needed.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 10

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: Corporate customers that need to bulk order devices, switch carriers, or do an equipment refresh.

WHAT: Onsite Deployment

CHALLENGES: IT department and managers are too busy to change carriers or do a bulk upgrade.

Need: The client is too busy to deal with upgrading, activating and setting up numerous phones at one time. They often think it’s easier to rely on old, outdated and memory deficient technology, rather than dealing with the time-consuming hassle of a refresh. The IT team would need to switch priorities and dedicate a large chunk of time to:

Figure out what devices everyone has and when they are upgrade eligible.
Research device models and capabilities.
Obtain proposals for device pricing.
Activate and provision the device accordingly. This may include adding email, transferring media and contacts, configuring the MDM, or downloading applications. Sometimes there are cloud services that can be challenging to navigate for the IT department.
The old devices would need to be collected, Apple or Android email addresses gathered or signed out of, and unlock pin codes removed. This step may involve risking bypassing security measures or company policies.
Additionally, they would need to be tallied and sent to a buyback company. Because buyback quotes expire quickly, this is a daunting and time sensitive task where the device value will decrease over time. Some companies skip this step altogether as they do not know they can get value out of their old devices

Cost: Time consuming soft cost of project management, downtime, extra shipping.

The greatest cost is time and lost productivity. When a company phone stops working, due to device failure the employee is not able to do business for 2-4 business days, depending on how long the process takes to replace the device. Additionally, the soft costs associated with shifting the IT department’s priorities would be substantial.
Doing only break/fix emergency replacements adds an extra overnight shipping cost of $15 per device, which can significantly increase costs.
May not be maximizing best equipment pricing. Promotions and sales prices are only good for certain timeframes. If not taken advantage of within that period, it will increase the device cost significantly.

SOLUTIONS: Upgrade Project Management

How: The Grudi Associates mobility team uses the inventory report to identify devices that need replaced, upgrade eligibility, put together the order and device recommendations with pricing and promotions. We simplify the process for the client by overseeing the process from start to finish, handling all of the tasks outlined above.

All of our managed solutions clients are provided with a quarterly inventory report. This report shows each line on the account with the user name, cell number, device type, and device IMEI, and upgrade date. For some clients these reports are done by location or GL Code. This helps identify devices when it comes time to bulk upgrade.
We are able to help by making recommendations based on need and offer pricing and promotions that are good for the month or the quarter depending on the offer. Our proposals include all pricing options, including both 2-year and device payment plans.
Our specialists process orders with care and attention to details, making sure promotions and pricing match the proposal.
As soon as the devices are delivered to our office, they are inventory and tagged. If accessories are ordered, those are accounted for as well making for a seamless delivery.
Our consultant coordinates dates for onsite device deployment and training which includes activating the new devices, and taking care of transferring information from one phone to the other.
We collect old phones and unlock them with the pins and remove email address accounts so they can be securely wiped at our office.
For home office locations or locations that are not local, the phones will be set up (but not activated), shipped to the employee with step by step activation instructions along with our toll-free support number for any additional assistance needed.
Each device will be checked and then submitted to the buyback company in accordance with the buyback terms and conditions.

OUTCOME:

Each device activation is confirmed, downtime minimized, and ensured that by day 1 the employee has what they need at their fingertips.
All devices returned to Grudi Associates are inventoried and wiped securely within company standards.
Our billing team members check the account to see that the phone charges are added to the bill correctly and have the appropriate promotions added.
Users are more productive with the new phones. They can use simultaneous voice and data, have newer/faster processers and the new phones have more on board memory.
Company and client data is more secure based on updated software and security features.
The corporation receives a check from the buyback company for the devices at the price that was quoted helping them to recoup funds with buyback values at the highest possible price.
Companies often receive enough money from buybacks to offset the outlay for upgraded equipment costs, many times by thousands of dollars.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 9

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: Multiple business clients in need of an improved onboarding and offboarding process for cellular devices.

WHAT: Improving business processes and documentation regarding mobile devices during onboarding and offboarding.

CHALLENGES:

Need: Clients were experiencing issues in several different areas and needed updated processes.
– Human Resources Staff or Managers were not always certain if the new position required a cellular device.
– The devices were not ordered until the employee started in their position leaving them without cellular devices for the first few days
– New lines of service were inadvertently ordered for existing employees that already had devices when they started new positions.
– Accounting departments didn’t know where to code the charges when they received the wireless bill from the carrier.
– Devices were being returned locked; with pin numbers, Apple IDs and Google accounts, rendering the devices useless.
Cost: Devices were not consistently collected at the end of employment or they were not returned to the correct department for processing of the device and lines were staying active that were not being used.

SOLUTIONS:

HOW: Our wireless team had a conference call with the client and the HR department to go over the current process and how it could be improved. The Grudi Associates wireless team implemented numerous improvements to streamline the processes.

We created an equipment request form to help with the on boarding process. This included information for Grudi Associates to process orders and code the charges to the appropriate department. It also listed a start date so devices would not be ordered too early to prevent wasteful billing, yet arrive slightly before they begin so they would have what they needed right from the start.
The employer was given a step by step guide for the on boarding process along with the normal processing timeframe so they could set the proper expectations.
The off boarding process was then created which included all of the information HR and managers needed in order to prepare the devices to send back to Grudi Associates. Once received Grudi Associates return process includes securely wiping, testing, and cataloging the device for re-issue or buyback depending on the age and condition of the device.

OUTCOME: The new process allowed everyone to be on the same page. It resulted in an improved business process, eliminated waste, as well as saved time, money and energy.

As a result of the new on boarding process new lines were no longer being ordered for existing employees which cut down on the number of duplicate devices.
The accounting department and Grudi Associates had the correct information to code the costs correctly which cut down on the time spent researching and getting the information ready for payment processing.
Reduced the number of devices that were locked and unusable, and cut back on the time spent to contact the old employee and Apple to get the devices unlocked for reissue.
Devices locked by Apple/Google are rendered useless and have no buyback value. Unlocking the devices helped save the company money because they were able to reissue or process them for buyback when they were returned

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 8

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: Business clients that have cellular tablets.

WHAT: No usage on cellular tablets month after month.

CHALLENGES:

Need: Many employees need and use tablets regularly. How do you determine what positions needs cellular service on the device?
Usage: A large number of tablets have no use on wireless invoice.
Management: When asked most employees told managers they need and use cellular on the device.
Cost: Spending $10 per month, per tablet may seem inexpensive. However, this client had 131 unused tablets, racking up a massive $1,400 charge per month.

SOLUTIONS:

HOW: Our wireless team completed an in depth analysis to provide accurate and up to date information.

Performed a complete inventory of all tablets and spoke to each end user about how and where they use the device. Three rounds of emails were sent to end users asking them to contact Grudi Associates to provide us with a list of information such as device information along with how and when they were using the device currently.
Ran reporting for 6 months of usage.
Identified and inventoried all inactive devices and accessories (physically on hand). This included:
– This included wiping devices that were activation locked and securely erasing all information.
– Obtaining buyback quotes for the devices that were out-of-data or broken.
– We also inventoried new devices for future use and kept them on hand to send out as replacements as needed.
Compared the inventory list to the list of no use devices.
Offered complete analysis to management with regard to our findings along with a solution.

OUTCOME: Created a new process for onboarding to determine need for cellular service on a tablet.

As a result of the inventory process we were able to identify 205 of the 276. We reached out to the rest by phone to get the information we needed.
Found that many employees didn’t need cellular because they were working in areas that had Wi-Fi access most of the time.
Eliminated 102 tablets.
Reduced the number of shared data plans needed by 5 sub accounts.
Client realized a savings of $1,897.50 each month for an annual savings of $22,770.00.
This decreased wireless costs by 42%.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 7

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: Business clients with family lines on the account

WHAT: Cost effective solution for family members using excessive data.

CHALLENGES:

Billing: Small and Large business clients often have family members of the owners on the wireless account.
Usage: Teens and young adults use their phones for data much more than business employees. Using social media, streaming services, gaming and other high data consumption applications. This frequent use occurs not only on Wi-Fi
Management: The account goes over data each month, employees have data usage under control. How do you tell the owner to curb their child’s usage?
Cost: Who pays for the overage?

SOLUTIONS:

HOW: Our wireless team researched plans to eliminate overage and control cost.

Collected information from the client with regard to needs.
Took into consideration average usage and acceptable usage for all family devices.
Compared the metered data plans vs unlimited plans between multiple carriers.
Researched impacts on the end user based on making changes to plan.

OUTCOME:

Kept the family members with the current wireless provider based on plan availability.
Moved all of the family members to separate sub account.
Put the family on a plan that gives all four of them 40 GB to share (10 GB per user). This plan is cheaper than unlimited plans.
Turned on a special feature called safety mode, this allows them to continue to use the phones after they have eclipsed 40 GB of shared data at lower speeds.
Put an end to the need for management to go to owner about family usage each month.
Eliminated overages, saving the company an average of $150 per month.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 6

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: Multiple clients with trucking fleets. (Recycling, Waste Disposal, Concrete, Construction & Shipping).

WHAT: Cost Effective In-Vehicle Solution to comply with new Federal Safety Regulations.

CHALLENGES:

ELogs: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandated by 12/16/19, all trucks must utilize self-certified Electronic Driver Logs (EDL’s) that are registered with FMCSA. It is up to each company to find the solution that not only meets these requirements, but best fit the specific needs of the business.
Equipment: A wide range of equipment can be used with the applications to ensure compliance. These applications can be used on laptops, tablets and smartphones. There are companies that sell specific ELog or GPS equipment that serve only one purpose and that can be mounted in the vehicle.
Software: Is offered by different 3rd party vendor all of which have solutions for different verticals.
Carriers: Many of the top carriers offer plans, devices and accessories to meet these needs. However, the equipment offers, plan and accessory prices all vary depending on wireless carrier or vendor making it difficult for them to make an accurate comparison.
Safety: Drivers need to keep their devices hands-free and permanently fixed in their vehicles to increase safety and reduce any potential hazards or distractions while driving.

SOLUTIONS:

How: Our wireless consultants explored the requirements and provide options and cost in a side-by-side comparison.

Collected information from the client with regard to need and budget.
Educated the client about additional ways that Tablets could be used to streamline multiple processes, such as electronic time sheets, GPS tracking and mapping solutions and vehicle maintenance alerts.
Identified the specific need for software by industry. Some software solutions works better on different mobile platforms (Android or iOS).
Compared the data plans, cost and coverage between multiple carriers.
Sourced the required accessories through multiple vendors to offer competitive pricing.

OUTCOME:

Our Clients implemented a Tablet solution. Our clients found that a smartphone screen was too small for the drivers to easily view and adapt to the solution. While there was a greater upfront cost to purchase Tablets, the cost of the plans was much lower, and the companies could use the devices for other useful applications such as electronic time sheets and GPS.
Verizon Wireless was the best solution for our clients. They had the lowest pricing on plans which offered the highest long term ROI possible.
The truck mounts, hand-held speakers, and other hands-free devices that were sold with the tablets helped keep the drivers safe while in use.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 5

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: A leading trucking company that is managed by Grudi Associates. This company utilizes independent drivers.

WHAT: They supply all drivers with a Jetpack (personal WiFi) device to assist in submitting electronic logs and help them track pickup and delivery of products.

CHALLENGES:

Identification: The organization had 200 devices, but they had duplicate names on devices and some were not being used. They also had devices that were not in working order, but the non-working devices were still active on the account. When they needed a replacement, they ordered a new line instead of upgrading or doing a warranty replacement. The old devices were never cancelled and were still being charged to the account.
Plan Discontinued: Due to very high usage on the account, their wireless provider notified the client that they would no longer support the unlimited plan they were using, forcing them to move limited data plans at a much higher cost.
Current Usage: Very high usage, with some drivers were using over 100 GB per month (by comparison, an average business customer uses less than 5 GB per month).

SOLUTIONS:
How: The Grudi Associates mobility team performed a complete audit of services. Grudi Associates accomplished this by:

Comparing the data plans, cost and coverage between multiple carriers.
Developing a mobility policy that set data usage expectations and accountability, and specifically focused on how the policy applied to the replacement models.
Ordering replacements in phases and identifying and reducing the total number of devices on the account (by 70 devices).

OUTCOME:

Inventory control: Identified unused lines and cancelled them. New process in place to track the devices and change user names as they are swapped out.
Switched all lines to a new carrier with a more flexible amount of data per month.
Since we analyze the data being used at mid cycle, it was easy to identify high usage patterns. We started a new sub account that throttled data usage at 40 GB. We moved users that were exceeding data expectations to this throttled account. Once their usage was deemed normal, typically within 3 months, we moved them back to the main account.
Savings: $6,268.00 per month, $75,216.00 Annually.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 4

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: A non-profit organization that operates charitable hospitals and programs in 27 countries worldwide. This company has been managed by Grudi Associates for 10 years and continues to receive value from our Managed Services.

WHAT: The cost of traveling globally can get expensive. Since wireless carriers change rates and plans frequently companies need to make sure they are using the right carrier and plans for the countries in which they serve. This project involved a deeper look at International costs and usage.

CHALLENGES:

Coverage: The organization needed to make sure the end users have adequate coverage.
Plan knowledge: The organization doesn’t have the plan knowledge to compare carriers.
Current Cost & Usage: International usage was increasing as the organization grew. New international features became available from carriers.

SOLUTIONS:

How: The Grudi Associates mobility team performed a complete audit of services. Grudi Associates accomplished this by:

Comparing the global plans, cost and countries covered by carrier.
Auditing 6 months of invoices for users to compile a list of the countries each user had visited over the past 6 months.
Compiling a report of the minutes, text messages and data used for each trip by user detailing 6 month use average.
Analyzing the plans they utilized during 6 months of trips along with overage costs for each user.
Auditing the long distance usage from the U.S. and compared the long distance plans between carriers.
Compiling the cost analysis for each user, by carrier and by plan to compare them side by side.

OUTCOME:

The company has lines of service with multiple carriers. We made recommendations to optimize plans and also moved one user to a different carrier based on where they traveled.
Our scope of work, specifically for International travelers, includes adding and removing global packages as needed. The end users send us an email letting us know what country they are traveling to, the day they are leaving and the day they are coming back. Grudi Associates then adds the best plan based on the users average usage, coverage in the country they are traveling to. We send the end user an email telling them what plan we put them on, what allowance they have, instructions to change he settings on the phone and dialing instructions for that country and the country code.
The company realized $1,600.00 per month in savings. The new annual savings from this project alone is $19,200.00.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 3

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: A large construction company headquartered in North Carolina with seven locations across the East Coast.

WHAT: The mobile accounts were on older plans that gave each line its own small data allowance. The company was paying an average of $900.00 per month in data overages.

CHALLENGES:

Time: The staff didn’t have the time or the resources to address the data usage or the high data users to confirm if the usage was work related
Plan knowledge: The staff was not aware (nor did they have time to research) there were better plans available to businesses.
Cost: Since the overages had become consistent, this was the amount budgeted to the wireless expenses. The overages didn’t stand out as extra cost.

SOLUTIONS:

How: The Grudi Associates mobility team performed a complete audit of the wireless accounts and found significant on-going savings to move the lines to a new plan structure. Grudi Associates accomplished this by:

Addressing high data users by running reports showing usage details of when the data was being used and how much data was being used.
Providing data usage tips to the IT staff and all end users on how to reduce data usage by changing settings and adjusting applications
Performing ongoing mid-cycle data checks to address any lines or accounts trending towards excessive data usage. Grudi Associates can then proactively address any usage before the charges become out of control. Users are alerted of their high usage, lines are moved to other accounts to spread out data usage, and the IT department is alerted.
Checking data usage at the end of each billing cycle to proactively increase data allowances and backdate the changes to avoid data overages.
Adding promotional GBs or plans when available to avoid data overages.

OUTCOME:

The company is seeing lower average data usage now that end users are aware that data usage is being monitored and reported.
The company realized $4,408.00 in monthly savings after Grudi Associates changed the plans to a newer shared data plan structure.
The company saves an on-going average of $2,600.00 per month due to Grudi Associates’ proactive data monitoring and avoided data overages
Grudi Associates has saved the company over $138,600.00 by utilizing our Managed Solutions service.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 2

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

WHO: A leading global manufacturer with over 50 locations in the U.S.

WHAT: One Division had 250 smartphones that were outdated with no budget to replace them, and limited IT resources.

CHALLENGES:

Older Devices – Smartphones were so outdated they were starting to fail and the batteries weren’t lasting throughout the work day.
Security – Some of the devices could no longer update to the newest version of manufacturer software.
Cost – It would be costly to upgrade all 250 phones at one time.
Time – The internal IT team was involved with other projects and they could not find adequate time or resources to coordinate the project.

SOLUTIONS:

How: The Grudi Associates mobility team provided the resources to completely manage and coordinate the entire project and simultaneously solved for the lack of budget issue.

Grudi Associates compiled a list of devices to target for upgrades and took advantage of a quarterly $100 bill credit promotion.
Grudi Associates called each number to confirm the user name and location. This helped us to cancel some lines that were no longer needed and update locations for users. We then sent this list to the IT dept. for approval.
Grudi Associates placed the orders and had all of the phones shipped to our physical address.
Grudi Associates set up all of the phones over WiFi with the company’s MDM solution and configured other settings on the device (to insure existing devices remained active and services was not interrupted for any users).
Grudi Associates shipped the devices to each of the corporate locations with step by step instructions included with each device about how to activate the new phone. We included our contact information in case they had any problems.
Each location sent the old phones back to Grudi Associates. We securely erased data from each phone and inventoried them. Ultimately, some of the devices were recycled and used as spares and others were processed by our team for buybacks.

OUTCOME:

We overcame no budget and no available resources to Upgrade over 250 devices –
Users can now use simultaneous voice and data, have newer/faster processers and the new phones have more on board memory.
All equipment costs for upgrades were offset by buybacks, rebates, and credits resulting in a net cost of (-$11,409.02)*.

*Client actually received more in credits/buybacks than the cost of equipment.

MANAGED SOLUTIONS SUCCESS VOLUME 1

INTRODUCTION & SUMMARY:

Local full service community bank with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) in place for 5 years. Originally BYOD because they were under the impression that they could save money and employees were glad to carry only one device. Static monthly stipend to each employee using their device for business communication.

CHALLENGES:

No ownership of wireless phone numbers – when an employee left the company, clients would still call that number.
Security control – Utilized an MDM solution to help control security, but learned that even with policies they were still out of compliance and violating FDIC policy. Could not lock down as much as they wanted to, due to the devices also being personal devices.
HR Issues – Unable to access activity records or billing for devices, could not verify work activities or personal usage.

Cost – Employees were spending more than the stipend on their personal accounts and were unhappy with the stipend amount.

SOLUTIONS:

Ownership of wireless phone numbers – numbers on corporate account stay with the company, not with the employee.
Security Control – Updated and revised MDM solution to control more items on corporate-owned phones
HR Issues – Able to access activity records and billing history for lines on the corporate account. Can verify times of day and numbers for calls, text messages, and data usage.
Cost – Economies of scale, devices on one account resulted in lower average cost per device compared to monthly stipend.

RESULTS:

With our managed solutions product, we are able to manage their MDM solution to provide real-time compliance information. Monthly cost is reduced by over 40% and the control is back in the hands of the bank.