5 Ways to Cut Cell Phone Bills

According to a Federal Communications Commission survey, roughly 30 million Americans — 1 out of every 6 —  have experienced “bill shock:” that sinking feeling you get when your cell phone bill arrives and you discover that you have exceeded roaming charges and data usage limits.

Here are five ways, in no certain order, you can avoid bill shock, while, at the same time, cutting your cell phone bill:

 1.  Know Your Plan.  Review your plan and figure out how many minutes and how much data you’re actually using and if you have room to downgrade. Recently, carriers have been making big changes to their mobile plans resulting in a nearly 20% increase in price in data plans.  Also, remember to avoid termination fees.  Make an informed decision and stay within your contract time line before switching carriers. This will save you on average $350 per line. Do your research a few months before your contract is up and find the best phone plan that fits your budget.


2.  Negotiate. Use your negotiation skills as a small business owner and apply it to your cell phone bill. Carriers are aware of their customers’ frustrations and the recent press around increasing service plans so they’re keen to keep you if you give a good argument. Pull together at least three of your past bills and highlight rising cost concerns from unexpected fees to taxes and ask for deductions and discounts.  It costs companies less to negotiate a lower price than lose a customer all together, so cell phone companies most likely will have retention departments for the purpose of offering perks, deals, and additional discounts.  Don’t forget to also mention what deals other competitors have.
3.  Embrace VoIP.  Most voip resellers offer VoIP apps. This means that whenever your phone is connected to Wi-Fi your calls are transferred from your network to the Internet – and that means free minutes. VoIP can drastically reduce the number of minutes used on every billing cycle and helps ensure you don’t drop calls in network dead zones.
 
Key Benefits of New VoIP Features
  
  • Reduce cell phone minute usage (and bills) when making and receiving calls over a data connection using Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G network
  • Answer every call appropriately with the ability to see caller ID and the extensions dialed on your incoming calls
  • Easily connect with important contacts with the unique intercom feature
  • Choose the way calls are placed or received with easy “on” “off” VoIP calling
  • Make calls in environments where phone service is weak, but a Wi-Fi connection is strong
4.  Treat Your Business Like Your Family.  Evaluate your plan and decide if a family plan is more cost effective than having separate plans for each employee. Family plans can also be less expensive than business plans and by doing so, you’ll reduce the risk of incurring overage charges.

 5.  Consider Prepaid.   Pay-as-you-go phones typically cost 10 cents per minute plus a small daily access fee each time the phone is used.  It’s like a cell phone in training wheels and a smart option if you’re on a budget.  Just make sure the plan you choose allows you to roll over any minutes you don’t use to the following month.Learn more about cloud services for business at the j2.com website.  In addition to virtual phone services, j2 also provides many other valuable tools for small business owners.We love to hear how we help your business and how you are using our service.  Post a comment below and let us know how phone forwarding services help you meet and exceed your business goals.

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