Can Regressive Analysis Predict TEM Utilization for the Post-Covid Workplace?

As companies continue to evaluate remote work or plan to reopen offices, Mindglobal has noted some interesting trends across the telecom expense management (TEM) sector to help inform the decision-making process.

With 26.7% of Americans continuing to work 100% remotely through the end of 2021, and 80% of U.S. workers saying that they would turn down a job offer if it does not allow for a flexible work environment (1), planning for some element of work-from-home remains a priority for many IT leaders and Finance professionals. However, the balancing act between culture, cost, visibility, and information security must be considered for the long-term viability of any remote program.

Aggregate across Mindglobal’s clients, we have seen an 8% increase in data consumption against pre-Covid norms, from an average of 2.9 GB in Q1 2020 to 3.1 GB as of Q2 2021.

Unsurprising, with both domestic and international travel down, an initial decrease of 84% was observed in roaming charges, while long-distance use remained relatively flat over the past 18-months (2).

Even with the average cost-per-device decreasing due to ongoing efforts to manage inventory, optimize monthly expenses, and real-time analysis and visibility, clients naturally wonder what other trends they should be prepared to embrace or brace for in the future.

  • Line count has remained relatively flat in the healthcare and professional segments, but we have seen an increase of approximately 30% of new lines added in the construction industry. As you might assume, line count has steadily decreased in retail and has dipped slightly in hospitality.
  • Data usage per line has also held relatively flat for healthcare, with a slight uptick and then downward trend flattening to pre-Covid levels in construction. The professional environment has been the most turbulent, with an initial 25% decrease in data usage at the beginning of the shutdown, peaking in Q2 2020, dropping again for two consecutive quarters and again, rising in Q2 and into Q3 of 2021. Data use in retail and hospitality are both beginning to trend upward, at about a 25% increase between Q4 2020 and Q2 2021.

 

As a final take-away, Mindglobal will continue to reiterate the importance of active, real-time monitoring of data plans, inventory, and overall utilization of the telecom resources companies provide to their employees. Understanding the break-even analysis points with the use of regressive analysis and predictive modeling is the cornerstone of the optimization that only Mindglobal is able to provide to our clients.

 

Sources:

1 https://www.upwork.com/press/releases/economist-report-future-workforce

2 https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/transportation/future-of-business-travel-post-covid.html?id=us:2ps:3gl:di7303:rbt:pm:080321:ad3:kwd-10267951:corporate%20travel&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu7OIBhCsARIsALxCUaPzUZqZwwTlp4QgmDqGaQ0gd8qjSZatsc0hB84s4flQmuT4U7lYzygaAh1KEALw_wcB