Finding Your TEM Solution: Auditing Best Practices

Gain better control of telecom costs in 2015

With 2015 budgeting looming on the horizon, it’s time to take your expense management to the maximum. What did you spend in Quarters 1-3? Which cost centers monopolized your telecom budget, and which devices went unused?

Transparency in telecom expenses is sometimes hard to come by, and is often buried deep in Excel spreadsheets. In some cases, it’s not being monitored at all. Rather, a billing statement arrives in the mail, it’s checked for painfulness – “Is the bill within 15-20% of last month’s bill? Yes? Then pay it…” – and paid without question.

What I’m proposing today, is better reviewing and auditing practices for your telecom billing statements. Here are some tips we put together to help you audit, review and dispute charges on your monthly bill.

  • Are there devices or data plans going unused every month? Cut the fat, and disconnect plans not being utilized or essential to the organization’s operations.
  • Review statements ‘cramming’ and 3rd party charges. The most common dollar amount for cramming charge is $9.99, a small amount that is easy to overlook! Don’t be afraid to dispute charges that don’t look quite right.
  • Validate that the services being billed match the rates included in the agreement. Often contracts are negotiated to an agreed upon rate, only to be implemented and billed incorrectly.

When you’re ready to kick it up a notch, let Valicom help. Our team of professional telecom expense analysts can review and audit your monthly statements, line by line.  What you’ll gain is a better understanding of spend, transparency in usage, and peace of mind that your telecom expenses are being managed correctly. Valicom’s professional services are customized to your organization’s needs, making our services both affordable and practical. Let us know when you’re ready for TEM.