Cellular Team saves Yale $100K+ through winter review project

The cellular team of Andrea Capelli and Kim Mastroianni, along with intern Katherine Simonetti, undertook a winter project to recoup savings by reviewing cellular devices through our top two providers–Verizon and AT&T. After identifying a total of 3,425 mobile devices, they aimed to review which devices were not being used, and whether these could be cancelled. Mobile devices reach non-usage status when the device shows zero activity for a monthly billing cycle. In-scope mobile devices included those devices reflecting a cellular non-usage status for three or more months.

Over the course of two months, the team first determined the number non-usage devices representing 360, or 11%, of the total number of devices. Next, the team identified owners of 73% of these mobile devices. They then began a two-series email outreach program asking owners if the mobile numbers showing non-usage should stay in service. Through their due diligence, the team canceled 174 devices, or 48%, of these non-usage devices, resulting an annual savings of $113,976.

Of the total devices originally identified as non-usage:

• 14 or 4% of the non-usage devices are with the carrier for replacement
• 72 or 20% of the non-usage devices remain in service per the owner’s request; reasons included availability of disaster backup devices
• 100 or 28% of the non-usage devices are still being researched
• 174 or 48% of the non-usage devices were cancelled

At the end of this project, the team reduced the total number of non-usage mobile devices to 186, or 6%, of the total number of Verizon and AT&T mobile devices.

Many thanks to Andrea, Kim, and Katherine for their work, which saved Yale $113,976 and established a repeatable process to maintain these savings in future years.