What are the Top Employee Telecom Expenses?

1. Wireless - For most enterprises nothing compares to the financial exposure of an employees wireless expense.  The wireless trifecta – A PDA or mobile phone with a voice and data plan along with a laptop Aircard – with variable voice charges – going over plan, roaming, international calling, directory assistance, downloads –  plus any device charges for new, upgraded or replacement costs for broken, lost or stolen phones. Clearly if you have a large wireless user base you need spend your time proactively managing this expense.
2. Conferencing – Toll free conferencing rates have dropped substantially in the past few years reducing that expense but the growth of web based meeting services like Webex and Gotomeeting have dramatically increased. Many web based meeting services are sold as flat rate – all you can consume services – but costs can quickly escalate as users implement advanced services. Make sure users get approval for upgrading services as these web meeting companies rarely verify a user is allowed to add services to the corporate account like a local phone company would.
3. Home phone line and Internet (DSL or Cable) – With many enterprises having employees working from home, either part or full time, the costs to support these employee are still a significant expense. The local phone and Internet service costs are typically fixed but long distance charges can still create a large financial exposure for enterprises that don’t monitor this expense.
4. Calling Cards – With the proliferation of mobile phones calling card use has dropped substantially but when traveling outside the US it is still a cost effective means of making calls. Especially when you consider international roaming charges can be as much as $5 per minute while a calling card could be less than $1. Having employees purchase local prepaid calling cards while traveling is also a good option to cut costs.

To track employee expenses across all services and carriers enterprises would be wise to employ Telecom Expense Management Software to automate that task. The software can provide per employee costs and also tag them to a business unit allowing for easy cost allocation to departments. We find when department heads are given reports on employee usage and the costs are allocated to their budgets they help to drive down costs.