1) Find a local shop that doesn’t pay its employees on commission. Any time a shop pays its staff on commission, the opinion of the employee is going to bend towards the mobile handset manufacturer or network that grants them the highest rate of pay. This doesn’t mean the shop associate will blatantly lie to you, but they just might hold back a better deal while selling you a moderate one.

2) Do your homework before you head out to buy your new mobile phone. If you know what you want before you walk into your local shop, you’re more likely to walk out with what you want. There’s also less of a chance for surprises on your monthly bill. The World Wide Web is the perfect tool to assist you with this, as company profiles, customer satisfaction rates and problem areas are all posted on the net.

3) Check warranty information on any potential mobile phone purchase. If the handset warranty is weak or nonexistent, you cold be left holding the bill for a phone that doesn’t work- for the duration of your contract, and that’s not worth any deal. Many times, it’s actually cheaper to buy a new phone and network plan than it is to replace the battery, so if you want to purchase a plan and be done with mobile phone shopping for a while, check the warranty.

4) Shop around. Time and patience will payoff when you shop around to different shops and are open to different mobile phone handsets, networks and ideas.

5) Find a website to do all of the work for you. As with nearly everything else, the Internet has brought the world into your home, allowing you to shop a number of different programs without using a drop of petro. The better sites won’t charge you a dime either, as they make their commissions from the mobile phone handset providers and related networks.

1) Review Local Calls: Local calls may not be expensive but are the most common calls you probably make. And for that reason there are probably many unnecessary calls. It is a good idea to analyze your bills at least once a year to see how much you spend on local calls and the feasibility of reducing that amount.

2) Review Long Distance and International calls: These types of calls are usually not as common as local calls but significantly more expensive. Therefore, it is a good idea also to review the number of calls and the costs in order to reduce the spending on each period. But even if you can’t do so, you can analyze the frequency, hours and specific destinations and write down all this information that will be useful later on.

3) Compare Different Long Distance and International Calls Plans: There are probably many companies offering long distance and international calls in your area. With the information you collected from the previous reviews, you can compare your communication needs with the different plans offered by the companies in order to find the ones that best adjust to your necessities and provide the cheapest telephone communications solution for you.

4) Unnecessary Items: Some phone companies offer you other services like caller id, line maintenance, automatic answering services, etc. These services may not seem too costly but altogether and pondered yearly will certainly add up to your overall communication costs. They can be easily avoided: replacing cables and plugs within your house is very simple and seldom needed and you can always purchase an answering machine to avoid purchasing the service from the phone company.

5) VoIP Is a Cheap Solution: Consider Voice over IP services that provide you with communications over internet. These services provide low cost communications by establishing local calls and connecting the two parties through the internet even if there is a great distance between them. These services have revolutionized the industry and as more and more people hire VoIP services the prices will keep dropping. The only drawback is that you need a computer and the quality may not be the same (though it keeps improving).

6) Avoid Prepaid cards: These products are expensive and you should only use them if they help you control your spending by providing you with some discipline. Also remember that these cards often have limitations and need to be used within a certain period of time in order to be valid.

7) Regard Cell Phones as Line Phones: As regards to cell phones, take the same precautions you did with your line phone. Compare the different plans and companies available to you to see which one offers the best terms. Each company provides solutions for different groups of people and though a company may be cheaper for someone, it may not be cheaper for you depending on your calling patterns.

As a company director you have a legal responsibility under the corporate manslaughter laws to ensure the safety of your paid employees.

Terrorism experts advise all business directors to take a proactive response to implementing security awareness and staff training to counter terrorism threats to your business. Imagine for one moment you are one of several business directors running a company and you send one of your sales representatives overseas to win a business order.

Your business becomes a terrorism targets and your representative is kidnapped and held for ransom. You have various options including paying the ransom, which is typically cost prohibited unless you have kidnap for ransom insurance.

Let’s just imagine for one moment you don’t have the money to pay the ransom and the jihad terrorism kidnappers execute your sales representative as a warning to other businesses.

If you can’t prove you prepared your sales representative for his or her overseas business trip by ensuring they attended certified security awareness and/or a counter kidnapping training programme. Then you and your fellow directors will be sued under corporate manslaughter laws.

One of the major problems facing business directors is that they have no idea where to start when it comes to terrorism threats, terrorism targets, terrorism incidents, terrorism acts, security and implementing a plan for countering terrorism.

Every terrorism expert I know recognises that businesses, especially small to medium size businesses present as soft terrorism targets. It is also considered good practice by any terrorism expert skilled in countering business related terrorism to advise business directors to produce their own internal threat management unit or TMU as it’s known in the terrorism expert industry.

#1 Organise A Threat Management Unit (TMU)

Organising a TMU need not be a time consuming or expensive endeavour. In its basic format a small business TMU consists of the business owner and a security expert or a terrorism expert.

The terrorism expert conducts security research relevant to your specific business and then collates all the available business intelligence relating to terrorism threats, terrorism acts, jihad terrorism or any other terror incidents.

The terrorism expert then designs a specific security plan for countering terrorism which your business implements and updates as and when the terrorism expert recommends. Most terrorism experts also recommend the TMU organises a series of certified security awareness and kidnap awareness training programmes.

#2 Design A Business Continuity Plan

Designing a business continuity plan is usually one of the first steps suggested by the terrorism expert tasked with producing a TMU for your business.

I’ve included a hypothetical example, i.e. Management Training Company Business Continuity Following A Critical Incident

The Issue

The tragic events of Post Sept’ 11th, in particular July 7th 2005 in London, should make all HR managers think carefully about how prepared their business is for any type of critical incident.

We are all conducting business in uncertain times. Protecting the future of the firm has to be the number one priority for every business manager.

The Problem

Statistics suggest that almost half (46%) of London businesses do not have a business continuity plan in place.

This means that those directly impacted, suffering a major or even a minor loss may find it impossible to continue to trade, particularly if they do not have terrorism insurance cover.

Source: Vanson Bourne research, October 2004

Critical Incident Downside

80% of all businesses affected by serious incidents never re-open, or close within 18 months. Business interruption hits companies in Customer Relationships. Cash Flow. Reputation. Staff Moral. Understanding incidents like fire, flood or computer failure, highlight where long term damage is done.

Firm – Too Small For A Business Continuity Plan?

The smaller your business, the more important it is to have a contingency plan in place. Any incident, no matter how small, is capable of impacting your business & profitability.

The size of any continuity plan will depend on the risks facing each business – it will be as large or as small as needed.

Small Businesses Hit Harder

The impact of any critical incident is likely to be more pronounced for SME’s. The majority of SME’s operate in specialised markets with limited product ranges & relatively small customer bases.

Any short interruption to business can have a disproportionate effect, totally halting output & leaving customers high & dry. Source: AXA Insurance.

What Is Continuity Planning

It’s about anticipating crises that could befall a business & planning for them. It sets out clear roles & responsibilities. It states who takes charge of specific roles. It lists a series of contingencies. Details clear emergency procedures to ensure risks to staff are minimised.

Business Continuity Plan

A business continuity plan sets out clear roles and responsibilities, for example those assigned to manage all liaison with Customers. Employees. Emergency services. It lists a series of contingencies that enable key business activities to continue in the most difficult circumstances.

Threats To A Business

Examples of threats to a business are…

A vital computer system is unavailable. Critical process machinery is damaged. Loss of key employees. The building, or part of the building, cannot be accessed, and… Suppliers are unable to deliver.

Common Small Business Disasters

Fire/Flood Computer telecoms failure
Key equipment failure
People issues – illness, resignation, maternity leave
Denial of access to premises
Product defects
Bomb – terrorism threats
Legal regulatory action
Utilities failure
Negative press or media coverage

Commercial Benefit Of A Continuity Plan

There is also the commercial benefit to consider. Companies with business continuity plans are more attractive to do business with.

For example

Large businesses that rely on the outsourced services of third parties will prefer to work with suppliers who have a Business Continuity Plan in place.

Business Continuity Summary

80% of all businesses affected by serious incidents never re-open, or close within 18 months. 46% of London businesses do not have a business continuity plan in place.

Less than 20% of London Businesses have a dedicated team to handle a major incident.

Barely a quarter (13%) of SMEs said they had managed to test their business continuity plans.

Insurers are now seriously looking at how a business, plans for a major incident before insuring them.