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Monthly Archives: May 2012
TEM + WBE = Supplier Diversity & Savings!
Last week we got to put our WBE hat on and attend the fabulous Supplier Council Minority Business Exchange in Des Moines. It did a good job of reminding us how hard some companies work to be inclusive of woman-owned and minority-owned businesses.
We had a chance to meet, face-to-face, with purchasers from several large area firms, as well as meet other WBE and MBE companies in attendance. And the ever clever Dr Floyd Rose, head of the Wisconsin Iowa and Central Illinois Minority Supplier Development Council, made a wonderful MC for the keynote speakers and awards ceremony. It was very inspiring to hear not just about business-related awards, but of two area female high school track students being honored with a scholarship, and a local high school basketball coach whose contributions off the court, helping his kids with academics and college admission, surpassed even his great sports season record.
All in all, it was a great event and we welcome the opportunity to talk to anyone in Supplier Diversity or Purchasing who is eager to work with a woman-owned business like Valicom. We can not only meet your supplier diversity needs, but can help save money in your telecom budget as well. Win-Win!
Telecom Savings Case Study – Wireless Deep Dive Audit
In our 21-year history of doing telecom expense management, we've racked up a lot of success stories. Sometimes seeing those stories help to illustrate exactly what it is we do for our clients. The following is an outline of a case study where a client realized considerable savings by optimizing their wireless plans and users.
Industry: Product Safety Testing & Certification Organization
Wired Telecom Analysis
- Annual Spend - $4.5M
- Annual Savings - $431,400
Wireless Telecom Analysis
- Annual Spend - $2M
- TEM Solution Savings - $550,327
- Plan/User Optimization Savings - $192,570
The wireless savings were primarily accomplished through pooled plan optimization and evaluation of ex-employee and zero use wireless phones. It was handled via a combination of our web-based SaaS (software-as-a-service) tool Clearview and business process outsourcing. That way they got the benefits and visibility of a robust software tracking and reporting system, and the brain power of a trained Telecom Audit Team.
And this is a somewhat typical example of a client who brought us on to manage their more traditional wireline telephone environment, and then enlisted us to help with their wireless situation as that grew more complex.
New telecom cost savings angle? How moving to iPads saves energy costs
We always talk about telecom expense management in the traditional sense – audit your invoices, negotiate your contracts, keep track of your stuff. These are great ways to cut your telecom budget. But the folks at Tech Republic have gone a step further. They just did an interesting piece on how switching from traditional desktops, or laptops, to energy-sipping iPads can cut your utility bill!
Granted, they never throw in the cost of a data plan for those suckers, but if you are on site, you’re tapping into wi-fi anyway, so we can consider that a moot point. At least until they leave the building. 
So check this out to see the overall savings you can generate. For comparison, they use a 15″ Macbook Pro, Dell OptiPlex 980 desktops with LCD monitor, Dell Latitude XT2 XFR and our aforementioned iPad.
Read the full article, and energy cost savings findings, here.
Why partner with Valicom? What’s in it for me….?
With the rollout of our new Consultant Liaison Program, and our ongoing Partner Program, we get this question a lot. And I understand why. People are in business to make money, and they want to know how we help make that happen. They also want to make sure that whatever exposure we may have to their clients ends up making them look good. We understand that it’s not worth risking your reputation on some fly-by-night partner who can’t deliver. So why would you want to work with us? Here are some reasons why…
- We started in 1991.
Ok, we started over twenty years ago – So What, right? Wrong. What that means is that we’ve got tried and true processes that we KNOW work. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t be here, would we. - Our Founder used to be a telecom consultant.
Nancy Peckham, Valicom’s CEO and Founder actually came from the other side of the fence. She started out as a consultant, so she built this company on the same principles that make a great consultant, and we have a deep understanding of how to work with consultants and partners. - Our Founder is a woman.
Hooray for Women’s Lib! No, that isn’t why you should give a hoot about the gender of our owner. Why you care is that it means we are a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). This is a good thing, since many mid-size to large corporations, and almost all government entities, will give you “extra credit” for being able to meet their supplier diversity goals. By working with us, you can leverage that WBE status too. - We have both Tech and Talent.
Many firms these days tout that they have software. But, as everyone knows, software is only as good as the brains behind it. And boy do we have brains. Our Telecom Analyst teams average ten years of experience doing telecom auditing, inventory management, network optimization and contract negotiation. So when you need help, or utilize our back office services for your clients, you know you’re getting experienced, resourceful human beings to work with. - Our clients love us.
For over twelve years, we have surveyed our clients quarterly, to learn how well we are delivering in eight key areas: professionalism, overall expectation, communication, quality and accuracy, understanding client needs, responsiveness, meeting deadlines, and overall value. Our scores? 3.89 out of 4.0 as of winter 2011. What that means is that we care about how we deliver services, and it shows. It also means that the same level of service we show our clients, we will show yours.
** WANT TO LEARN MORE? **
Webinar: The Telecom Expense Management Landscape in 2012: Trends, Tools & Opportunities
- Wednesday, May 23 - 1:00 PM. CST
- Register Now
Is the TEM of today the TEM of tomorrow? Join Valicom, a twenty-one year veteran of telecom expense management, as they lay out the current industry landscape, how it is changing, and the opportunities being created for managed service providers along with IT and telecom consultants.
Hear market data, research and case studies illustrating what services and tools are in demand, and how new flexible partnering options can help expand your service portfolio and grow your business.