Being in telecom expense management for over twenty years, Valicom has seen a lot of trends come and go. Something that is trending now, and that we don’t see stopping anytime soon, is the adoption of telecom expense management tactics by smaller and smaller firms. What used to be the territory of enterprise-size giants is slowly sneaking into the mid-market and even some SMBs.
This is a topic Aberdeen was talking about as early as 2010. (see below) The need was there, but firms didn’t quite know how to adopt telecom expense management best practices. The math supported figuring it out though, as an AOTMP report showed that “SMBs that had a TEM program spent 22% less than companies who do not”.
So how have those predictions matured? Rapidly, to say the least. We see a big growth in mid-market firms seeking solutions, especially driven by wireless complexity and costs. One firm that reached out to us said “We don’t know what is going on, but our cell costs have gone up about ten-fold in the last year. Can you help us figure it out?”
Another thing firms are seeking is software. Web-based, inexpensive, robust tools to keep track of costs, changes, inventory and contracts. Our SaaS program Clearview has been popular in filling that need. It gives firms the entry point, a way to start doing something about their telecom mess. Then they build out solutions from there. Clients using our software often come back looking for help with other things, from invoice data loading to telecom carrier contract negotiation. The trend is towards these open, flexible, unique options – only use the services you want, when you want them.
If you’re interested in seeing how ascalable TEM solution could work for your mid-market or SMB, feel free to contact us for a discussion and a demo of Clearview.
“Can TEM SaaS Solutions Lower Telecom Expenses For Mid Market Companies?”
Explore Aberdeen Research study results around low cost, web-based telecom expense management tools for small to mid-sized businesses, with a discussion of how larger firms are using such options to great advantage.