Telecom ExpenseManagementBlogs

Explore our TEM blogs for expert perspective, real examples, and clear guidance to manage telecom and technology expenses confidently, with fresh insights added routinely.

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Does Your Telecom Expense Management Solution Have These 4 Critical Services?

Does Your Telecom Expense Management Solution Have These 4 Critical Services?

May 24, 2021

No matter how big or small your company is, you can benefit from hiring a third-party vendor to oversee your telecom expense management. Few companies have the resources to do a deep dive on their telecom invoices every month. However, with the right partner, you can automate this process and send notifications to your team if discrepancies arise. Auditing and invoice management is just part of what an effective partner has to offer.

Learn more about the critical services every telecom management provider, such as Valicom, should offer. Then, you can spend your time concentrating on business opportunities rather than chasing down telecom discrepancies and overcharges.

7 Tips to Negotiate Telecom Contracts

7 Tips to Negotiate Telecom Contracts

May 3, 2021

Negotiating a telecom contract takes a certain delicacy if you want to get the best deal without compromising your service. Although companies can take advantage of a competitive telecom market, it’s important to read the fine print on contract clauses and other factors that influence price and quality. On the other hand, a well-negotiated contract clearly states your services and expectations with unambiguous pricing models.

So, how do you come up with an agreement with your provider that works for you? With the right research and a little guidance, you can negotiate beneficial terms.

Here are seven tips to help your company get the service you need at a price you can afford:

Edge Computing Finds New Business Models

Edge Computing Finds New Business Models

Apr 19, 2021

According to predictions from IBM, edge vendors will take five points of market share off cloud growth in 2021. Due in part to the pandemic, cloud revenue exceeded all expectations in 2020. However, edge computing may continue to slow down the cloud’s rising star. Let’s take a look at one of the top tech trends emerging from this cool new technology.

Organizations use cloud computing to process stored data. Edge computing, by contrast, gives companies access to data in real-time. Real-time may be a relative term since latency continues to be a challenge that edge computing developers contend with. In remote areas, edge computing is a bonus because there is limited or no centralized repository for connectivity.

Does Your Company Need Another Expensive Audit or An Ongoing Outsourced Solution?

Does Your Company Need Another Expensive Audit or An Ongoing Outsourced Solution?

Apr 5, 2021

At a high level, there are three types of audits: internal, external, and IRS. Of course, you have no control over when the IRS comes around, but the right mix of internal and external checks can help you keep your costs under constant scrutiny while keeping your books in order — which can’t hurt if Uncle Sam does decide to take a dive into your telecom records.

Let’s take a look at internal and external audits, which you can control and use to monitor your telecom spend.

How Our #1 Differentiator Keeps Us Together During Virtual Times

How Our #1 Differentiator Keeps Us Together During Virtual Times

Mar 29, 2021

Our Annual Celebration looked a little different for Valicom this year. Instead of meeting at one of our favorite local restaurants, The Great Dane, or meeting for a night at The Comedy Club, we gathered at our computer screens, everyone to their own. Don’t worry, this isn’t the start of a sad story, I promise! It’s the start of one filled with gratitude.

Telecom Expense Management Market Size 2021

Telecom Expense Management Market Size 2021

Mar 22, 2021

The Telecom Expense Management Market, estimated at $1.45 billion in 2019, may reach $1.89 billion by 2027. That represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.65%. Another study, adjusted for the impact of COVID-19, projects a CAGR of 14.5% through 2025.

Telecom Expense Management has become an essential part of the tech stack at companies of all sizes and across most industries. Two transformative trends mostly drive this:

Increased need for efficient TEM practices
Expansion of business telecom infrastructures

If you need assistance with your telecom expense management, contact the experts at Valicom to tailor a solution for your company.

Ambient Backscatter: Revolutionizing IT Healthcare Wireless Trends

Ambient Backscatter: Revolutionizing IT Healthcare Wireless Trends

Mar 15, 2021

Backscatter networking has been named one of the top three trends of the future by CIO Review. This technology provides a nearly limitless network lifetime for IoT devices that currently run on finite batteries. A backscatter network transmits data using very little power. It targets small networked equipment and uses wireless pulses for power. Backscatter networking works well in areas saturated with wireless signals and can power simple IoT devices in smart homes and offices.

How to Migrate to the Cloud for Enterprise Transparency & Spend Management

How to Migrate to the Cloud for Enterprise Transparency & Spend Management

Mar 8, 2021

If your telecom and technology management systems are outdated, you are wasting time and money. One of the biggest wastes is that in managing everything the old-school way, in spreadsheets or desktop software. Follow along as we uncover why it is critical for complex telecom environments to manage their infrastructure, contracts, and invoices in an intuitive cloud-based solution instead of tedious, error-prone, and heavy updates of your outdated solutions.

How to Recover Telecom Costs and Renew Your IT Budgets

How to Recover Telecom Costs and Renew Your IT Budgets

Mar 1, 2021

Aligning IT investments with the overall strategy of your operations will emerge as a number one priority for many organizations in 2021. Many companies are cutting costs in other areas to enhance their IT infrastructure. Telecom invoices may offer fertile ground for automation and improvement. This can lead to reduced costs in your payment and auditing efforts. Most telecom and network expenses take up to 5% of your enterprise’s revenue. Implementing best practices can help you keep this expense at the lower end so that you can reallocate money to innovation projects.

Follow these strategies to recover telecom expense and allocate it where you need it most.

7 Steps to Build a Strategic Procurement Process

7 Steps to Build a Strategic Procurement Process

Feb 15, 2021

Strategic procurement process development is one of the most impactful investments a large organization can make to control costs and improve vendor relationships. Learn more about telecom expense management and how the same discipline that drives smarter telecom...

Get Ready for SASE Growth Among Competitors in 2026

Get Ready for SASE Growth Among Competitors in 2026

Feb 1, 2021

In telecom, as in many other sectors, the pandemic accelerated a move to digital communications and activity among both consumers and employees. During this transition, the telecom industry will continue to serve as a foundation to build digital assets and improve performance in this increasingly crowded space.

The growth of the digital economy combined with sophisticated data management and analysis makes 2021 an exciting time to be in the telecommunications business. One area that enterprises are focusing on includes SASE (“sassy”). Keep reading to learn more about how to implement this technology and stay ahead of the competitors in your industry.

2021 Telecom Industry Outlook

2021 Telecom Industry Outlook

Jan 19, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored challenges facing the telecommunications industry. It’s time to make bold moves to help your company. There are areas of opportunity for telecommunications leaders to consider in their recovery strategies.

Here are three ways to thrive in 2021:

Focus on customer needs with a nuanced customer engagement approach.
Upgrade the customer experience with new service offerings and adopt agile business models.
Position your branding in a way that maximizes secure wireless networks and includes this technology in your services and business models when possible.

3 Must Have TEM Software Features

3 Must Have TEM Software Features

Jan 5, 2021

Valicom’s team sat down to discuss the most important questions to ask during the discovery phase of finding a trustworthy TEM vendor. The discussion started with basic questions, which we concluded could be applied to most technologies. These points also specifically had to do with the software provider’s team and who they work with directly. That brings us to the top two fundamental questions:

Do We Need Call Accounting?

Nov 16, 2020

What is Call Accounting?

Call Accounting, also called Call Logging, refers to a software system that is used to track telephone usage and allocate costs by department, division, or location. Tracking calls manually is very time intensive which is why the demand for a software solution calls for a call accounting solution. However, not all teams are set up with the information they need to make an educated decision on a quality call accounting system—or if they even need a solution at all!

Advanced Vendor Negotiation

Advanced Vendor Negotiation

Nov 9, 2020

At Valicom, we have been negotiating with vendors on our clients behalf for over 30 years. For any company, the art of negotiation is perfected over many years. Negotiation looks different from industry to industry and product to product but there are a few negotiation best practices that are the same across the board. This includes the industry of telecommunications. Let’s dip our fingers into the secret sauce of successful vendor negotiations.

4 Ways Accounts Payable Can Save More Now with TEM

4 Ways Accounts Payable Can Save More Now with TEM

Nov 9, 2020

With the evolution of technology continuing to grow forward, there’s no doubt that organizations across the globe are seeking new ways to update their invoice management process and complicated technology environments.

Accounts Payable and Chief Financial Officers understand the need to automate but proceed with caution. With automated procedures, the risk of accuracy is always an important variable in the process. Trusting automated systems can put the risk of accuracy on the side which can result in extensive overpayments and other overlooked fees which can make the automation process irrelevant and redundant.

5 Ways to Save with Utility Bill Pay Services

5 Ways to Save with Utility Bill Pay Services

Oct 12, 2020

Imagine this. You don’t have to worry about missing invoice errors, you don’t have to lay a finger to pay for your invoices, and you can access a user friendly dashboard to view all activity regarding your utility bills. Technology is not only changing the way we communicate at the office but it’s increasing efficiencies in our finance departments. The other thing is, it will save you so much money! We’ll get to that.

Leading with Values

Leading with Values

Sep 22, 2020

What guides your decision making? When times get tough, how do you decide what is worth your time and what needs to be eliminated to maintain a healthy business environment?

At Valicom, having a set of core values is how we all stay on the same page, and make decisions that align with our company goals. How you treat one another, how you work together, how well you know your teammates – this creates the mold we need for success. Wouldn’t you agree? This all starts with having values that align.

The Evolution of Clearview

The Evolution of Clearview

Sep 15, 2020

Clearview looks very different today than it did 30 years ago. When I started the business in 1991, my office tools consisted of an Intel 10286 computer (100Mbps memory) which was a second-generation home (user friendly) computer, and word processing and spreadsheet (Excel) software. I used spreadsheets extensively to calculate pricing and perform long distance vendor cost comparisons based on the pricing schedules offered by AT&T and several other alternative carriers who had entered the marketplace after divestiture.

Better Utility Bill Management

Better Utility Bill Management

Aug 31, 2020

Working with a utility invoice management service immediately cuts your administrative cost by 30%. Valicom’s invoice services can help you manage and control virtually all your facility-related expenses. We receive, allocate, pay, and report on over 90 different service types including:

Women in Technology

Women in Technology

Aug 25, 2020

Overcoming challenges associated with a male-dominated industry came with many hurdles. Industries associated with technology, especially in the ‘80s and ‘90s, was vastly run by male ownership and operations. It was difficult to gain respect as a leader and successful business owner as a woman in the field of information technology. There were significant challenges being taken seriously with sales to clients, developing partnership with telecom vendors, attracting dedicated employees and involvement in making a difference with industry associations.