Cell phones are a necessity for most salespeople these days. But a lot of the expenses that come along with cell phones aren’t. Here are five ways to reduce those costs and streamline your budget:

1. Cap their minutes: Much like gas and meals, there needs to be consequences in place to keep people from taking advantage of the company’s expense policy. One suggestion: Set a limit on how many minutes salespeople can bill each month. Just be sure to provide them with a reasonable amount of time to conduct business.
2. See if you’re eligible for a family/business plan: One of the major reasons cell phone costs run so high is that salespeople buy their own models from different carriers — and that means different plans, charges, etc. Simplify matters by restructuring the department’s cell plan. Check with all the major carriers to see what type of group plan/discount you can get by having all your salespeople use the same network. A lot of cell phone companies don’t charge or deduct minutes for calls made to others who are on the same network. That means salespeople can contact you, each other or anyone else without eating up minutes.  Bonus: The plan can be set up so the bills are sent directly to you, which will help deter excessive personal use.
3. Have salespeople hand in a bill rather than a receipt: This isn’t a policy you want to enforce heavily, as it may cause salespeople to feel like you’re micromanaging — or prying into their affairs. But if you have one or two reps who continually go over their limit, let them know you’ll only sign off on their bills if you can see where all their charges are coming from. Chances are, if the bill is unusually high the salesperson is either charging the company for personal use, or he/she needs an updated cell phone plan.
4. Consider unlimited text plans: Almost everyone is texting these days. In many cases, salespeople can avoid short calls (to confirm an appointment, answer a quick question, etc.) by simply sending a text. Most unlimited text plans are inexpensive, and they can save salespeople — and the company — a significant amount.
5. Monitor online fees: Some salespeople need to use their cell phone’s Web service. If your company’s getting clobbered by online cell phone fees, let salespeople know you’re monitoring those fees. A lot of salespeople like to have the most up-to-date cell phone models, which may carry significant airtime fees and other expenses along with them. Every six months or so, compare past cell phone expenses to current ones to see if the costs are higher. If they are, zero in on where the extra expenses are coming from so you can determine whether they’re necessary or not.

Can you think of any other tips we haven’t mentioned? How do you manage cell phone expenses?

We’d love to read what you think in the comments section below.

Based in part on “8 ways to cut your cell phone bill,” by Dory Devlin, Shine, 2/8/10

Tags: budgets, costs, expenses, management, outside, phone, sales