6 Signs of A Powerful TEM Platform

It’s safe to say that telecommunications are complicated enough that you need to dedicate resources to tracking their expenses. This concept is known as telecom expense management (TEM), and there are a lot of companies that specialize in helping you to get TEM under control. You have plentiful options, so you should definitely shop around. When you do, there are some key indicators that will help you separate the best TEM software from the rest of the field.

Scalability

This is the ultimate buzz word in tech, but there’s a reason for that. You need technology solutions that can grow non-disruptively with your business. Scalability for TEM hits on a few fronts. The first is users. Obviously, you need the ability to add users down the line without having to completely rescale or renegotiate the package. This is one of your first boxes to check when comparing TEM options.

You also want to be able to scale across new systems and locations. This is where you could conceivably upgrade from a small business package to an enterprise operation. If the TEM solutions are that scalable, they’ll probably work for you.

Integration

This is possibly the trickiest part of deploying TEM software or services. Anything that works in the space of expense management will be at its best when it is incorporated into all of your systems. Even better, you should be able to view and control your TEM solutions from a single spot. This includes servers, data, mobile and all the rest.

When TEM solutions can’t integrate with your systems, the results will always suffer. There is lag time between cash flow changes and your ability to see them. Data might be missing from analytics. It’s a big topic, but you want expense management that wraps itself all around the systems you already use.

Vast Features

It’s a vague idea, but you need powerful and diverse features from your TEM software. You want inventory management, invoice auditing, cost allocation, reporting, and the kitchen sink. This concept pairs with integration. Every part of your business that ties into technology expenses should be integrated with the TEM software and have features that help you efficiently manage those expenses. At the basic level, it isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overlook powerful features until you’re already committed and wishing you had more.

Accounts Payable

This could be filed under integration, but AP is so important that it merits its own discussion. Great TEM software will feed data directly to your AP system. Accounts payable sits in the epicenter of expense management, so it seems pretty clear that the two should be involved.

That’s all that really needs to be said. It’s just important to emphasize the need for integration with Accounts Payable.

Delivery Options

Some TEM software comes alone. You might get deployment and initial training in the package, but once it’s running, you’re on your own. Other packages completely outsource expense management. You’ll have some software installed for the sake of your third-party management team, but they pretty much handle everything.

Both of these delivery methods have their place, and there are no one-size-fits all for TEM. At the very least, you want to be able to choose between these options. The better case is that you can get customized, hybridized packages that include the level of software and support that is right for your business.

Web Basis

There are several ways to host TEM solutions. You can put everything on an in-house server. You can run it all through enterprise cloud systems. You can mix and match.

For virtually every business, a web basis for the TEM software is valuable. It reduces how much you have to host on site, it improves accessibility, and it expands the reliability of the system. You don’t necessarily need to be all in on web-based TEM software, but it should be doing at least some of the heavy lifting. Otherwise, you’re increasing your vulnerability and limiting how freely you can utilize your TEM investment.

When you find TEM software that meets all six of these criteria, you know you’re off to a good start. You still need to have some developed conversations with the TEM providers to craft a custom solution for your business. These indicators help you identify the providers who can do that second part successfully. You have enough to get started. There’s no point in waiting around for your expenses to fix themselves.

Are you ready to take control of your telecom expenses with an intelligent TEM platform?

Call us today and we’ll take you through our TEM platform, Clearview.

(608) 274-3515

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: VICTOR H.

Victor brings nearly ten years of enterprise and SMB sales experience in the information technology and software space. Prior to joining Valicom, he served as regional channel sales manager working for one of the industry’s largest enterprise labeling software companies. With a focus on great customer service in helping channel partners grow their businesses, Victor joined the Valicom team in late 2015 after relocating to the Madison area. Victor holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication from UW-Milwaukee, and when he’s not in the office he enjoys exercising, travelling abroad, and spending time with his growing family.