7 Fast Ways to Reduce Your Business Mobile Phone Costs

This is for you business owners and finance people out there who are always looking at the bottom line and how to make and keep your business more profitable.  Here are some real ways you can make your mobile phone bills cheaper, and what to keep an eye on to manage them.

1 Instant monthly cut

If you are the decision maker in your business mobile phone contracts, consider spreading the cost of your contract over 36 months rather than 24.  If the total value of your contract is £1,200 you are instantly reducing your monthly payout from £50 to £33.33 for example.  This is also one of the biggest things you can do to hit environmental targets if this is important to you, by keeping your phone for longer.  If you love having the latest phone every two years, obviously this is not the one for you!

2 Second instant cut

This is obvious, but there are so many excellent phones out there right now that you don’t have to have the latest iPhone or Samsung to have a truly great phone.  If you have staff out on the road who need mobile phones and tablets as part of their job, they don’t have to have the latest iPhone either.  We have written several reviews of some of the cheaper phones, including Battle of the Lightweights, which pits the TCL 505 and the Oppo A38 against each other to see which one comes out on top. Our other reviews on budget phones include the Samsung A26 which is a cheap but reliable business phone, or the Nokia G42 which combines durability, reliable performance, and affordability.  Or you can just ask us for advice on the best phones for the functionality you need.

3 Data and the great data seduction

You can get a much cheaper deal usually if you have less data.  However, be super aware of how much data you actually use.  You can check this very simply by going to Settings and searching for data.  It will show you how much data you have used and what on.  Usual culprits are things like Netflix, Safari, social media, games and photos, but you may have some surprises in there for apps you didn’t know were using data in the background.    However- bear in mind you can have huge blips of data usage (see the next point) on holidays or if your kids watch Netflix whilst not connected to the Wi-Fi.  The thing is, once you have signed up to your attractively low data tariff, any overspend will be charged and can push your bills higher than they might have been originally.  Data, like chocolate and alcohol, is easy to underestimate how much we consume.  There are many good business deals about which have unlimited data, and these can be a good peace of mind option.

4 Holidays and travel

Just double check with us/your provider before you go away as some of the biggest overspends we see are from people who are travelling and haven’t checked what their basic tariff includes.  A short extension to your contract can usually be arranged before you travel.

It’s essential to check exactly what your current mobile tariff includes, as many of the largest overspends we see come from unexpected roaming charges and automatic data usage abroad. Understanding how travelling abroad with your phone actually works can help avoid common assumptions that lead to overspends, while being aware of hidden travel charges reduces the risk of unknowingly connecting to expensive networks. Following practical mobile roaming data tips can also help manage usage day to day, particularly in high-cost destinations where even simple activities can result in extreme charges.

5  Keep checking

I know it’s not fun, but just keep looking at the report bits behind your invoice.  It can soon tell you if you have got phones for people who have left the business, people who have been on holiday with silly overspend or people who are sending images in messages.  Sometimes one person decides on the contract, then only the accounts team sees the invoices, so ask them to check and report back on any extra spend.

6 Educate your staff

Ask them to check before going on holiday with a work phone, letting their kids use the phone, or sending text images, or using the phone as mobile data if the Wi-Fi is down at home.

7 What about 16% off?

Here’s an odd thought for you if you supply businesses, provide a service (rather than goods) and are not VAT registered.  Have a think about registering for VAT. Discuss with your accountant of course to check it would work for you. If you are below the threshold, you can do a ‘voluntary’ registration and then you can reclaim all the VAT on your expenses such as mobile phones.  If you supply VAT registered businesses, they won’t mind you charging VAT as they can reclaim any VAT you charge them.  So if your total bill was £1,200 including VAT, you would be able to reclaim the £200 – 16.7 of the total.  It may also be worth asking your accountant if Flat Rate VAT would work well for you.

Naturally if you would like to save money, give Simpatico a call or an email, and we can find the best tariffs and deals for you, with 5* customer service as standard