Bill shock is painful
– both financially and in terms of the relationship, customers have with the phone companies who provide them with their telephony service.
A recent YouGov poll discovered that nearly half of all mobile phone users have experienced bill shock, so this isn’t a problem that’s going to go away overnight.
It should hardly be surprising, then, to learn that transparency around billing is one of the key considerations for businesses looking for a telephony partner to supply their mobile infrastructure.
And this is where that notion of all billing systems not being created equal comes into play, because the reality is that some are far less transparent than others, meaning the risk of bill shock changes depending on who your supplier might be.
At Your Comms Group, we operate a billing platform that ensures all our clients have as much visibility and control as possible of the costs they incur through their mobile strategy.
But if you’re with a supplier who doesn’t give you that peace of mind…
What can you do to mitigate the risk of bill shock?
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Be number savvy
Make sure you only use your smartphone to communicate with numbers included in your package. Typically, these will be all UK geographic numbers starting 01 or 02. If you need to speak to a business that only offers a non-geographic contact number, go online to see if they provide a number for people from overseas to call (usually starting +44 1). This is probably a geographic number and will be included in your tariff. If the call to a +44 1 number won’t connect, try the number again, but prefix it with 141, which will hide your location.
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Get on the right tariff
Understanding how you use your phone will help you to get the right package. If you use your phone to be online, and you rarely use it to make calls, then having a generous data allowance may well be your priority. Some providers now routinely offer 250GB of monthly data, and it’s often shareable between phones on linked accounts. You should also look to see whether you can roll unused data or unused minutes over from month to month.
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Get a roaming pass
If you’re likely to be using your phone abroad, invest in a data pass. Depending on your provider, you’ll pay around a tenner for the privilege of being able to use your tariff minutes and data – but be careful not to exceed your contracted tariff or your next bill could be painful.
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Be clear on leased and owned
If you want to own your handset or handsets at the end of the contract, then make sure you’re not entering into a lease-based contract – and obviously that works in reverse as well.
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Discuss your needs
Talk to your supplier to establish what you really need from your contract. Depending on your requirements, it may be possible to bolt on or remove some options to ensure your tariff matches your usage.
At YCG, we don’t just sell mobile telephony to organisations. We see ourselves as a partner in our clients’ businesses and we offer a sales, customer care and after-care experience you’d expect from someone with your best interests at heart.
So, if you’re unsure about what you need, or you’re unhappy with your current supplier’s billing platform and are thinking about changing, come and talk to us to see how we can equip you with the right technology and tariffs to drive your business forward.
