7 Expert Tips for Successful Wireless Contract Negotiations

Mobile provider contract negotiations are full of terms and conditions that can sneak up on you later. What exactly is being offered? What are the exclusions? How do the terms and conditions measure up? Contracts contain some very picky details that can make or break your business – especially those contracts governing your day-to-day communication and collaboration capabilities.

At vMOX, we actively negotiate and implement corporate mobile plans and pricing at no extra charge. Our expert wireless negotiators bring years of experience to the table, and their negotiation guidance can mean a more successful deployment, easier scalability, more flexibility and improved solutions for our clients.

Here are seven expert tips and tricks to help you succeed in your next round of corporate wireless contract negotiations.

Always Have a Contract

Yes, it needs to be said. Always have a contract. Some people think their business is too small, or they’re doing business with friends, or they’d rather trust someone’s word. All of these are horrible reasons to not have a contract. In fact, if you are receiving a service from a provider of any kind, there’s no reason to not have a contract.

Understand Agreement Versus Amendment

A common hang-up for many as they move through contract negotiations is the amendment. Amendments can be excellent tools for realigning agreements to meet a customer’s goals, but they can also undo a lot of hard work.

It is easy to get bogged down in the minutia of reading and/or negotiating an agreement, and before you know it, you’ve signed an amendment without taking all the possible adjustments into consideration. If it is indeed an amendment, make sure it doesn’t make changes to your pricing, length of contract or SLAs without your approval.

Analyze Time Constraints

Contract negotiations will often include enticing incentives or customer appreciation perks that seem to sweeten the deal, but they sometimes can be difficult to pull off. Make sure you pay close attention to time constraints on any aspects of your agreement to ensure you can reap the benefits promised to you.

For example, an offer might contain a new activation credit of $100 per smartphone for the first 90 days of an agreement. Let’s say that’s a huge draw for you because you have about a hundred employees who need an upgrade – that’s $10,000. But can you realistically upgrade a hundred mobile phones in 90 days? The time constraints can alter the deal significantly.

Think About the Future

When it comes to mobile contract negotiation, a forward-thinking strategy is key. Building in as many options as possible on the front end gives you the ability to be flexible as your service needs grow and change.

For example, vMOX employs a team of experienced wireless industry experts who live and breathe telecom plans. They can select the plans that fit the rhythm and trajectory of your business, allowing for the right amount of flexibility to optimize savings in the long run. Additionally, vMOX negotiates critical, non-standard terms that enable partners to leverage vMOX software and processes for enhanced savings.

Look Into Collective Bargaining

No matter your industry, chances are there is a GPO (group purchasing organization) that can help with securing the best deals available. GPOs leverage collective buying power within an industry to obtain discounts, exceptions or special offers for qualifying companies. Aligning with these organizations not only optimizes your communications solutions spend, but it also keeps you competitive with others in your industry. Don’t let your competitors be the only ones benefiting from collective bargaining perks.

Always Read the Fine Print

It might sound trite, but there is a lot of important content in that fine print. Anyone conducting contract negotiations of any kind should condition themselves to question every little thing. Know your commitments, and the penalties if you don’t reach those commitments. And, particularly, as the pandemic continues to affect our economy in unpredictable ways, make sure that fine print contains a downturn clause to protect your business from long-term liability.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

If you want to get the most out of your contract negotiations, enlisting a partner like vMOX can help. A third-party advisor likely has a better overall view of the market, and they can use data like industry averages and market projections to help you negotiate the best terms for your business.

On top of having the industry knowledge to adequately negotiate contracts on your behalf, you’ll want a partner who can adjust their level of assistance to your needs. For example, vMOX works on contract analysis and negotiation for customers with full procurement teams who need some assistance here and there, all the way up to leading the charge on all contracts for customers without any dedicated personnel. Bottom line, a partner should customize their approach to serve your current needs with an eye on your future success.

Need a little help with your own wireless contract? Connect with a vMOX expert today.