US Mobile Phones Mobile Device Erasure Case Study

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Erasing and Diagnosing Pre-Owned Mobile Devices

IDC estimates the global market for used smartphones will grow from 81.3 million devices in 2015 to 222.6 million units in 2020. To ensure mobile tradein programs are successful, mobile remarketers must be able to maximize the resale value of used devices and ensure sensitive data isn’t exposed. Providing customers with assurance that their phones have been erased properly and are functioning correctly can prove difficult, with products often not living up to their promises.

US Mobile Phones (USMP) is a global wholesale distributor and remarketer of previously owned consumer electronics serving multiple vertical channels globally. The company’s core business is centered around creating value in the mobile device market. Insight into ecommerce, retail, carrier, distributor and VAR channels allows it to maximize the value of products as we coordinate their return to use.

Highlights

  • In 2016, around 1.5 billion smartphones were sold worldwide*
  • Around 222 million used smartphones will be sold annually by 2020**
  • Average selling price for a used device is expected to be $136 in 2020**

* Statista
** IDC

Challenge

With thousands of models of mobile devices on the market, the triage, testing and data erasure process is cumbersome. Training employees on new models and switching between models at various points during the day leads to productivity slowdowns and potential quality control issues. USMP needed a solution to create speed, consistency and reliability in this area of its business. Blancco Mobile Diagnostics & Erasure solved these issues.

Solution

USMP and its suppliers care about protecting their customers. Maintaining the highest standards in clearing customer data and maintaining records of that data erasure was a resource challenge. Nearly every department at USMP provided input toward the selection of a data erasure and diagnostics partner. In addition to its operations, IT/engineering and accounting teams, USMP’s strategic business team and company ownership provided feedback prior to selecting Blancco for its best in class support, sophisticated suite of products and flexibility to support USMP’s unique business needs.

Implementing Blancco solutions gave USMP:

  • Easy database access to the company’s records on demand
  • More resources for training used to transition projects from one model to the next
  • Higher level of integrity into the daily quality control process

The change allowed USMP to save hundreds of man hours a week in training time and gave the organization the option to switch operators into specialties to drive greater productivity. The change in USMP’s data clearing process alone provided thousands of dollars per month in ROI due to increased efficiency.

Additionally, while USMP’s triage process was effective and low-cost, it was leaving a lot of opportunity on the table to maximize the value of their products. Using Blancco Diagnostics & Erasure over USMP’s previous manual procedures is providing efficiency improvements and more reliable product data. USMP is still in the process of transitioning the diagnostics portion of its workflow, and the onboarding of individual devices has made adaptations to the Blancco software necessary. Blancco has worked closely with the USMP team to meet these needs, and the results are tracking in the same direction as the Diagnostics & Erasure program.

During one of USMP’s supplier audits, the team discovered that Blancco’s systems database interface was more user-friendly then its previous proprietary solution, and saved the management team the stress of pulling information from a system that did not want to cooperate. Blancco made what could have been a stressful experience pain-free.

“Blancco has best-in-class data erasure products and a proactive engineering support team that works hard to address issues as they rise.”

Sammy Sabbagh, Operations Manager, US Mobile Phones

As a result…

Shield

Securely sanitized confidential customer information

Clock

Relieved time constraints from triage process flow

Saved hundreds of man hours a week in training time

About Blancco

Blancco Mobile Diagnostics & Erasure software allows organizations, mobile service providers and resellers to permanently erase all data from smartphones and tablets running on iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry operating systems.

Blancco Mobile Diagnostics for retailers enables mobile network operators/carriers, device manufacturers, retailers, customer service centers, insurers and resellers to quickly and accurately find the source of device issues and resolve them. By identifying the cause of mobile device issues, your customers can optimize device performance, reduce the likelihood of NTF returns and recoup the costs associated with customer service complaints and repairs.

Data Erasure Trial For ITADs

See how Blancco data erasure solutions can reduce labor costs, extract maximum value from a greater number of sellable devices, and speed up your processes along the way.