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

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.

Here are several things to look for when vetting out telecom expense management companies.

Services Every Serious TEM Company Offers

Inventory management, contract management, and visibility all play a role in effective telecom expense management. Learn what to look for when you need a solid partner to minimize your telecom expenses.

Inventory Management

Managing your telecom and technology inventory is more difficult than dialing unknown numbers to ensure your company still uses all the devices on your invoice. Detailed inventory, transparency, and visibility hold the key to keeping costs down and retiring or reassigning company-owned devices. This can’t be done on paper — no matter how diligent your auditor may be.

Employing a Telecom Expense Management system can help you automate your invoicing and simplify the auditing process. A TEM gives you fast access to terms and conditions, rates, and service level agreements so that you can negotiate your monthly bill in a timely manner.

Contract Management

Technology has evolved that can help you tame the obscenely complicated telecom billing process. Isn’t it time you put it to use for your company and the sanity of your telecom team? If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to retire your massive file system and compare monthly bills in a system that facilitates the identification of discrepancies and overcharges.

Contract management allows you to negotiate invoices and make sure that your provider will quickly correct any errors found. By centralizing your telecom data, you can easily compare your bills to the previous month or year. Fast access to billing data allows you to evaluate whether you are meeting volume commitments in your telecom contracts. In addition, it can help you grade your provider for adherence to critical service levels.

Invoice Management

If you are still doing your telecom invoice management in a spreadsheet, it’s time to upgrade your system to the 21st century.

An automated, telecom invoice management tool makes it easier to simplify the accounts payable process. Automating the cost of wireless technology and hardware minimizes manual intervention that can lead to errors and missed billing issues.

As your company grows, so will your inventory of devices. It only becomes more challenging to track monthly expenses and eliminate unused lines. In order to prevent service disruptions and pay only for what you use, consider a Telecom Expense Management system with comprehensive invoice management capability.

Audit Features

A telecom system that emphasizes visibility and provides comprehensive audit tools can help you optimize your company’s telecom management. If you have a home-grown IT system that you rely on to track your telecom expenses, you may be very proud of it. However, chances are there are one or two employees that actually understand how to use it. Adopting intuitive tools introduces transparency into your telecom expense management without leaving you dependent on tribal knowledge among your IT staff.

Instead, contract with a company such as Valicom that has expertise in the telecom industry. This allows you to hold both vendors and employees accountable to company policy, recurring cost, and accurate billing.

Understanding Service Levels Among TEM Providers

When choosing a TEM provider, you have to determine whether you want software only, software and services, or fully managed services.

Learn more about the three main types of TM providers, as follows:

• Software Only. This option includes engaging a vendor to provide software for provisioning, ordering, and managing telecom costs. Under this model, you choose a tell account provider with a great SaaS solution and cloud-based tool. If you have the in-house expertise and resources to devote to management nodded functions, this could be the right option for your company.

• Software and Services. This model includes hiring a vendor to provide and support the software. Common tasks for software services include invoice optimization, inventory data entry, and telecom equipment provisioning. It gives you flexibility over what an outsourced provider will do for you.

• Fully Outsourced TEM. Some enterprises take a hands-off approach when it comes to managing their telecom expenses. These organizations hire vendors that can provide turnkey TEM services.

When you contract with Valicom, we can provide the level of service you need for efficient, transparent telecom expense management. Our telecom experts handle everything from installing your TEM system to managing data input for billing and contracts. We provide extensive auditing functionality and help your team absorb reporting outputs to make the appropriate decisions for your organization.

Choose the Right Option for You

Your telecom technology will evolve over time. By partnering with the right TEM provider, you can curate the services you need to save money and free up bandwidth for in-house team members. Consider the size and complexity of your operations and what your needs will be in the next 5 to 10 years when choosing a reputable vendor for your telecom expense management.

Contact Valicom today to schedule a free demo or to discuss service options that meet your company’s needs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JEFF POIRIOR

Jeff brings 25 years of telecommunications and information technology management experience in voice and data networking, server support, and telephony and security; with a significant emphasis on customer service. Prior to joining Valicom, he was chief of the infrastructure support section for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Jeff was the vice president of operations for CC&N, overseeing telecommunications, help desk, data, and desk side support services. Prior to that, he served as the associate director of technical resources for Covance, responsible for managing systems and network operations supporting 1700 users in Wisconsin and Virginia. He has also led data center operations at Magnetek Electric, supporting mainframe systems, client/server applications, telephony systems, and computer-aided design. Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. In addition, Jeff is a past board member of the Wisconsin Telecommunication Association.