Expense Management Terminology
There’s a lot of technical terminology when it comes to discussing your telecom environment. TEM, BYOD, COPE, EMM, and MDM. If you’re not sure what these stand for or are just want a refresher, read on as we define some of these TEM terms.
TEM
Let’s start with the basics. TEM stands for telecom expense management. Basically, it means managing your wireless, voice, and data environment with the goals of reducing risk and cost. This is a process you can do yourself, via a web-based software like Clearview, or you can partner with a firm like Valicom to do some or all of these services for you. Whoever does it, it includes building an accurate real time inventory, gathering all of your telecom bills and looking for overcharges through a telecom audit, searching for contract violations, optimizing your environment to save money, and negotiating directly with vendors to get a better deal.
BYOD vs. COPE
BYOD and COPE are different models of device control amongst employees within a company. BYOD means bring your own device. COPE stands for corporate owned personally enabled. According to Tech Pro Research, 59% of companies are currently implementing bring your own device and 13% are considering it. In the article “BYOD, IoT and wearables thriving in the enterprise” shows us that employee satisfaction increases with the BYOD method because they are comfortable with their own devices. COPE on the other hand, is a model that puts management in control of devices being used by employees. Employees still have the freedom to use the devices for personal use but the work information on these devices can be better managed.
EMM
Enterprise Mobility Management is the management of telecom environment in a business setting. It’s the plan for device procurement, set up, delivery, trouble shooting, plan management, app and email management. With so many individuals using their phones for personal and enterprise reasons, overall management of these devices becomes very important. According to “BYOD: From company-issued to employee owned devices,” by Lisa Ellis, in 2012 two thirds of smartphone users were also using their devices for work purposes.
MDM
Mobile Device Management can mean many things to many organizations, depending on their individual needs. For some it means a device that only accesses their proprietary application. For others it means call and text notifications are disabled while driving. The use of mobile technology allows employees and customers to be connected to the company from just about anywhere in the world.
Now that you have a better understanding of some of the TEM terms, you can reach out to a telecom provider and discuss what options would be best for you. There is a lot to consider when it comes to managing your telecom invoices, inventory, and more. A telecom expense management team can give you all the information you need to be successful and avoid unwanted errors.