Business mobile phones are becoming almost indispensable. They’re also potentially expensive, irritating, nuisances with more servicing problems than an old car, if you get the wrong plan, or find yourself with a menagerie of phones that doesn’t interoperate well.

The perils and pitfalls of business phones

Although modern phones are several leagues above their predecessors, there are still potential flaws, both financial and operational, and a few booby traps for the unwary. Being so indispensable brings with it another possible issue- Dependency, and if you’re going to depend on something, it should at least be dependable.

Problems and solutions

The problems are partly a result of increasing range of operational uses, and partly some pretty iffy technology. The solutions are generally to be aware of, and go around, the problems as much as possible.

Network reception

Everybody knows that reception is one of the primary issues with any phone, but that’s also a technological issue at heart. Business mobile phones vary from the extremely good to the decidedly useless, in some environments. The modern phones are better, but if you’re using an “ad hoc network” of mobile devices, this is the first thing that will cause problems. “Ad hoc” networks are the menageries, a messy collection of various devices and generations of technology which can’t work well together.

The solution: A homogenous range of modern mobile devices, with all phones up to date and mutually operational. This is a seamless setup, and works well.

Phone plans

The curse of the business mobile is a plan that costs anything and that requires a law degree to read. That’s just not a working option, and even the phone plan providers are now steering slowly away from that situation. It creates more cost and more problems than it could ever be worth.

The solution: Find one of the modern plans that is based on flat fees with unlimited calls and usually a few benefits. This is a much better business option, and prevents those unnerving bills.

“Apps for everything?”

It’s a nice jingle, but anyone who’s ever been inflicted with a business app that doesn’t work would disagree. Some business apps are true duds, and if you’re wondering what happens when you put valuable business information into a dud application, it’s not much fun. Time wasted is the best result. Data lost is one of the other possibilities. Another fun occupation is dealing with mistakes and the inevitable “How do I do/undo….?” situations.

The solution: Check out, thoroughly, any app you want for your business. Do a test drive, see if it’s reliable, and don’t waste money on something you may be able to get on a better app. Both Google and Apple are busily vetting quality on their apps, and the standard is improving, but don’t assume an app is all it claims to be. Some user reviews are devastating, and well worth reading.

The business phone must be fully functional at all times. The best business phone is the one that can always be relied upon to do the job. Fancy phones mean nothing. Go for quality, and you’ll have fewer problems.

Author Bio: Tim Millett is an Australian freelance writer and journalist. He writes extensively in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the US. He’s published more than 500 articles about various topics including Business mobile and Business mobile phones.