In the hunt for the perfect channel partnership, nothing beats the combination of opportunity and capability. “Is there a large existing market need?” and “Is there a provider that has the capabilities to service that need?” are the questions that every potential channel partner should be asking – and to both questions, managed mobility service provider Wireless Watchdogs answers with a resounding yes.

It’s obvious that the number of connected devices in the workplace has grown exponentially since 2007, when Apple introduced the first iPhone. What began as the novelty of early adopters showing off their smart phones around the water cooler has grown into an environment where many businesses and government agencies are issuing connected devices in phone and tablet form-factors to a large proportion of their workforce in an effort to increase efficiencies and productivity.

And of course, issuing mobile devices to workers has indeed increased worker capability. But it’s also dramatically increased the total cost of ownership, with tech support, the need for help desk staffing, and multiple accounts with multiple contracts and billing cycles all taking a toll on the bottom line and denying organizations much of the implied promise of a connected workforce.

Enter Wireless Watchdogs and their wide-ranging set of mobile services and management. On a daily basis they take the costs and burdens of mobile device management from organizations and help them to realize the promise of a connected workforce – but the opportunity is so great that they’re actively seeking channel partners to help meet the demand.

As just one example of the need which channel partners help them meet, and to help demonstrate the size of the opportunity for channel partners, this post examines the work that Wireless Watchdogs has done with the Department of Human Services (DHS) of a large state agency in getting their wireless device costs under control and turning DHS’s connected devices from a cost center to a workforce multiplier.

The Opportunity

Prior to working with Wireless Watchdogs, the DHS had over 6,000 devices and well over 140 accounts across 3 different carriers. Management of these accounts was handled internally by over 145 different people from various divisions. Not all of these 145 different individuals knew how to optimize their savings, and billing details were not easily accessed through their carrier portals. The DHS was in a situation where, in very real ways, it had little idea of the total cost of ownership (TCO) of its many wireless devices. At that point the DHS selected Wireless Watchdogs to perform Wireless Expense Management Services for them, and we performed a financial analysis study that demonstrated significant cost savings opportunities.

After that in-depth analysis, Wireless Watchdogs assisted with the consolidation of the 140 individual accounts into 3 accounts, one for each wireless carrier used by the DHS. Following the consolidation, each coordinator can still access the lines they previously managed but the rate plans are managed by Wireless Watchdogs, which saves DHS hard dollars every month.

Several other services were also put into place by Wireless Watchdogs, reducing DHS’s total cost of ownership along various fronts – and all of these services are available to Wireless Watchdogs channel partners looking to package and upsell to both new and existing clients.
 

The Implementation

Wireless Watchdogs maintains a portal through which all IT-approved devices can be ordered. The IT department controls access to the records and allows coordinators to add additional information based on six different user-defined categories such as Business Unit, Region, Local Office, Cost Center, etc. This service has provided a labor offset for both the IT and Accounts Payable departments, as Wireless Watchdogs now assists with ordering lines, canceling lines, swapping equipment, supporting the end users with troubleshooting, and warranty replacements.

Wireless Watchdogs generates monthly reports for each of the three carrier accounts, and provides these reports to the local coordinators and IT department. These reports provide quick, high-level visibility into how each device is being used so that DHS can police their own internal wireless policies. Another report provides a complete cost reconciliation that allocates the cost to each phone line based on the actual usage and the real cost to the organization. This report provides a total for each line and cost center using DHS’s own internal accounting codes, so the Accounts Payable department can automate payments to the carriers, saving time.

That kind of increased visibility, of course, leads to better management and better decision-making – and DHS is seeing the benefits on a monthly basis. But they’ve also helped DHS be not just reactive, but also more proactive in its mobile device management. They developed a customized bill acknowledgement report for DHS where all billing data, including cost and usage, is uploaded into the Wireless Watchdogs portal so it can be reviewed monthly by each of the local coordinators.

The report highlights all cost savings opportunities that need to be addressed, such as unused devices, third-party charges, downloads, excessive use, unused features, etc. Once the coordinators have reviewed these cost savings opportunities, they click an acknowledgment button. A report is generated to the IT department, confirming which coordinators have acknowledged their charges and their savings opportunities – which not only leads to increased savings, but also streamlines account auditing.

Wireless Watchdogs also assisted DHS with their end-of-life mobile devices through their recycling program. Anytime a coordinator orders a replacement device, cancels a phone line, or ports a line from one carrier to another, a ticket is opened in the system. Through this ticket, a shipping label is printed to facilitate return of the old device. The ticket remains open until the device has been received and verified.

The Channel Partner Opportunity

Wireless Watchdogs centralized and consolidated workflows, improved efficiencies, and significantly reduced the TCO of maintaining wireless devices at DHS. This real-world example is a typical engagement for them, and when multiplied by the ever-growing pool of businesses and organizations with high numbers of connected workers and large, unwieldy connected device inventory, the opportunity size should be clear to channel partners – and with this case study, the capabilities that Wireless Watchdogs can bring to help channel partners meet this opportunity should also be clear.

Are you looking for more information on how to manage all of the mobile devices in your business network? Learn more about the market opportunity in Mobile Device Management and the benefits of partnering with Wireless Watchdogs and P2 Business Solutions by calling (888) 747-8353 or submitting an inquiry online today.

You can also download the full case study here.