Field service techs spend countless hours on the go and can find themselves at odds with the modern worker’s scourge: mobile roaming charges. It’s a challenge to enable mobile workers with the mobile tools and data they need while avoiding hefty voice and data charges that add up quickly (Streaming training videos or ESPN clips, anyone?)
According to a study by mobility management firm Visage Mobile, one in 50 companies get stuck with a $15,000 roaming bill every month. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a few simple tricks, field service managers can avoid hidden mobility costs:
Trick 1: Use Wi-Fi
The average mobile workers uses 28.6 megabytes of data per day to check email, browse the web, make Skype or FaceTime calls, download files and handle other tasks while on the road. Whenever possible, encourage field techs to use Wi-Fi for connectivity, instead of pulling from data from the network.
Trick 2: Keep Employees in the Loop
According to a survey by mobility provider iPass, 17 percent of surveyed mobile workers didn’t know their roaming costs because their employer directly paid the bill. When employees understand how they’re using data, they’re more likely to consider the costs.
Android users can find “data usage” in the settings. To find data consumption on iOS 7 devices, tap “cellular” under settings and scroll down.
Trick 3: Monitor Usage
Hefty roaming charges can go unnoticed if companies aren’t vigilant. “Merely incorporating data roaming charges or bills from one-off Wi-Fi access into departmental expenses means that the true extent of the cost of mobility is often hidden,” René Hendrikse, vice president for iPass EMEA, tells TechRadar. Companies can protect their blind side by using an end-to-end expense management tool. These tools can boost travel policy compliance by as much as 37 percent, according to an Aberdeen report.
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