Below are some questions that management can ask to see if their enterprise has control and visbility of telecom and wireless.
- What are we doing proactively to optimize our network and to reduce the costs?
- Are we using automation software to improve the efficiency of manual invoice processing?
- Do we have a system to reconcile service order move, add, change, and disconnect (MACD) activity with billing?
- Can we get a breakdown of charges by department or GL code? Can we select the reporting period? Monthly, Yearly, or Custom
- Do we have a system to track and be reminded of contract end dates for telecom and wireless services? Smartnet? Maintenance or PBX Agreements?
- Do we have a system to remind us when an employee is eligble for a wireless device upgrade?
- Do we have a system to track new orders or procurements for telecom and wireless services?
- Do we have a central repository for all invoices so that IT and Finance have quick access should any questions arise on payments, credits or refunds?
- Do we have a system to track billing discrepancies and keep a tally on the amount of refunds we've attained in total and/or by carrier?
- Do we have a system to track voice and data usage for wireline and wireless services?
- Do we have a syetem to track wireless usage by employee. department, GL Code or set thresholds on personal versus corporate use?
- Do we have a standardized wireless policy that is accessible to all employees?
- Do we have a system to track wireless devices and usage in real time?
- Do we charge-back and allocate expenses to departments and cost centers by actual employee usage or just percentage of spend?
- Do we know the total cost of providing telecom network services for this quarter versus last quarter, year over year and if so what are the trends?
- Are contracted rates being correctly applied to the invoices we receive? If so what percentage of invoices are incorrect and how much have we received in refunds for billing errors.
- What percentge of invocies are paid without being validated and audited?
- How many invocies do we pay late each month and what are the charges?
Often times within an enterprise these questions go unanswered. More often than not thousands or millions of dollars in telecom and wireless expenses are paid simply because there is no automation or software implemented to get reporting on key metrics relating to telecom and wireless spend. If you're looking for some answers then contact a telecom or wireless expense management company. You may be surprised by the initial results. Our experience is it costs 1.5%-3% of total spend for Telecom and Wireless Expense and Inventory Software, and at Vocio our clients on average reduce expenses by more than 20%, not a bad ROI, especially in these uncertain economic times.