Managing wireless services is a labor intensive task for any Purchasing Department. Wireless services likely to be managed by Sourcing can be comprised of any combination of the following: cell phones, pagers, and newer wireless devices such as BlackBerries and Treos.
Here are 7 things I learned about managing wireless services:
1. No matter which company wins the bid, whether it is ATT/Cingular (Google Finance Cingular), Sprint/Nextel (S), Verizon (VZ), T-Mobile (Google Finance T-Mobile), or any other, the service will have dead spots and one of them is guaranteed to be at a top executive's house.
2. Telling users not to use their corporate cell phones for personal calls is like trying to teach the proverbial pig how to sing - you will waste your time and it only annoys the pig.
3. Having a dedicated rep (one assigned exclusively to your company and preferably on site 5 days a week.) from the wireless company should be negotiated into your contract. You certainly won't get it later no matter how badly you need or want it.
4. During the RFP stage, each bidder should, with members of the selection team) test EVERY crucial area of every building for reception.
5. There is such a thing as a mini-cell site or cell tower that can be installed at a location to provide service where none would otherwise exist. They are very expensive and should be part of the RFP right from the beginning.
6. Signal enhancers or signal boosters can be installed in semi-isolated areas that have weak reception. Examples of such locations would be in elevators or in basements.
7. Cell phones will get lost and ruined in all of the following ways: (These are not made up examples, these are all reports I actually received.)
- Dropped in the toilet
- Fell overboard on a boat (just the phone, not the end user)
- Dropped in the street and run over by a truck (just the phone, not the user)
- Lost on vacation on a tropical island (yeah, I feel bad for you)
- Lost by a kid while he was playing with the phone
Have you managed wireless services in your Procurement career? Send your Top 7 List to PurchaseRealm@ComprehensiveAdvice.com and I will share it with my readers.
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