Syracuse University Athletic Department

Challenge

In 2009, the Athletic Department at Syracuse University was contemplating converting services from one wireless carrier to the next, but had serious concerns about current contractual obligations, retention of current phone numbers, selection of proper rate plans and deployment of new equipment to their end users.  The Department was looking for another provider to address coverage concerns.

Strategy 

WBG was engaged and began by conducting a complete review of all of the Department’s wireless services.  The strategy was to build a pattern of historical data respective to expense and usage.  From there, the next step would be to approach the carriers with that data – looking for a quotation of services and then comparing the offerings from each.  Coverage, international roaming, data capabilities, product solutions and rates would all be considered.  Once a decision had been reached and a new agreement signed, the final step would be to provision the new devices for the employees, teach them the fundamentals of proper use and help institute a “Wireless Employee Policy’ to control the costs.   In the end, WBG provided our findings to upper administration and a decision was made to move forward with a new provider.

Result 

The Athletic Department has a new service provider meeting the complex needs of their employees. The transition (porting process, equipment deployment, training) went smoothly due to proper planning and coordination and the handsets from the original provider were sold to help recover the initial cost of the project.  The Athletic Department and WBG have since enjoyed a partnership that works well for both agencies.