Unchecked Expense

Toward Process Improvement

For the billing quandary to improve, experts say, both telecom carriers and companies need to take greater responsibility for creating change. One telecom management consultant believes carriers and vendors first need to take a hard look at their billing practices. If large retailers or grocery stores with thousands of product SKUs can develop billing systems that create relatively few errors when customers check out, he says, telecom providers should be able to match that performance. “The billing challenge in other industries is far more complex than the handful of items you see on your phone bill, yet many carriers can’t seem to accurately bill for their services,” he says.

For their part, organizations should create the same kind of telecom expense controls they do for other parts of the enterprise, Lambros believes. “You don’t run a manufacturing facility without a good inventory control system or a fleet of vehicles without a preventative maintenance program, so why run a million dollar telecom asset without establishing a system to ensure you can root out costly errors or effectively manage expenses?” he asks.

Change happens in baby steps, and simply paying closer attention to your monthly telecom bills is a good way to start trimming costs. “I would say it’s a good practice to audit your telecom services regularly, if for no other reason than to understand if you are getting a good deal,” Creason says. “I think you are negligent if you’re not auditing your bills every month, particularly at a large enterprise.”