Why have you been on the same phone contract for ten years? We re looking at you!

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1 Why have you been on the same phone contract for ten years? We re looking at you! There are many reasons why staying with an existing mobile phone provider can be bad for business. Here are five of the biggest problems companies can encounter when remaining brand loyal. 1

2 As any working professional knows, there are innumerable demands on your time, and never enough hours in the day. Amid the seemingly endless churn of communications, deadlines and projects, less time-critical tasks get endlessly pushed to one side, filed wistfully under when I have some free time. This can be particularly true of mobile phone contracts, where replacement handsets are often dispatched automatically, and paperless billing removes any attention-grabbing documentation from your in-tray.

3 Keep on moving Inertia can be hugely damaging to a company s efficiency, particularly when it comes to long-term contracts and service providers. Although it is less time-consuming to simply stay with your current suppliers, there are many reasons why this is a fundamentally bad idea. From additional costs and apathetic customer service through to limited choice and lost connectivity, staying with your existing mobile phone supplier can be detrimental in various ways especially since brand loyalty can actually cost you a great deal. Better Deals 3

4 Taken for granted Perhaps the most damning indictment of an existing service provider occurs when they take your business for granted. We ve all encountered indifferent customer relations departments with no incentive to do any more than the bare minimum, and this is a phenomenon that occurs regularly in the world of mobile communications. If you pay your bills on time, and wait to be told you can upgrade handsets or benefit from cheaper roaming charges, less scrupulous companies will see little reason to offer you new services or improved hardware. They d rather save their energy and flagship products/services for the people who are actually demanding it, rather than merely hoping for it. Indeed, failing to proactively manage your account, or claim what you re rightfully entitled to, can spill over into another problem. 4

5 Costs may go up as well as down It s an unwelcome but increasingly common trend when a contract is up for renewal. Your existing provider gets in touch with what seems like an unrealistically high renewal price, even though new customers can get a better deal simply by accepting the headline prices they re offered at the first time of asking. If you make the effort to haggle with your current service provider, you might be able to match those high-profile introductory offers, but even lengthy negotiations don t always achieve the prices that are boldly proclaimed in the newspaper adverts, above a tiny line of text reading: New customers only. Firms sometimes prioritise attracting new custom over retaining existing clients, and it s these established customers who suffer, paying over the odds to subsidise new arrivals to their brand. Ethical and conscientious companies would never adopt such exploitative tactics, but sadly this is a recognised problem across many industries, including the mobile phone sector. Is your business inadvertently funding cheap discounted mobile deals for your rivals? 5

6 Falling behind the pace-setters Even if your existing provider is offering great value for money, are they really the best at what they do? 95% of Ireland receive the best coverage Low tariffs and free handsets can sometimes indicate limited choice, or lacklustre customer service, and just because a handset is described as new in sales literature, it isn t necessarily the latest and best model available. Can you even be sure that your current mobile phone provider offers the widest choice of handsets and contracts, or the broadest spread of network coverage? The best coverage offered in Ireland covers 99.5 per cent of the country, which means you ll be able to get a signal wherever you are. That will be a blessed relief to anyone who s ever climbed a hill to get a signal, or left an important meeting to stand outside in the drizzle because that s the only place a voic can be picked up. 6

7 Yesterday s news Of all the technological innovations that grace our lives, few industries are as fast-moving as the mobile phone sector. 4G A decade ago, texting seemed cutting-edge, and back in 2008, mobile internet was a marvel, despite its sluggish connection speeds and basic textdriven format. Nowadays, the Internet has truly gone mobile, with high-speed data transfers and cloud storage powering a revolution in the way we work and communicate away from our desks. The forthcoming arrival of 4G connectivity will accelerate the sector in every sense, from speed to popularity. Unfortunately, less technologically-savvy customers are being left behind by the sheer pace of developments. If you ve been with the same company for a decade, they may not bother to discuss Wi-Fi contracts, or advise you whether your current handset is still suitable for your company s evolving needs. They might not have offered you cloud storage or cut-price tablets, and they re unlikely to explain the differences between SIM-free and SIM-only contracts in easy-to-follow terms. Are you tech-savvy enough to make all these decisions on your company s behalf? 7

8 Let s talk it over If you re not a technology guru or a subscriber to mobile phone magazines, the best person to advise you on the fast-changing world of phone specs and capabilities is an industry insider. Hi! Rather than trusting your existing provider to instinctively know what your business needs, it s far better to sit down with a business account manager, who can guide you through the complicated world of modern smartphones. They can help you to choose the right handsets for today and tomorrow, rather than sticking with yesterday s limited functionality. Your business might benefit greatly from upgraded connectivity and communications many others have but you re unlikely to get that kind of service from an existing provider. Do they really know the first thing about what your company does, or what it needs from its handsets? Have they ever taken the time to talk to you about pan-european roaming costs or ways you can save money each month? 8

9 It s easy when you know how Remaining with your existing contract provider may seem to be an easier option, but it directly hinders your company s efficiency and effectiveness. In terms of mobile phone providers, it s much easier to change network than you might think and much more beneficial than you might realise. Numbers can be transferred seamlessly (and free of charge) through a process called porting, and contracts can be negotiated to suit your specific requirements, trimming away excess charges to produce a cost-efficient package that meets and surpasses every requirement your company has. To see how your business could benefit from switching to a new business mobile provider, why not investigate the options at your disposal by speaking to an expert? 9

10 Switch to a new contract and save money today. Download your free eguide now: What we do to make moving to Three easy What we do to make moving to Three easy. What we do to make moving to Three easy. Switching to Three is simpler than you might think - we bust 5 myths about changing mobile contract. Switching to Three is simpler than you might think - we bust 5 myths about changing mobile contract. DOWNLOAD NOW 10