At five pages even if you're not a telecom geek like me you'll still enjoy the latest Aberdeen report on controlling wireless costs. It's aptly called Controlling Wireless Expenses with Contract Negotiations Tools.
Most of Aberdeen's research is written for Fortune 500 companies but I found a lot of what they wrote about applying to companies of all sizes. Such as their research reporting an 87% increase in the number of smartphones and an 81% increase in aircards the past two years. That along with the statistic that 57% of companies they surveyed had an increase in average cost per user but wireless expenses have increased for 75% of the companies. So I guess that means more employees are getting devices which would surely apply to companies we serve in the mid market.
They also discuss some best practices such as creating an "appropriate use policy for wireless devices" - which we find to be one of the most challenging areas when initially working with new clients, the often used herding cats analogy is definitely appropriate here, everyone wants to be an individual and without a strong user policy costs can quickly spiral out of control - as if that isn't already the case.
The report also provides some interesting points about the carrier-customer relationship and what to negotiate like; device and service discounts, device upgrades and replacements, accessory procurement, service and device warranties, termination fees and other services, software, surcharges and fees.
I particularly like the statement "One carrier states that over 20% of the first invoice after a new contract is in error". Hmmm... let me guess those errors aren't in your favor either.