Categories
Monthly Archives: February 2011
The Day the Device Died: Telecom Inventory Management
How Do You Know When Your Device Died?
One of the key challenges of telecom has always been Telecom Inventory Management. When did you get this thing and when did you disconnect it. It’s pretty important to keep track of that or your John Doe iPhone may end up in a drawer.
This is where telecom expense management software like Clearview comes in. Imagine a neat drop-down menu that says “Inventory”. From there you have an intuitive interface allowing you to see all the data on your inventory items. What is it, where is it, who has it, what vendor is it from, what features does it have, and what does it cost. The magic of integration!
In fact, the most powerful aspect of a good telecom expense management tool is its ability to deliver the Big Picture. Here is this bit of data, tied to this detail over here and those six things over there. Click, click, click and you can see the whole telecom landscape in one place.
Which sure makes keeping track of your stuff easier! What to find out more? Request a demo of Clearview, our telecom and wireless management software today.
Telecom Expense Management Takes Valicom to Enterprise Connect
As anyone in the telecommunications industry knows, the old VoiceCon, now Enterprise Connect, is a great opportunity to visit vendors, learn new trends and hear some of the top minds in the industry deliver keynote addresses.
This year, with a Coffee Talk on “Trends in Telecom Expense Management”, and a breakout session on general expense management called “Top 5 Ways to Save Money on Communications”, it should offer great information on how to cut telecom costs.
And Valicom will be there, to network with others in the telecommunication expense management field, and to speak with end users on their needs, challenges and successes. With our SaaS, web-based telecom expense management software Clearview, we have a lot to offer. So if you plan to be in Orlando next week too, be sure to let us know, as we’d love to meet you and discuss solutions.
The Importance of an Accurate Telecom Inventory in Cutting Costs
AOTMP, a telecom expense management industry association, released a research report today showing that accurate inventory of telecom assets generate nearly 400% in audit and optimization savings. After twenty years in the telecom auditing business, we would agree with those numbers. The challenge of tracking assets for both fixed and wireless services is a growing problem. Many firms have an inventory, but the issue lies in how well it truly represents the telecom landscape. And whether it is maintained properly over time, so that it stays accurate.
According to AOTMP, research shows that 14% to 19% of service inventories have not been validated for accuracy, which greatly minimizes their value. Enterprises maintaining a valid inventory generate nearly 400% more in audit and optimization savings as compared to those without an inventory.
And we feel that this is a key component to a good telecom management tool – tracking telecom inventory. Clearview, our SaaS telecom expense management software, has advanced telecom inventory tracking, auditing and reporting tools designed to help you keep a handle on what you have. To take a look at what Clearview can do for you, request a short demo today.
The report will publish on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011. To download a complimentary summary of the research findings from this Enterprise Performance Series report, or to view a comprehensive listing of all annual studies identified within AOTMP’s 2011 Research Agenda, visit www.aotmp.com.
A centralized TEM database can make the difference
Many companies today perform some type of telecom expense management and cost control in house. Often, they address their biggest pain points with a mix of custom spreadsheets and maybe even an Access database or two. While this is better than nothing, it certainly isn’t great.
What happens when you experience turnover? What if people from several different locations need to access and use the data? Having a centralized, TEM focused database application will address these concerns and many others.
And the good news is, it’s easier than ever to incorporate a dedicated telecommunications expense application into your processes than ever before. You no longer need to worry about carving out a new slice in your budget, or disrupting your IT environment with a new software implementation project.
Telecom expense, inventory and invoice management software can now be delivered and consumed right over the Internet! This enables you and your team to add the power, stability and control of software designed specifically for the TEM processes, while maintaining your existing processes and architecture.
Clearview is a great example of SaaS (Software as a Service) TEM software. Clearview is easy to learn, while still delivering a powerful augmentation to existing TEM practices. Learn more about Clearview today, and save more time and more money tomorrow.
Are there “Values” in Telecom? What are your values?
The traditional approach for some enterprise level companies has been to outsource Telecom Expense Management (TEM) to TEM providers. While companies search TEM expertise in Mobile Management and Telecom expense control, how much research do companies actually do to ensure that their potential partner has values that are aligned?
We believe that it is our obligation to share our expertise with clients in order to improve their financial and operational intelligence. Only by doing this can we help increase your financial and operational performance. This realization helped us create our Core Vision, which is something we are driven by every day and every step of the way: “Through a unique combination of ingenuity and enlightenment, we are transforming the TEM industry and creating a better-educated marketplace.” In addition, we are driven by our Core Values on a daily basis. Employees at Valicom are rewarded quarterly with recognition from peers for displaying actions falling within our Core Values. These are valued we feel contribute significantly to the continued success of our clients.
Our Corporate Values
Memorable Experiences – Visibility, Winning, Life-Changing, Meaningful, Fulfilling, Dreams
Enduring Connections -Co-creation, Leadership, Collaboration & Teamwork, Long Term Relationship, Mutual Respect, Community
Authenticity – Originality, Integrity, Thought Leaders, Ethical, Diversity, Distinctive
Inspiration – Can-Do, Free Spirited, Freedom, Enlighten, Visionary, Open-Minded
Innovation – Out-of-the-Box, Strategic, Creative, Ingenuity, Transformation, Leading Edge
Passion – Enthusiasm and Fun, Confidence, Compassion, Excellence, Sense of Urgency, Ambition, Empowerment, Ownership
If you live by your values and have alignment with partners, success will be inevitable! Obtaining telecom cost reduction through telecom cost management software are easily achievable when the right partner is selected. Valicom‘s clients continue to speak loudly by expressing their views via their quarterly Client Satisfaction surveys. Contact us today to begin your customized service and support!
To the Point: How Telecom Expense Management Software Benefits Telecom Consultants
This is the first in a series of “To the Point” posts, getting to the heart of how TEM can benefit your business, no matter what business that may be.
This post outlines out telecom expense management software, combined with business coaching and training, can increase profits and maximize efficiency for telecom consultants – whether they are already doing telecom auditing, or just want to start. So read the article, then request a demo of Clearview to find out more.
****************************************************************
To the Point: How Telecom Expense Management Software Benefits Your Telecom Consulting Business
What’s the opportunity?
Being a telecom consultant, we don’t have to tell you that telecom complexity is exploding. We’ve gone from pagers and landlines to smartphones and tablets in just a few years and the demands of modern business make managing, tracking and policing telecom costs harder than ever.
Add to that the fact that up to 35% of all telecom invoices have some kind of error on them - Overcharges, unnecessary fees, items not billing to contract, missed credits and unused or dead assets. In fact, in twenty years of doing telecom auditing, we’ve found that firms are wasting 15 to 40 percent of their annual telecom budget. What that means is that your clients are losing money and they need help!
What your clients need is TEM – Telecom Expense Management. What YOU need is to provide it. Don’t wait for them to pay someone else to do it! And if you’re already doing it, do it better, faster and smarter!
How does TEM software help?
If you haven’t been living in a cave, you’ve heard of “The Cloud” and software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools. Well, SaaS has come to Telecom Expense Management in the form of Clearview. Clearview is a TEM software delivered via the web at aggressive price points, meaning more margins for you. It can be used to make in-house auditing tasks easier and more efficient, showcasing your work better and maximizing savings for your clients. It can also be white labeled and delivered to your customers to manage some TEM tasks themselves or to access detailed reports and user-defined, customizable dashboards.
What this means is that if you already offer telecom audits and are stuck using spreadsheets and other laborious manual processes, it’s time for an upgrade. And if you aren’t offering telecom expense management yet, now is the time to start. For both, Clearview makes it easy to offer ongoing services, moving beyond one-time audits and allowing you to leverage existing relationships to grow your business, benefit your clients, and make more money.
How does it work?
Adding or expanding TEM services is easy by partnering with Valicom, a twenty-year veteran with an excellent track record of saving money on telecom. Combining Clearview with our experienced telecom audit teams, we can offer two ways to add TEM to your toolkit. We can offer Clearview via subscription to support your existing business model, or offer Clearview while also providing training and support to help you learn to deliver more TEM services. In addition, you may choose to outsource some of the work to us, like data loading or invoice payment, allowing you to offer more options. Any way you do it, with margins of 80% or more you can’t afford to wait.
TEM Services Clearview supports you in offering can include:
- One time and ongoing telecom audits
- Telecom inventory management
- End-to-end invoice processing and payment
- Detailed GL coding of telecom costs
- And advanced reporting & dashboards via a web-based software tool
Produce more recurring revenue, increase your value as a trusted business advisor to existing clients and attract new ones through expanded services. With TEM they not only gain better visibility and control over their telecom costs, they save money! Make this the year that you take advantage of the growing need for telecom expense management to expand your portfolio and increase your business.
Request a demo of Clearview to find out more.
Wireless Optimization. Corporate vs. Individual liable?
What does Wireless Optimization mean for your company? Is this just one of many telecom cost reduction techniques, or just a part of telecommunication expenses? Is cellular optimization important? In short, its all of the above if you want to reduce your telecom costs and achieve control over the assets. However you respond to these questions, the fact remains that most companies need a process to guide the organization on what to purchase, how to purchase, what cost restrictions apply, who owns the telephone, the telephone number, and the expense.
Has your company dealt with these questions? Companies that do answer these questions will obtain overall telecom cost reduction, expense management and control over their important communication assets. At Valicom, we have had many requests for advice on these issues that we have created a wireless device policy for our clients. The wireless device policy we have developed is a result of industry best practices from our experience with our clients. The policy will guide you through the process and help you gain control. If you are serious about reducing telecom costs and then download our wireless policy template that you can implement immediately at your company.
Wireless Wars – Round 2, Additional Savings Offered by AT&T
In an interesting twist, as the wireless wars heat up between Verizon and AT&T, the latter is upping the ante, at least with regards to wireless hotspot tethering.
With the new Android mobile phones on AT&T, starting in mid-February, they will be offering their Mobile Hotspot, beginning with the launch of the HTC Inspire 4G. Because they know the hotspot feature this will lead to an increase in data use per account, they also are doubling the cap on tethering from 2GB to 4GB, at no extra charge.
Add to that, as we mentioned in our last post, that AT&T is also allowing some iPhone users to jump back to their long-dead unlimited data plan, and the savings just keep pouring in! A war between big telecom vendors is stacking up to be pretty good for us little guys. Now is a good time to review your wireless services, optimize where you can, and gear up for some serious telecom contract negotiation down the road.
Read more on ZDNet.