Guest Article
According to most business experts, cellphones are one of the top tools for small businesses. By signing your business up for a cellphone plan, you are automatically improving productivity. Not only does it benefit your employees, it improves the communication between you and your clients.
It’s all about accessibility. Having your company at your fingertips shows your clients that your business is flexible and that even when you aren’t at your desk, you are within reach.
Choosing a cellphone plan for your business is considerably harder than choosing one for personal use, because you have to take 5-10 other people into consideration. That is why it is so crucial to do the proper research in order to maximize your plan.
What will you be using the phones for? Which employees truly require a company cellphone? You must ask yourself these questions in order to get the most savings from whichever cellular carrier plan you choose.
Whether you’re a fan of AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint or Verizon Wireless; you need to make sure that you have the right cellphone plan for your small business. There are many factors to consider coverage, data, contract terms, and your smartphone options. Listed below are some key points to consider before choosing a respective cellphone carrier;
Coverage
How much coverage do you need? Check the coverage in your office and in the areas surrounding it. You can use a crowd sourced map like Open Signal Maps to see the strength of signal. If some of your employees travel, consider the places they visit. Companies simply can’t offer coverage everywhere. When you roam, it costs.
If your employees travel out of the country and work, be sure to verify international coverage. If they only travel internationally for a few weeks, consider renting a phone for special trips or adding the package only for a week at a time.
Data
Carriers offer business plans that include unlimited data, but do you need to spend the extra bucks? If your employees only need to access their e-mails and do some general surfing, they don’t need more than 2GB of data per month. This is usually the standard amount for a basic smartphone plan.
Contract
A cellphone provider’s natural initiative is to sell you a bulked up contract. Before you sign, check the costs of going over the data cap or exceeding the talk time. Be sure that you have unlimited talk and text with the other phones on your plan.
When it comes to signing contracts that last 2 years, consider how often you turn over employees in your small business. Early termination can cost you up to $400 per line. If an employee quits or is terminated, it will cost you.
Which Phone?
Will your employees need smartphones or can they do without the data? While the Samsung Galaxy III or iphone 5 might be the best smart phones on the market, your company might not need the luxuries of these phones. If talk and text are the only requirements, don’t waste money on a new phone. Buy refurbished, if you can.
If your company chooses to use smartphones, will you be able to upgrade after a year or two? Phones are constantly changing and improving, much like your small business. If you are a high-tech business, it will pay to keep up with the evolution.
“Mobile Phone Streaming Virtual Business” image courtesy of nokhoog_buchachon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
About the author: Liam Garcia is a part time blogger and full time social media manager. He spent his childhood in Chile and moved to Texas to attend the University of Texas when he was 18. When he’s not working on his novel or exploring the confines of the Internet, you will find him at the nearest bookstore.
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