Blogs

Telecom Expense Management Firm Valicom Celebrates 20 Years of Client Savings

Telecom Expense Management Firm Valicom Celebrates 20 Years of Client Savings

Jan 20, 2011

Telecom auditing and expense management firm Valicom celebrates a landmark anniversary, having helped clients control telecom costs for twenty years. Founded in January 1991 as a certified woman-owned business (WBE) , Valicom has worked with SMBs and enterprise clients to reduce telecom expenses, gain control over telecom inventory and process and pay telecom invoices. Having launched their telecom expense management software Clearview in 2010, they look forward to their next phase of growth utilizing Clearview to assist IT and telecom consultants in building robust telecom expense management practices of their own.

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Explore the Benefits of Utilizing Consultant-Specific TEM Software

Explore the Benefits of Utilizing Consultant-Specific TEM Software

Jan 6, 2011

This is a follow-up to my previous blog entitled “Helpful Features Provided By Consultant-Specific TEM Systems” and the sixth in a series of blogs that discusses the needs for TEM software in the consultant marketplace and the benefits of utilizing telecom expense management tools for telecom and IT consultants.

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Helpful Features Provided By Consultant-Specific TEM System

Helpful Features Provided By Consultant-Specific TEM System

Dec 22, 2010

This is a follow-up to my previous blog entitled “Helpfulness of Telecom Auditing and TEM Software Tool For Consultants” and the fifth in a series of blogs that outline the results of Valicom’s telecom consultant survey sent out to telecom consultants in August, 2010. The blog series also discusses the benefits of utilizing telecom expense management tools for telecom and IT consultants.

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The Wonders of Telecom Auditing and TEM Software for Consultants

The Wonders of Telecom Auditing and TEM Software for Consultants

Dec 8, 2010

This is a follow-up to my previous blog entitled “Tracking Systems Used By Telecom Consultants Today” and the fourth in a series of blogs that outline the results of Valicom’s telecom consultant survey that was sent out to a nationwide group of independent telecom consultants in August, 2010 on this subject.

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Valicom Helps Telecom and IT Consultants Expand Service Offerings for 2011

Valicom Helps Telecom and IT Consultants Expand Service Offerings for 2011

Dec 6, 2010

Telecom expense management firm Valicom is helping telecom and IT consultants expand their services through their web-based software Clearview paired with Telecom Practice Packages. The combination offers even small consulting businesses a leg up in offering expense management solutions and a wealth of other money-making client deliverables. To help consultants increase profitability in 2011, Valicom is also offering some promotions for businesses that adopt Clearview by the end of the year.

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Tracking Systems Used By Telecom Consultants Today

Tracking Systems Used By Telecom Consultants Today

Nov 29, 2010

This is a follow-up to my previous blog entitled “Telecom Expense Management Portfolio Expansion For Consultants” and the third in a series of blogs that outline the results of Valicom’s telecom consultant survey that was sent out to a nationwide group of independent telecom consultants in August, 2010 on this subject.

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Check, then recheck, the long distance PIC for new service

Check, then recheck, the long distance PIC for new service

Nov 11, 2010

One of the most common mistakes made while ordering new service, is to neglect to request that the long distance usage for the new service be billed to your corporate long distance service.  The second common mistake, is that once requested, nothing is done to make sure the carrier actually does it.

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TEM Portfolio Expansion For Telecom Consultants

TEM Portfolio Expansion For Telecom Consultants

Nov 9, 2010

This is a follow-up to my previous blog entitled “Telecom Auditing and TEM Software Tools” and the second in a series of blogs that outline the results of Valicom’s telecom consultant survey that was sent out to a nationwide group of independent telecom consultants in August, 2010 on this subject.

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Telecom Auditing and TEM Software Tools

Telecom Auditing and TEM Software Tools

Nov 4, 2010

In August of this year, Valicom sent out a survey to a nationwide group of independent telecom consultants regarding their needs for a consultant-specific telecom auditing and telecom expense mangement tool. We received a 20% response rate and an overwhelmingly positive response regarding the overall need for a telecom-specific TEM tool. We also had the opportunity to speak at the Society of Telecom Consultants conference in Dallas in late September where I presented the results of this survey.

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Telecom Expense Control: Remove Your Wire Maintenance

Telecom Expense Control: Remove Your Wire Maintenance

Nov 2, 2010

When conducting a telecommunications audit for a business, one of the first things to be removed for cost savings are the Inside Wire Maintenance features (sometimes called Linebacker) from your business lines.  The probability of a break occurring within a building wall is very low (on average, once every 14 years).  The cost of paying a technician to service a break, if it were not covered by your equipment vendor’s maintenance contract, would be less expensive than paying a monthly maintenance fee indefinitely.

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Smartphones Make Old Ideas Seeem New: Managing User App Purchases

Smartphones Make Old Ideas Seeem New: Managing User App Purchases

Oct 22, 2010

Who would have thought a flashlight could be so cool?Well, as long as it is an app that runs on a smart phone, the flashlight all of a sudden becomes current again.  This seems to be the case with so many smart phone apps, that when looked at carefully, really just accomplish some traditional function using your phone.

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Spreading Telecom Account Level Charges: 2 Approaches

Spreading Telecom Account Level Charges: 2 Approaches

Oct 20, 2010

When processing large and complex telecommunications invoices, there are often account level charges such as taxes and other fees that don’t relate to individual service items.  Often organizations lump these charges into a special accounting bucket for lack of a better approach.

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Document invoice processing procedures for consistent results

Document invoice processing procedures for consistent results

Oct 20, 2010

A simple, yet important part of any good TEM project, is to maintain detailed instructions and documentation to go with your telecom invoice processing efforts.  Some invoices are more complex than others, and will require significant documentation, while some or so simple that they won’t require any documentation at all.

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To Cut Telecom Costs in 2011, Plan in 4th Quarter 2010

To Cut Telecom Costs in 2011, Plan in 4th Quarter 2010

Oct 11, 2010

I know this sounds like something your mother would tell you, but looking ahead and making good decisions in the present can lead to good things in the future.  As 2010 starts to wind down in its fourth quarter, firms are making decisions about what to spend, and what NOT to spend, in 2011.   Essentially, it’s budgeting time for many departments, and with IT costs set to rise with Windows 7 deployment, increasing security issues, and higher demands for wireless devices and data plans, finding ways to save money before you spend it is not a bad idea.

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Game design influences business software design

Game design influences business software design

Oct 8, 2010

With this growing crowd of inexperienced TEM practitioners, it is more important than ever to consider how easy to understand and learn a TEM system is.  Video games are a great place to start.  After all, most video games are designed for a wide range of age levels and degrees of technology sophistication.  Additionally, they are designed to be as intuitive as possible and easy to learn.  This important for video game producers because it would be very hard to sell a video game that took too long to learn.

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Healthcare Facility Discusses Their Success in Telecom Cost Control

Healthcare Facility Discusses Their Success in Telecom Cost Control

Oct 5, 2010

In today’s economy, any way to trim fat from the bottom line is a welcome activity.  As clinic and hospital professionals, the focus is often concentrated on the health care side of spending, not the technology end.   But as technology needs become more and more complex, there can be great opportunity for savings through better management of telecommunication costs.  Problems like overpayments, errors, or poor inventory tracking of your land lines, circuits, pagers,  “smart” phones, and data plans could be wasting a lot of your annual budget.

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