Do your people or teams travel internationally?

The Costs of Mobile Connectivity

We believe the face-to-face, boots on the ground, in market presence will make business better and easier. We understand jet lag can creep into productivity, but it's all worth it in the end. Sure, there are the day-to-day things that fall to the wayside, but a focus on the trip and task at hand can easily make up for that.

Face to face meetings are well worth the effort, but at what cost?

After all, how many of us have made that business trip abroad only to realise, that connecting with the home office and sending the occasional private text message to one's spouse is incredulously expensive?

Killing Productivity Overseas

With the mobile workforce growing, the technology is there for employees to stay connected and have the flexibility of meeting with the people they need to, where they need to on a regular basis. The connectivity available nationally, however, does not extend overseas and the lack of easy connection is a productivity killer. 

The reason most travelers don't use mobile access overseas is the cost. Over the past 15 years technology convergence has led to the ability to connect your device as you travel the world, but the cost barriers still exist. On a recent trip to Finland, I paid $30 for what was essentially 250Mb of data.

78% of travelers felt connectivity would save them time and money.

According to a study conducted by Serious Insights, for Telestial Inc., 90% of those surveyed use their mobile device to manage email, yet most shut off their phones while travelling abroad to save money. Americans lag behind in understanding country-specific SIM cards, data bundles or different devices for managing cost. 64% of respondents found public Wi-Fi inadequate.

Why would we want to go through such lengths to both connect and manage costs? 78% of travelers felt connectivity would save them time and money.

What can you do?

Corporate organizations managing telecom expenses should be sure they have an understanding of the cost implications of travel and connectivity, and develop policies that employees can easily access and understand.

Maybe the costs aren't relevant to your business, but if they are options exist:

• Order an international data package before embarking
• Order an international SIM Card
• Activate services during the trip
• Turn the data off
• Or even better, you could automate the whole service process.

The Telecom Expense Management Perspective

I've been traveling for business for over 20 years and when the car rental representative asks if I want to buy that extra collision insurance, I am still throwing dice and making a guess. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Telecommunications plans can be expensive but also empowering, so taking a critical view is a good idea and shouldn't go to the same route of confusion as car rental add-on sales.

From a telecom expense management perspective, it would be a good time to get a better understanding of what your CSP (communications/telecom service provider) can do for you and make it know that you hope for better international cost basis in the future.

Making Basics Affordable 

The world is flat, business is global, people travel, China manufactures, India helps at the help desk and why shouldn't answering your email around the world be decently affordable?

On the Road Telecom Happiness

When you have an agreed policy, a service provisioning procedure can also help reinforce proper telecom investment, whether triggered as part of travel procedure - or the location based services of device or account management.

My message? Let's leave chance behind.  The market needs to quickly design and implement services capable of meeting the needs of those travelers who leave their homes and comforts behind to grow their businesses on the international road.