Q: What
are typical savings a company can expect from a Telecom Audit?
A: Savings
vary dramatically depending on the telecom configuration, specific
vendors
involved and the total telecom spend. TnT Expense Management has been
very successful in finding savings, but more importantly, in the actual
recovery or collection of credits. Savings have ranged from a low
of 5% for local billing reviews, to as high as 35% for all long distance
and data billing. Other variables that impact savings include vendor
account teams, client auditing and date of most recent contract negotiation.
Q:
What
is involved in finding cost savings opportunities for my company?
A: TnT Expense Management evaluates the
overall telecom network infrastructure and telecom billing relative to the
business. The detailed analysis that TnT performs on invoices results in our
ability to identify increased cost savings opportunities. Savings come from:
-
negotiations with vendors
-
converting services to alternate carriers or services
-
performing billing and circuit audits which result in credits for overcharges.
The audit function is an on-going necessity to ensure accurate
billing and that refund opportunities are recognized and successfully brought
to completion.
Q:
How
do you ensure that our Telecom Inventory is maintained and updated?
A: We begin with a client provided
Inventory at implementation. Updates are made based on:
-
Invoice processing & reconciliation of Inventory
-
Access to Network Order notifications: additions/deletions/relocations of
circuits
and/or services
-
Format of circuit numbers to ensure accurate matches against billing and
trouble
reporting purposes
Exception report items are then researched in detail and
appropriate actions taken:
-
Circuits billed that were canceled or not yet installed. TnT Expense Management will open
a credit tracking record, notify the carrier and persistently pursue a
credit/refund. The credit record remains open until the credit/refund is
received.
-
Circuits billed, not in inventory but actually installed. TnT Expense Management will
work with the Client to accurately update the inventory and potentially provide
accrual information.
Q:
What
actions are taken to determine if there is incorrect billing and/or
overcharges?
A: There are several steps taken
and include:
-
A review of telecom vendor contracts
-
Preparation of summarized rate information (i.e., tables by carrier and type of
service)
-
Determination of tax exempt locations or applicability
Rate information is entered into the rate module of TeleBase™
for subsequent invoice processing. When discrepancies are identified, actions
taken include:
-
Rate dispute reports are generated for each invoice
-
TelebaseT opens a credit tracking record for each dispute
-
Analyst notifies the carrier and persistently pursues a credit/refund
-
Credit records remain open until the credit/refund is received
-
Credit tracking reports are generated on a monthly basis, summarizing open
credit issues
-
Weekly conference calls are held with telecom suppliers to review status of
open
credit records
-
Credits received on subsequent invoices are analyzed, and credit records
updated accordingly.
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