Enterprises generally find three kinds of companies ready to assist on mobile initiatives: (1) business consulting firms; (2) point solution providers; and (3) Managed Mobility Services (MMS) companies. No matter which type of partner an enterprise considers, a series of evaluation-oriented questions can help narrow the list of optimal partners. The following 10 key questions provide a place to start the MMS provider evaluation process:
- Can the provider under consideration demonstrate deep domain expertise in planning, deploying, managing, and measuring complex enterprise mobile solutions similar to the ones you are considering?
- Did the provider jump into mobile recently, or is there a deep legacy of mobile experience to leverage?
- How many mobile devices does the provider have under management?
- How much of the provider’s revenue comes from mobile, and how much comes from other lines of business?
- On average, what is the experience level (in years) of the mobile team being proposed to handle your business?
- Does the provider under consideration manage all aspects of mobile—from planning to deployment to support to device retirement—internally, or does it delegate key mobile activities to third parties?
- What is the provider’s track record when it comes to delivering completed mobile projects on deadline and on budget?
- How many enterprise mobile projects has the provider completed for a company your size? What customer-furnished metrics are available to measure the provider’s performance (i.e., Net Promoter Score)?
- How will the provider’s support team get up to speed on how your users leverage mobile in their jobs?
- Will the provider be able to repair devices on their premises, or must they return devices deemed to be non-operational?
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