Thanks to smartphones, you can attend meetings and do your work with little more than a few taps. Due to the outbreak of COVID, many employers have provided their employees with work phones for increased accessibility and privacy. However, some of these employers did this without knowing the hidden costs of business phone programs.
According to a study by Oxford Economics, mobile enablement cost for a 500-employee organization was about $1817 per employee for a standard two years connection agreement. It shows that the employers had to invest around $900 per employee.
As the companies grew larger, cost efficiency increased. For instance, in a 1000-employee organization, the cost dropped to $1400 per employee for two years or $700 per year.
Was it only monetary costs, or were there more underlying consequences for employers? What about the time you will spend on the maintenance and repair for these phones? Let’s dig into the details.
As you are calculating the cost of managing a mobile phone program, you will have to consider all the possible factors. You will account for the in-house IT department and the fees paid to third-party service providers for the device life-cycle management.
In a study by Oxford Economics, the total estimated cost of the program management was up to $658 for a two years program for a 500-employee organization. As the enterprise grew, the cost was reduced to $357 over two years.
Many companies offer comprehensive business phone insurances to their business customers. The insurers allowed the mobile programs to become cost-effective to the employees. Mostly, these cover plans include insurance for displacement, accidental damage, theft, and breakdown.
Certainly, the employees do not need to worry about any problem occurring with their company devices. However, it can be a costly decision for companies to make. Hence, if you are getting a good deal out of insurance and your company can bear the expense, you are good to go. However, if you have a small business setup, insurance might be a costly addition to your expenses.
Finding a good deal is hard. What’s even harder is to make sure that it is right for you. Thus, whether you want to have an insurance plan, a copay system, a new device, or a maintenance shop, you have to look into all possibilities.
You will need to get the deal approved by the accounts department of your company. This is because you cannot decide things on your own and have to follow the company’s decision-making hierarchy.
In the end, you will take the action - either buy a new device or fix what you already have. It may take a few days or several months and you do not know whether it will be a good or bad choice.
There are some other hidden time costs as well since you have to travel from the company to the maintenance shop, waiting and other overheads that will come your way. All of these things are what you may have normally avoided. While the saying “Time is money” is a cliche, there is a nugget of truth in it - time may actually be the worst loss that you face in this entire situation.
If you are not signing up for any kind of phone tablet insurance, you might need to get a new device at your own financial expense. The better the quality of mobile device or tablet, the higher amount you will have to pay.
Oxford Economics reports that the average amount that a company spends on a mobile phone per employee is $309.17. The greater the size of the company, the more money is spent on getting new devices.
Repairing requires both time and money. You not only pay for fixing the mobile phone but also wait for the devices to get repaired, at the cost of halting all work processes until a functional device is available.
As you probably know, finding a good mobile repairing company is not always easy, and in some cases might require extensive research at your own expense. Once found, you will also spend time and money for the repair itself.
If you're lucky, you might find a service like trufyx around you - bringing phone repair to your desk, fast. You can have any device repaired within 3 hours, at your location or wherever your employees are - if you're working on a flexible hybrid/remote policies.
Learn more about the trufyx White Glove Program
Many people are glued to their smartphones nowadays, and organizations have been able to capitalize their obsession for their benefit. Because they gain benefit from people using their phones often, they are investing in mobile phones even if there are hidden costs involved.
A study from Frost and Sullivan, held in 2016, revealed that most employees have observed their productivity increase up to 34% more than before if they are on their phones. With the continuous advancements in technology, the results will only become better.
This means you will have to leverage mobile devices for the greater good of your businesses. The following tips may make it easier for you to reduce the hidden costs of business phones.
Here at trufyx, we offer phone repair at your location, as your comfort is our priority. With trufyx, you can receive affordable cell phone repair from experienced technicians on board. Check how trufyx can help your business save time and money.
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