Evaluation Assignment

As the account manager for ABC Services, you oversee all company purchases. Recently, your company conducted an expense audit and determined that the companys current cell phone plan is insufficient and expensive. Your task is to shop around for a new plan that will meet the needs of all your employees while also being cost-effective.

In this job, employees use their phones extensively and often must research and download information while away from the office. Therefore, a large data limit is essential. In addition, ABCs client base is global, so a good long-distance plan including reasonable international call rates is also required.

Another factor to consider is the providers cell phone coverage map. It is important to check out not only the coverage they provide in your local area but coverage in all the areas you expect to be doing business. If the map shows a strong presence in your home region, but coverage is sparse in areas where you plan to do business

then not only will you have spotty service, but your company will likely get charged with roaming charges on both calls and the data.

Thirdly, since we often use our smartphones to access sensitive data while out in the field, security will be a very important consideration when choosing a provider. While basic security measures start with the handset, make sure the service provider allows you the ability to maintain some control over the equipment. For instance, you should be able to trigger a wipe' of any company cell phone if the device gets lost or the person leaves the company. We must be able to protect our data.

Next, we must consider the phone renewal/replacement policy. Based on daily use, employees generally need to replace their phones every two years. It is also preferred that employees have the option to choose between an android or iPhone since, even though they will be using this phone primarily for business, some personal use is allowed.

Finally, the cost of the plan is a major consideration. ABC currently has 35 employees but hopes to expand in the next year so we must consider how many employees the plan can serve. Our current plan costs $3500/month which we find is excessive.

Based on these needs, you have done some preliminary investigation. You conducted Internet research, reviewed several business reviews which evaluate different providers, and you talked to other local business owners about their service providers.

Recently, you have narrowed the choice to providers:

Konnect, Biz2, and Royal. ABC now wants you to write a report justifying your selection. Write to the ABCs Management Team. Review the information below and use the template provided to plan and write your report. Dont forget to include paragraphs and charts. Follow the sample report carefully.

Konnect

Konnect is a small company but, on business accounts, they offer unlimited data; however, after 100 gigs of data usage, the rate slows down to 512 kbps. This speed is still sufficient for email and light web browsing but is not good for online meetings or presentations. They offer unlimited nationwide long-distance calling but charge .50 cents a minute for international calls which can get costly because 25% of our client base is international. Konnects cell coverage map is somewhat restrictive in the outlying areas but good in our home region where most of our work takes place. As far as security is concerned, Konnect provides enhanced security on all their devices but does not allow customers to wipe data on their own. A written request must be made to Konnects security department, and the data clear could take up to 48 hours. In addition, Konnects Business 50 corporate plan costs $2500 a month for a phone plan covering up to 50 employees. Finally, Konnect allows customers to trade in their phones for a new iPhone or android model every 2 years without penalty. They offer a new protective case on every new trade-in as well.

Biz2

Biz2 is the largest phone company in the area and offers many advantages to its business customers. Firstly, on business accounts, they offer unlimited data no matter how much data is used, and the rate of transmission does not slow. Biz2 also offers unlimited national long-distance and international long-distance calling with a flat monthly rate of $50.00 regardless of how many calls are made. Biz2s range of coverage is broad, and they will soon be replacing 2 towers in the area which will create even better coverage; however, while the construction takes place, coverage at times could be interrupted. Concerning security, Biz2 had a breach in security last year and customers private info was shared without their permission. As a result, they have increased their encryption and provided users with the ability to see and clear their data from the system on demand. In addition, the Biz2 corporate plan costs $2200 a month for a phone plan covering up to 45 employees. Finally, Biz2 has a trade-in program that allows users to replace their phones after 30 months of use, but they only offer android models.

Royal

Royal is a medium-sized company that only serves business customers. To begin with, they offer truly unlimited data with no cap on usage. Unlimited national and international long-distance calling is standard on all plans. Royal is known for their commitment to the needs of the business community and, as such, has upgraded its tower system so that optimal cell coverage is provided in both local and outlying areas. They virtually guarantee no dropped calls or internet interruption to their customers. Because Royal caters to business customers only, they also provide enhanced security measures including maximum encryption, dual firewalls, and facial recognition access updated monthly. Users cannot clear their data from the system and must contact Royal to make these arrangements which could be completed within 24 hours pending account verification. In addition, Royals plan costs $2700 a month for a phone plan covering up to 40 employees. Finally, Royal has a trade-in program that allows users to replace their phones, iPhone or android, after 30 months of use.

Instructions:

Individually or with a partner, develop an evaluation report following the format discussed in class analyzing the three options available to ABC and recommending which phone plan to purchase and why. From the information provided, you will need to develop and rank criteria to arrive at your conclusions/recommendations. Use the planning form provided to guide you and refer closely to the model evaluation report provided.