Why Wireless Support Needs a Usage-Based “Pay for Service” Model
Most organizations manage wireless support one of three ways:
- A SaaS-based wireless or mobility management platform
- An internal employee (often supported by SaaS tools)
- Internal resources only
All three were built for a time when usage needed to be actively managed.
That time has passed.
Wireless Support Is Event-Driven
Wireless support is not continuous.
It spikes during:
- New-hire onboarding
- Device upgrades and refresh cycles
- Seasonal workforce changes
- Billing issues or carrier escalations
Then it slows—or stops entirely.
Yet most organizations still pay for wireless support as if activity is constant every month. That mismatch is where waste begins.
The SaaS Model: Paying for Access
SaaS-based wireless platforms charge per device, per month, a model designed around:
- Usage tracking
- Overage prevention
- Optimization reporting
Today:
- Unlimited plans eliminate the need to actively manage usage for most organizations
- Overage and roaming issues are far less common
- Reports rarely lead to incremental savings
Organizations continue paying recurring fees for software access—even when there is little operational work being done.
Internal Management Has a Hidden Cost
When wireless is managed internally, the cost doesn’t disappear.
Internal teams often spend 15–25% of their time on:
- Activations and disconnects
- Device issues
- Carrier follow-ups
- Billing cleanup
This work is transactional and non-strategic, pulling resources away from higher-value initiatives.
The Missing Metric
All traditional models share the same flaw:
They measure cost by device count, not by work performed.
A better question is:
What does each wireless support request actually cost us?
That metric—Cost Per Support Transaction—quickly exposes inefficiency.
A Better Fit: Usage-Based “Pay for Service”
A usage-based Pay for Service model aligns cost with reality.
Instead of paying:
- Per device
- Per month
- Regardless of activity
Organizations pay only when support is delivered—activations, upgrades, escalations, and end-user support.
No requests = no cost.
One Simple Question
Are your wireless support costs tied to work performed—or fixed regardless of demand?
Final Thought
Wireless support has changed.
Unlimited plans changed the economics.
Pricing models haven’t kept up.
Usage-based Pay for Service aligns cost with how wireless support actually works.
ECB Wireless offers a complimentary analysis to compare current wireless support costs against a usage-based model.
