The way we see it, an organisation’s technology rarely operates in isolation. From the lightning-fast 5G helping to connect a digital estate with the rest of the world, to the network connectivity a team needs to collaborate remotely and stay productive, few technology solutions demonstrate this truth quite like an organisation’s mobile estate.
“Mobile is the beating heart of an effective technology strategy”, explains Juliette Lee, mobile sales director at Opus. “Our most successful clients leverage our mobile solutions as part of their wider technology strategy to keep their businesses connected, engaged and secure.”
- What do those business mobile services look like?
- How do they fit into our clients’ overarching technology strategy?
- Why do our top mobile clients choose Opus?
Read on for Juliette’s answers to all these questions and to discover how the Opus Together approach informs the way we help our clients to achieve their mobile objectives.
Choose from networks with a strong mobile partner heritage
Every client’s technology strategy differs, so whichever services they’re enquiring after, it’s important to us that we can provide them with choice. Looking at our business mobile services specifically, that starts with their ability to choose the right network for them.
Currently, Opus supplies two business networks: O2 and Vodafone. Both are 5G inclusive as standard, future proofing our clients’ mobile estates for technologies that are to come. We also offer a multi-network solution, which allows our clients to benefit from taking a bespoke offering that isn’t widely available.
How does a multi-network solution work?
With our multi-network solution, the client’s SIMs search out the strongest available network when using data. This offers our clients the best possible assurance that, via a data connection, their users will always have connectivity, wherever they are.
Whichever network solution a client chooses, our real strength comes from our business mobile heritage. Both of the business networks we offer are the most mature in terms of their partner channels, meaning they understand how to work collaboratively with us to help our clients find the right mobile solutions. Looking forward, the roadmap is also bright.
“Early next year, we’ll be growing our offering with the addition of new networks”, reveals Juliette. “More networks mean more choice. We’re excited to be able to offer that to our clients. We’ll share more about this when we’re able to, so watch this space.”
Handsets that work for you
There’s a lot more to choosing the right handset than many organisations think, especially when mobile services are considered as part of the wider technology strategy.
“Your handset has to support the broad range of communication and collaboration solutions the organisation depends on to come together, even when teams are operating remotely”, says Juliette. “Then there’s end-user security to consider. How safe is your mobile data?”
In line with the business mobile industry standard, all of our handsets are SIM-free, giving our clients the freedom to use them with any SIM card. We support iPhone and Android devices, whichever handset a particular client requires, and we also take bespoke requests.
“It comes back to a question of choice again. One of the key benefits of working with an independent provider is that we’re able to listen and respond to what our clients really need.” Juliette Lee, mobile sales director, Opus
Tariffs tailored to your business demands
Today, a tailored tariff is essential — not just in terms of making sure the mobile estate is being managed effectively but to ensure it’s supporting the whole technology strategy.
When working on a new business mobile tariff with a client, one of the first steps we take is to understand their business demands and what the tariff needs to deliver.
- What does the existing mobile estate look like?
- How do they see their business demands changing?
- What industry are they in and who are their customers?
The last point is particularly important when it comes to designing a bespoke mobile tariff. If employees are predominantly field-based, for example, that needs to be built into the plan from the outset because when the world opens back up, they’ll use their handsets on the go.
- Where will they be travelling to?
- What will they need to do on-site?
- Are they hot-spotting?
In other words, how can the organisation be certain that its team’s mobile devices are going to work in the field or when operating remotely while managing usage and minimising costs? “We have access to a wide range of tariffs, but to find the right solution for each organisation, my team and I have to understand the client journey”, explains Juliette. “That’s why the Opus Together™ approach, which considers mobile as one part of the broader technology strategy, is so important.”
A dynamic portal that delivers what you need from it
Mobile portals are known for being quite static. This can mean they often lag behind when business needs change or an organisation needs to interrogate them for data. It also puts them at odds with the agility and flexibility required of technology solutions today.
To solve this challenge and help our clients to embed the mobile estate as a key part of their technology strategy, we’ve chosen a partner to develop a new kind of portal that delivers this functionality and addresses client requirements.
“Our portal has been built from the ground up in direct response to client feedback. We’ve listened to what our clients say they need from their portal and understood the kind of journey they want to be able to take, from the data available to them on the front page to how the portal itself is maintained. We are the first to do this”, Juliette reveals. “We know it will give our clients visibility and drive really granular database management, not just in terms of who’s doing what but also how they’re doing it.”
Contracts that flex around your business needs
The promise of agility is also something we’ve carried into our contract terms. Should an organisation choose it, a coterminous agreement will mean that their mobile fleet is always in line and running to the same period when the time comes to refresh their contract.
“We’re very careful how we build our clients’ contracts,” Juliette assures me. “A coterminous agreement isn’t for everyone, but for organisations with large mobile estates or a high employee turnover, it can make mobile estate management that much simpler.”
We also offer bespoke actual periods to suit each client and their unique circumstances.
- What period works best for the business?
- What kind of terms will benefit them now?
- Could different terms help them to future-proof their mobile estate?
Make the right call with quarterly business reviews
The account management experience can vary wildly depending on whether an organisation chooses to go direct with a network or through an indirect network partner for its business mobile services. At Opus, account management and the human side of our business mobile services is a vital part of the end-to-end technology support we offer our clients.
“Trend analysis. Activity reviews. Data gathering and the insights it produces. Who’s been doing what and how has that manifested in the billing? Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) give our clients the opportunity to meet with my team to discuss their mobile estate management and how they can optimise it going forward” comments Juliette Lee, mobile sales director, Opus.
In today’s dynamic landscape, this couldn’t be more important, especially for large organisations with sizeable mobile estates. Take roaming, for example: as the networks begin reintroducing roaming charges, organisations may find themselves impacted. Costs can quickly scale when 50 or 100 users incur roaming charges that weren’t factored into the initial mobile budget. With effective account management, these costs can be mitigated.
- How is the leavers and joiners process working?
- Is the database up to date?
- Has the organisation had a bill shock?
- If so, where have the differences come from?
“Crucially, how can we help our clients to manage their mobile estate?” says Juliette. “QBRs are so important to understand in terms of us being able to plan and forecast together.”
“There’s never a lonely moment”
Our Opus Together approach doesn’t just reference technology. Yes, your mobile services and wider technology solutions need to work towards a common goal to achieve your business objectives. But it’s also about joining the dots between your people and ours to ensure your technology strategy achieves its full potential.
“Mobile is the beating heart of your technology strategy, but it doesn’t operate in isolation. What do we need to stack with it to help you hit your goals and achieve your objectives?” asks Juliette.
This is where the consultative approach we take to our mobile services, delivered as part of Opus Together™, really helps our clients to maximise the value of their mobile investments.
“You’re not just working with Opus Mobile”, explains Juliette. “We deliver services across six core technology pillars, and we want to go on that journey with you to help you join the dots between all of them and achieve a technology strategy that delivers on your objectives.”
We have the secure, futureproofed networks that everyone knows and trusts, with a view on the horizon to take on board what’s coming in the future, but the quarterly business reviews and account management meetings are where those conversations start.
“It’s the people working together with you on your account, getting under the skin of your business, who will help you to move your organisation forward. When you get down to it, that’s what we do for our mobile clients — and why our clients choose us for mobile.”
To chat with Juliette about mobile estate management or anything she’s shared here, get in touch today.
