Managing and Reducing Mobile Wireless Services Costs

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Managing and Reducing Mobile Wireless Services
Costs
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Cost Saving Measures

• Utilize the service plans offered on CTS Award
  20268 State Contract .
• Pool all your minutes.
• Consider combining all your open accounts into
  master accounts.
• Reach out to various vendors to see what rate
  plans are available.
• Reach out to your vendors before you order
  equipment for better pricing.
• Review Directory Assistance Fees.
• Provide your employees and encourage usage of the
  Google directory assistance number for business
  listings (800-466-4411).
• Review fees for text messaging , premium text
  messaging and call forwarding.
• Utilize tools offered by the providers to help
  manage your accounts.

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Reviewing Invoices for Mobile Wireless Service

• Primary Objectives
• Review invoice and check for accuracy.
• Ability to maintain the level of mobile wireless
  services needed for your Agency while maximizing
  savings that are available.
• Make sure you re familiar with any additional
  services included in your rate plans.

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Look for Overages

• Make sure your rate plans are pooling correctly.
• If you have grandfathered plans sometimes it is
  actually cheaper to pay for overages than it is
  to change to the next available rate plan.
• If the overages are caused by usage.
• Look at changing to a rate plan that meets your
  Agency needs.

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Look for Additional Charges

• Text Messaging.
• With some plans, text messaging is included, make
  sure you are not being charged.
• Premium text messaging and text messaging fees.
• Directory Assistance.
• Look for fees and provide the free directory
  assistance phone number.
• Call Forwarding Fees.
• Look for additional costs associated with call
  forwarding.

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Look for Erroneous Charges

• Disconnect fees (Not allowed).
• Equipment charges (do the charges match what was
  agreed to).
• Added features (are they billed correctly?).
• Consistency in rate plan fees, taxes and
  surcharges.

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Analyze your Rate Plans

• Procedure for Rate Plan Analysis
• Reach out to the appropriate vendor
  representative to insure your agency is aware of
  the latest rate plans available to you.
• Request an analysis from the vendor for three
  months of usage.
• Review and analyze three month of invoices, along
  with information received from the vendor
• Review and analyze individual as well as business
  units usage.
• Look for seasonal changes in usage and then
  adjust your minutes accordingly.
• Place the device (cell phone, blackberry, air
  card) on the appropriate plan.
• Make sure to follow Contractual procedures that
  are on the State Contract for changes.

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Thank you for coming

• Pat Seymour
• pat.seymour_at_ogs.state.ny.us
• 518-474-2000