Employees are costing their companies billions of pounds
a year by using their mobile phones at their desks.
Research conducted for telephony hardware company Mitel says 48%
of all UK employees are using their mobiles at their desks.
Despite the fact that calls made from a mobile typically cost
double those made on a landline, employers are being slow to clamp
down on staff using mobile phones from within the office, says
Mitel.
The research says that if companies could persuade employees to
avoid just one five-minute mobile call a day it could save UK
industry around £2.5bn a year.
Continental Research conducted 200 telephone interviews with
senior business managers at organisations with an annual turnover
of over £1m.
The research found that 55% of users making mobile calls from
their desks did so because their mobile contained all their contact
numbers.
Another excuse, offered by 41% of mobile users, was that their
device offered them greater privacy when in the office.
Graham Bevington, Mitel UK managing director, said,
“Organisations should think about supplying employees with a single
number that follows them regardless of location or device.
“Costs can be reduced by increasing the proportion of calls made
to a landline rather than a mobile and it could be a major boost to
productivity by increasing availability and avoiding voicemail ping
pong.”
Mitel is one of a number of suppliers that sell such unified
communications solutions. Companies including BT, Avaya and Nokia
sell mobile phones that automatically connect calls over landlines
when in range of a fixed network.
These phones only connect to a more expensive mobile network
when not in range of the fixed network.
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