How Zero-Touch Provisioning Reduces Hidden IoT Costs

Zero-touch provisioning means the hardware setup and configuration is already done by the time a cellular IoT device reaches you. Settings and carrier connections are in place, and your team just plugs in the router.

Why does all this matter? Because when setup goes wrong, the fix often means sending a technician to your deployment site. That truck roll is just one of several hidden IoT costs that rarely make it into the budget.

Behind the Scenes of Your Connectivity

Recently, our own Sidney Reynolds sat down with Justin Nichols (Director of Sales) to ask about hidden costs of managing cellular IoT connectivity.

Don't have time to watch the video? Read the transcript here.

Sidney (to camera): We have some questions for Justin, who, as one of our sales directors, really understands the costs of IoT connectivity. Let’s go talk to him. [CONFIRM exact wording against the video.]

Sidney: Hey, Justin!

Justin: Hey, what’s up, Sidney?

Sidney: I just want to talk to you really quick about sales. You know better than anybody that in IoT, there’s the iceberg of costs that are hidden under the surface, that don’t realize until they are trying to manage IoT connectivity themselves. So, what would you say is the biggest hidden cost that people don’t realize until it comes back to bite them?

Justin: Yeah, that’s a good question. So, I think there’s actually a lot of things that can go wrong and a lot of costs that can accumulate there, but one of the biggest ones would probably be downtime due to truck rolls. So if the device and the network is not configured correctly from the beginning and something goes wrong in the field, now you’re rolling a truck out an hour, two hours spending time in the field trying to get that corrected. If you don’t have the right equipment with you to fix it on site, that could be multiple truck rolls back and forth. So, one of the things that we like to do with our customers is make sure that devices are provisioned correctly before they ship, all the network is setup correctly with multiple carriers for some redundancy and failover, so that way if there is a problem, we can help diagnose it the first time and keep it online faster and longer.

Sidney: Yeah, it seems like it’s one of those problems that people won’t realize until it’s too late, so hopefully through this video, people can realize that by coming to OptConnect, we can solve those problems even before they happen. Thanks for checking in with us! (to viewing audience): Take care.

Justin's Take:

Truck rolls are one of the biggest hidden costs. Justin says downtime from truck rolls can be a costly surprise when a device or network isn’t configured correctly from the start.
One hardware problem can involve several trips. Fixing the issue can take an hour or two in the field. Worse, if the technician doesn’t have the right equipment, that may mean multiple trips back and forth.

Why Truck Rolls Are a Top Concern

In the video, truck rolls are referred to as costs that stay hidden until businesses try to manage connectivity themselves.

Researchers at the Technology & Services Industry Association estimate that costs for a single truck roll (counting labor, vehicle time, fuel, and other overhead expenses) can range from a few hundred dollars to about $1,000 per trip.

A truck roll that doesn’t solve the problem multiplies the cost. A 2023 benchmark report by Aquant found that a failed first visit averages 2.75 total visits and adds about 13 days to resolution.

An OptConnect partnership with VDC Research surveyed businesses deploying cellular IoT fleets. According to survey respondents, more than one quarter of connectivity issues required a truck roll, at a fully loaded cost of more than $450 for labor and vehicle expenses.

On a related point, VDC Research found that managed cellular IoT providers like OptConnect can cut by 70 percent the operational hours spent resolving connectivity issues.

Zero-Touch Provisioning at OptConnect

Now that we’ve uncovered a hidden cost of IoT (e.g., truck rolls), let’s see how OptConnect reduces those costs.

Every fully managed OptConnect router is pre-configured, staged, kitted, and fully provisioned before it leaves our headquarters. After a customer receives the shipment, they plug in the cellular device — and it works. No onsite configuration, no waiting on a technician, and far fewer chances for a setup error to turn into a service call.

Of course, zero-touch provisioning doesn’t guarantee zero truck rolls. But deploying OptConnect routers will dramatically reduce (if not eliminate, in some instances). At every step, we’re on hand to make sure the cellular IoT deployment goes smoothly and that each device is fully supported, day or night.

The Iceberg of IoT Expenses

Truck rolls are only one piece of the iceberg. Because reliable connectivity takes more than a router and a data plan, other costs tend to show up after the purchase:

Deployment delays: managing supply chains, provisioning devices, and dealing with carriers
Unpredictable data usage: overages, inconsistent billing, and unexpected expenses
Downtime and lost revenue: unreliable networks and a lack of proactive monitoring
Management hassles: troubleshooting, SIM swaps, firmware updates, and vendor management

Zero-touch provisioning takes the first of these issues off your plate, and our fully managed approach addresses the rest.

Curious about how the pieces of IoT connectivity fit together at OptConnect? Visit our ConnectIQ page.

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FAQ | Zero-Touch Provisioning & Reduced IoT Costs

It’s a deployment approach where devices are configured before they ship, so they arrive ready to use. Instead of a technician setting up each device on site, the customer plugs it in and it connects.

For OptConnect’s fully managed routers, the setup is done before shipping, so your part comes down to simply plugging in the device.

At OptConnect, our networks are set up with multiple carriers for redundancy and failover, which helps keep devices online when one carrier has a problem.

A truck roll is a technician dispatch to a field site. The cost goes beyond the technician’s time: It involves vehicle costs, travel, scheduling, and the downtime of whatever the device supports. Repeat visits multiply all of the above.

Zero-touch provisioning doesn’t mean a truck will never roll, but with OptConnect routers, truck rolls are dramatically reduced, if not eliminated. Pre-configuration removes a major cause of avoidable field visits, and when a problem does occur, we can help diagnose and resolve it it the first time.

Beyond the router and data plan, costs may include deployment delays, unpredictable data usage, downtime and lost revenue, and the ongoing work of managing devices, such as troubleshooting, SIM swaps, and firmware updates. Truck rolls often sit behind several of these. See how our ConnectIQ technology helps manage them.

Behind the Scenes of Your Connectivity

Justin's Take:

Why Truck Rolls Are a Top Concern

Zero-Touch Provisioning at OptConnect

The Iceberg of IoT Expenses

Deploy IoT without Onsite Setup

FAQ | Zero-Touch Provisioning & Reduced IoT Costs

Contact Us

Want a quicker response?

Behind the Scenes of Your Connectivity

Justin's Take:

Why Truck Rolls Are a Top Concern

Zero-Touch Provisioning at OptConnect

The Iceberg of IoT Expenses

Deploy IoT without Onsite Setup

FAQ | Zero-Touch Provisioning & Reduced IoT Costs

What Is zero-touch provisioning for IoT?

Does 'zero touch' mean no setup at all?

Is carrier redundancy included with zero-touch devices?

Why does a cellular IoT truck roll cost so much?

Does zero touch eliminate truck rolls?

What are the hidden costs of IoT connectivity?

Contact Us

Want a quicker response?