Explore our TEM blogs for expert perspective, real examples, and clear guidance to manage telecom and technology expenses confidently, with fresh insights added routinely.
We suggest to watch for these types of Carrier changes to impact your billing. Whether it is as simple as a remit address change, or a major billing error due to a billing systems switchover it is always a good idea to do a telecom invoice audit and confirm your telecommunications is billed correctly. If you need help with your telecom invoice processing & payment, give us a call.
Since the break-up of the Bell companies in the early 80s, there have been many new complex telecom technologies, services and plans and a variety of telecom providers that have entered the telecom space. With these complexities, come opportunities as well as threats for telecom users. One of the threats that has come with divestiture has been inaccurate billing, usually caused by the use of legacy billing systems designed to handle a basic, simple mix of circuits and services, and utilizing codes that were developed by the Bell companies around those services.
They are migrating to the new wireless devices to help them manage their data flow, connect with colleagues and improve patient care. It also allows them to better allocate their time, as they no longer have to check various avenues of communication – voice mails, email, SMS messages, text, etc – but can have it all delivered in one place. This means less opportunity for critical patient data too fall through the cracks, generating better, more efficient care.
A recent issue of The Economist, the venerable British business publication, discussed the advancing threats from cyberwarfare. As if IT people don’t have enough to worry about, it had some interesting statistics about infected computers out there on the international grid. Even here at home, with our higher security standards, millions of US machines are infected with something, creating mass sleeper botnets. Botnets that nasties from overseas can use to unleash chaos on our power grids, financial databases and just about anything we rely on that’s delivered via the internet.
Most organizations have not deployed either internal or external telecom expense management (TEM) programs, usually because they do not have the trained staff to do it. Also, according to AOTMP, “there is a common perception of greater effort and cost than financial gain” causing “small and medium size businesses (SMB) to shy away from implementing a TEM program.”
During a recent AberdeenGroup telecom expense management webinar sponsored by Valicom on the topic of SaaS TEM Solutions for the mid-market, there was an informal poll conducted with 75 mid-market attendees around the question “What is your current approach to managing telecom expenses?” The results of the responses are shown in the graph below:
Recently, I have had the opportunity to talk with quite a few companies and their executives regarding their views on telecom expense management (TEM). Some have had previous experience with a TEM provider and others have not. The companies that have had previous experience communicated the following concerns:
Porsche just announced the possible release of a new hybrid model. A $630K hybrid! Now I’m all for going green, but that seems a little ridiculous. If all you’re doing is driving to the mailbox and back, you don’t need a ride like that.
It’s all perspective, isn’t it? I mowed the lawn once last summer. I did a really bang-up job, too, if I don’t say so myself. Before I started, I canvassed the yard and picked up all the sticks. Then, I made sure I made nice straight lines in the mowing lanes and even sprayed off the mower when I was finished. I was quite proud of my work and then started in with the weed-whacking. Man, was I ever in for an education.
During a recent webinar, sponsored by Valicom, featuring AberdeenGroup research on the topic of SaaS TEM solutions for the mid-market, there was an informal poll conducted with 75 mid-market attendees responding to the question: “What are the top pressures your company is facing to control telecom costs?” The results are shown in the graph below:
Just as with medicine, companies often make the mistake of treating the symptoms, not the causes, when it comes to their telecommunications audit practices. When approaching a telecommunications audit project, it’s important to first identify all of the potential ways that the telecommunications spend could be made more efficient, and cost effective. This could be compared to a basic physical performed by your family doctor. The purpose is to get a baseline understanding of the overall health of the telecommunications spend and to identify broad areas that require additional focus and improvement.
In the telecom world, since divestiture in the early 80’s, there has been a proliferation of new choices, plans, suppliers and technologies. During this period, the internet, wireless services and wide area network technologies have transformed the industry.
Many hotels have stopped charging for wireless Internet, and it’s about time airports followed suit. Recently, while traveling for business, I had to connect through 3 different airports. Two had free WiFi, one did not. Now this is just ridiculous – the airport that was charging for WiFi wanted $9 to connect. My layover lasted about 2 hours. I doubt very many people spend more than 2 or 3 hours using the WiFi. At least at a hotel, you’re probably going to be there for at least 12 to 16 hours, and thus can justify the cost – which by the way, is pretty similar to what the airport was charging.
As if you didn’t already know that a bunch of staff running around with Crackberries and iPhone envy were going to cost you a fortune. But now there is data to prove it. It’s just another illustration that mobile management can be easy, but you have to focus on strategic cost reduction if you really want to minimize wireless expenses. Mobile expense management is the key.
We know that you’d never buy a car without checking it out, looking under the hood and taking a test drive. And while Valicom, with our twenty year history and record client satisfaction scores, isn’t exactly “Honest Al” over at the local car lot, we’d still like to offer you the same courtesy.
Sometimes the critical success factor in telecom cost reduction efforts may all come down to the approach or the “framework” used to guide the process. How does your company stack up? Do you have the focus required to target your specific objective? Telecom cost management is not necessarily as easy as it sounds. This process requires a vast amount of industry experience and knowledge.
Over the past year, Aberdeen Group research has shown that as telecom, network, and mobility demands have become more complicated, the urgent requirement to manage and control expenses is no longer just a Fortune 500 problem. Mid-Market sized organizations have their own unique needs for agile and service-based telecom expense solutions that match their own operational flexibility and challenges.
I had the privilege of meeting with a Telecom team and their Manager recently. I had been asked by them to come and demo our new Telecom cost management software tool, Clearview. The team was a really solid group. They ticked off some impressive stats, achievements and successfully completed projects. I was impressed.
Spring is in the air, the courses are opening, and I cannot WAIT to get back to playing the game of golf that I love so very much.The only thing I dread? My putting. It’s horrible. Seems like no matter how much I practice, I pull it left or right. I have this awful, sinking feeling when I pull my putter and prepare to hit. It never fails, I three-putt almost every hole.
Telecom expense control – starts with the basics. Do you know the cost of processing only one invoice within your organization? What if you could offload the direct labor involved in processing telecommunication invoices, while reducing strategic business costs at the same time? If this is of interest to you, then you need to contact Valicom today for their best-in-class telecom expense control.
At Valicom, we are always looking for ways to reduce telecom expenses, increase operational efficiencies and minimize risk for our clients. I just read an article from WTN News about textblockers that prevent drivers from utilizing their cell phones or texting while driving. With the statistics regarding the number of accidents and fatalities caused by texting and cell phone use while driving, this may not be a bad idea not only for parents, but for employers to reduce your liability risk and protect your valued staff.
