One of the many ways in which telecom expense management (TEM) can assist in cutting unnecessary telecom costs is with so-called reverse auctions.
A reverse auction is where you decide what your company's telecom requirements are for your wireline and wireless services and then getting several telecom carriers to bid for the contract. You would of course let their sales representatives know that they are not the only ones doing the bidding.
As they are competing with each other, you will get progressively better prices. Price, however, is not the only criterion. You also need to take into account the terms of the contract, also negotiable, such as early termination clauses and service level agreements.
According to the Aberdeen Group's report, The Cost of Not Acting, "Reverse auctions are driving significant incremental gains, with average cost reductions of 33%, but user adoption is low with 14% currently using this technology and 61% indicating they have no plans to use reverse auctions." With savings like that, it is puzzling why not more enterprises are taking advantage of this tool.
Another way to save money is to make sure all telecom bills are paid on time. This may seem obvious, but it is amazing how many corporations spend considerable amounts on late fees. With a centralized call accounting or telecom expense management software system it is fairly easy to ensure payments are made on time, as alerts can be issued when payments are becoming due.
Centralized telecom invoice processing, payments, ordering and contract negotiations are a key factor in effective telecom expense management.
Another tip for reducing costs is chargeback. Reports can be generated that list calls by department and by employee. Departments can be made to pay their part of the monthly telecom bill, which will make department heads sit up and take notice, as it affects their bottom line.
Having the reports further broken down by employee will impose a discipline and discourage them from making frequent and lengthy private calls. Some TEM systems provide the option that allows employees to mark calls as private, which permits them to make private calls and have them pay the company back, which is good for the employee's conscience, as well as the company's financial condition.
For more information on call accounting and telecom expense management, visit the Telsoft Solutions website.
Author, Peter Verhoeff, writes articles on the business benefits of call accounting and call detail record technology. More information can be found at http://www.telsoft-solutions.com.
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