A Telecom Audit By Any Other Name

April 26th, 2010 by Mark Evans at BottaBoom.com, A Business Telecom Analysis Company

I’ll Take One Telecom Audit by Any Other Name Please

As a former mid-level manager for a large financial institution and a corporation, I was never comfortable with the word “audit.” Like many people, I was extremely apprehensive about my telecom department being subject to a telecommunications audit! In fact, I even lost a few nights’ sleep over it, even though I had been in charge of the telecommunication department for less than a year and I had full management support for what I was trying to accomplish.

Managing worldwide telecommunications is stressful enough without having a full-blown audit thrown at you, too. However, after I saw the astounding results of telecom cost savings, the audit became more acceptable to me, and I was able to see the process as being positive for my company, my staff and myself. I was able to buy more high-tech toys for my I.T. department, increase staff and gain more control over my telecommunications billing network as a result of the telecom audit. In fact, I ended up enjoying the telecom audit project so much that I eventually became a telecom auditor myself!

Nevertheless, now that I am a professional telecommunications auditor serving many other companies, I still don’t really feel comfortable with the word “audit!” My clients, peers and most I.T. employees I talk to don’t, either. Others have even opined that the word “audit” produces a feeling of anxiety and they foresee visions of a witch hunt or a method that might be used to embarrass someone or exploit a management or system weakness. Will the audit itself be used as a way to get someone fired? In the modern telecom audit world, those fears with some telecom audit projects are not totally out of line.

Face it, nobody really wants an outside consultant (stranger) coming in to their company and telling them they can do a job a lot better and more efficiently, and find telecom cost savings of up to millions of dollars. There is the danger that any kind of an audit can produce the feeling that one is under close scrutiny, or that someone is looking for negative information with an audit. Folks who have some pride in their work (most of us) know that having one’s department or work being thoroughly analyzed can be unsettling.

Upon presenting huge cost savings to upper management, “whose fault is that? Or who should have known about these problems?” are questions I have been asked many times. My truthful response has most often been, “only a professional telecommunications auditor could have found these particular issues; they are beyond the scope and expertise of most I.T. employees and managers.”

As I think more about the word “audit” and its often negative perception in the corporate world, I wonder if that is why a great number of companies do not choose a telecom audit in order to reduce the billions of dollars of telecommunications overcharges stolen by the phone companies every year. Think about it: if you save a million dollars for client CFO’s, does that put them in the hot seat or make them a company hero? I’ve seen upper management and directors perceive huge telecom audit cost savings in both ways.

So there is some risk in the telecom audit outcome. However, overwhelmingly, smart managers know that cost-cutting is great business and the right thing to do, and proprietary telecom staffs are simply not equipped to outsmart the telecommunications companies. Nevertheless, I’ve seen CEOs and board members get testy when shown huge telecom audit savings results. After all, its human to be upset at discovering a wasteful financial drain.

As telecom auditors, we must be aware of the real perceptions of corporate employees and managers as they view our profession and our huge cost savings and financial impact on their companies. Again, achieving significant cost savings can create a controversy within an organization.

That is why during the telecom audit process, it is so important to build bridges and display and genuinely stress positive teamwork with the client. The client must understand that they are a vital part of the telecom audit project’s cost saving success and they should share in that success. Moreover, that they should embrace getting a telecom audit, not fear it. However, people will still have their own perceptions about what an audit does, but it depends on their situation within the organization and how we as professional telecom auditors mold the business community’s perception of what we do in a positive way.

In this environment of huge cost-cutting and cutbacks by American businesses, we telecommunications auditors and others related to the industry know that a telecom audit is a great way to gain telecom costs savings and cut expense items on one of the main three largest expense items in a large company’s capital budget. Every business should have a contingency-fee based telecom audit. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain, but many still don’t choose to have one. Why is that?

I have a couple of theories why the floodgates aren’t open and the hundreds of expert telecommunications auditors are not given the opportunity to attack the billions of dollars in potential telecommunications savings often enough at this particular time in our country’s history. First, let’s go back to the “A” word. Line employees fear losing their jobs; subjecting them to a telecom audit might push them over the edge or make them feel they may be next out the door. Second, upper management is also in fear of losing their jobs, and exposing a huge amount of telecom cost savings under their watch might push them out the door. Put simply, it’s called CYA. Getting corporate wide acceptance of a comprehensive telecommunications audit is rare.

Merriam Webster’s definition of the word “audit” is actually pretty tame: “A formal examination of an organization’s or individual’s accounts or financial situation or the final report of an audit-a methodical examination and review.” Most of us could live with this definition. However, as we look at other audit definitions on the world wide web, particularly as they relate to the term “financial audit,” I found some negative word descriptions such as “scrutinize”, “inspect,” “examine,” “verifying reliability” and “integrity of information.” If these terms are what some people expect from a telecom audit, then we need a softer title and description for what we do that is more in line with Merriam Webster’s definition of “audit.”

A prospective telecommunications audit client should look at it this way: you are a CFO and in charge of lowering telecom costs. You’ve been in charge of telecom finance for many years. You are responsible for expense and checks and balances. As a good manager who wants to ensure you’re getting what you pay for and cost controls, you hire a telecom auditor to perform a telecom audit. The audit finds you’ve been overpaying by millions of dollars over the years, and your favorite employee, the I.T. manager, has cost the company a huge amount of money because his staff has not properly reviewed the telephone invoices. Although he is short staffed and ill-equipped. How is your CEO going to perceive the telecom cost savings situation?

Telecom audit companies must do a better job of getting the majority of companies out there engaged in a telecom audit. My peers and I are anxious to recover the billions of dollars out there being wasted by potential clients and so should U.S. businesses.

My recommendation is to rename the telecom audit project to be reflected as “telecom analysis project.” We are no longer telecommunication auditors, we are telecommunication analysts.

Please share your thoughts and comments with us below.

Does your company need a contingency-fee based telecom cost savings audit? Call the telecommunications audit professionals at 1-888-487-5326 or contact us at Telecom Audit.

Rent a Temporary Telecom Manager

Business Cost Control Strategies

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve started a new relationship with a client whose telecommunications invoices totaled several thousand dollars a month across a wide network of locations, and the company employed only one (unqualified) person to manage all their telecom billing and ordering. Unfortunately, the result is always the same: these companies had been unknowingly hemorrhaging money for years by overpaying outrageous sums and erroneous charges for their telecom services.

Bringing in a professional telecommunications consultant (AKA, a temporary telecom manager) with appropriate resources and experience makes sense. This can effectively fix ineffective cost management and show quick, dramatic results. In today’s economy, you could easily bring in an outside expert on a temporary basis, because many great former telecom managers are out of work and working as consultants. Why not take advantage of this win-win opportunity?

Why do so many company executives still insist on using an in-house employee to manage their telecom billing? I have come to realize that they just don’t understand why this doesn’t usually work to their best advantage. They are stuck in old ways of thinking – not like the competent businesspeople they usually are.

Not only is it unfair to dump telecom management duties on some unfortunate, ill-prepared employee, but these poor souls are also destined for ultimate failure and blame. Having a person inexperienced in the intricacies of managing complex telephone bills is not conducive to running a solid, more profitable business.

A great many employees who manage the telecommunications function in-house have been assigned the task because it’s been delegated from management, often because no one else wants to do it – not because they are qualified to take on the role. These employees often fail, and not because they don’t want to do a good job. It’s because they have not had the necessary cost-cutting education that consultants get by routinely working with hundreds of different telecom vendors, a wide variety of complicated billing technologies, constantly changing promotions and special offers, and executing proven cost-saving processes.

What’s more, in the recent past throughout corporate America, many valuable in-house telecom managers were phased out as VOIP and IT-intensive services and technologies took over, making some of their formerly valuable services expendable. Nevertheless, those same telecom managers are still available to lend their telecommunications audit expertise as valuable business consultants who can still help companies save money. They have the background and experience to help.

Another reason small companies lack competent employees to oversee telecom activities is that many medium-sized companies believe that they cannot afford to hire someone with experience. This is a huge mistake. Employees who manage telecommunications costs that total over $50,000 each month usually justify their salaries with the cost-saving techniques they bring to their job. Your investment pays off with their expert industry knowledge, negotiation skills, and ability to get your company the best price for telecommunications services. This type of employee – as well as cost consultants – should be able to justify their existence through the actual cost savings they produce.

For smaller companies, finding an in-house qualified person to manage telecommunications vendors and telephone spending is not realistic. For companies spending less than $50,000 each month, the expense of a full-time employee to manage the phone bills is not usually a good financial investment. Instead, these businesses should rent a telecommunications manager-consultant, even if it’s for a only a few months. This person can cut spending and get control of your telecommunications billing network. It makes great financial sense, and it works because great savings are always produced.

Smart business people bring highly qualified, objective and impartial outside professionals (AKA, a temporary telecom manager) on board to manage and audit their company’s telecom spending. Contingency-fee-based project management consultants are a great way to do this. Since there is no out-of-pocket cost, there is no risk. If the consultant doesn’t generate savings, there is no cost.

Proven management consultants can save many more times their actual fees by doing the specialized telecommunications work for companies. These consultants understand that when entering into a consulting relationship that the work is not permanent. They are expected to evaluate the current situation, clean things up, produce dramatic cost savings and depart.

The byproduct of a consultant’s participation is a more profitable bottom line to the clients and companies served. Some would argue that companies should just hire a telecom expense management company to take away the task. However, the main difference between a telecom auditor and a telecom expense management company is that telecom expense management companies are there for the long run, and you might find yourself somewhat stuck with them. With a temporary telecom manager, a short-term expert fixes problems and leaves you with a smooth-running operation.

For most executives, it makes more sense to rent a telecommunications manager to manage their expenses. All CEOs, CIOs and CFOs should consider outsourcing telecom billing expertise for just a few months and see what I’m talking about. You can measure the actual value to your company’s bottom line.

As a telecommunications management consultant myself, I have found that telecommunications departments that are in most disarray either have employees lacking telecom expertise or cannot afford a full-time telecom manager. These are my best kind of client. I am able to help them with substantial savings that accomplish a satisfying financial goal of improving the bottom line. I am able to find many economies for these clients.

The temporary telecom manager is able to create a positive impact on an organization by swooping in and saving many thousands of dollars in real bottom-line company savings. What’s more, as telecom consultants, we can bring control and simplicity to a chaotic situation: untangling the confusing corporate telecom billing process, investigating and securing refunds, and showing companies how to perform telecom service ordering competently and wisely.

Need advice or help with your telecom cost savngs? Please contact the telecom audit pros at 1-888-487-5326 for a free telephone bill audit review. If we find no telecom refunds or recurring savings, you owe us nothing!

About the author: Mark Evans is a professional telecommunications auditor with over 20 years’ experience untangling companies’ phone bills and negotiating with vendors to secure savings and refunds for his clients.

Resolve That Telecom Billing Issue

In my 26 plus years as a corporate telecom audit professional, I’ve seen a lot of problems that at times I never thought I could resolve with the phone company. Most often they involved massive overcharges or fraud that had been going on for years, that had to be documented and formally protested in order to get proper refunds. Nevertheless, I have found that there is always an answer to any billing problem or issue, but you must persevere and and not give in to the temptation to just let it go. If you are correct about a telephone billing issue, go after it. Moreover, you might be surprised; a seemingly small telecom billing issue can often turn into a giant payoff. That said, I have a few rules I’ve learned along the way that I would like to pass on to our readers as follows:

Rule 1: If you cannot get satisfaction with the phone company representative that you have been working with, you must escalate to higher management. If the next level cannot help you either, then escalate the phone problem even higher until you ultimately get satisfaction. Remember, you may hear the word “no” to your request two or three times before you finally hear a “yes,” to fixing a billing problem. Also, before you escalate to each level of supervision, let the person you are dealing with know that you are not satisfied and that you will be moving up the chain of command with the issue. I have often found that just the mention of possible escalation gets things moving.

Rule 2: Be nice. No matter how difficult the telephone company personnel are, don’t lose your cool. Be professional and matter of fact, do your homework, and be able to state your telecom issue in writing, succinctly and clearly.

Rule 3: Reward results. If the person at the phone company does a good job for you, let them know. After the project is over, take a minute to send an email to your phone company’s sales or service representative’s supervisor or manager and cc their manager. I have a email “reward” template that I use often for these kinds of circumstances. Another good idea is to send a Starbucks card and tell them to have a cup of coffee on your dime! You will be surprised how this goodwill will help you, and be sure to send your appreciation in a genuine manner, because you should be genuinely appreciative of a telephone service person who gets you results. And, the phone company should know that a particular rep is valuable to customers. Being a phone company service representative is one of the most stressful positions, full of daily complaints and problems. I cannot tell you how often I have heard, “if only all my customers were as easy to work with as you, I would love my job.” If you are with a telecom audit company, and you treat phone company employees well and with respect, your company’s reputation in telecom circles will be more positive and you will get better results.

Rule 4: Attack and pursue each and every problem or question. If you review a telecom bill and have any question regarding a charge, find the answer. I cannot tell you how many times I have thought perhaps this or that charge on a telecom bill looks legitimate but had a slight doubt about a particular feature. I then ask the phone company representative about the charge anyway, and I find that the charge actually was not legitimate and a huge telecom refund is forthcoming. Don’t let the matter drop or waste away, email your representative weekly for updates, cc their supervisor on your request.

Rule 5: Seek professional telecom audit advice from other consultants or the internet. There are many telecom billing consultant experts out there that know the answer to your telecom issue. The CCMI Voice Report’s ”telecom talk” email forum is an excellent way to seek help from your telecommunications audit peers. There are thousands of outstanding telecom consultants on that forum and the are always happy to help. Another telecommunications forum for help is The Telecom Audit Professionals International Group (TAPI) is another group on Linked in that you can join that is full of seasoned telecom audit pros who will be happy to assist upon your request or question. Finally, use the internet, you will find an abundance of good information out there regarding phone taxes, FCC rulings, and many other valuable telecom audit information that can help you a lot.

In summary, be persistent with your telecom billing issue, its all about producing effective telecom cost savings and getting satisfaction for your clients. And remember, if you cannot get customer satisfaction on your billing issue within the phone company, you can always escalate to the courts or file complaints with the FCC. There are two kinds of complaints that you can file, a formal complaint which is basically a web form that you fill out and send. The telephone company must then send you and the FCC an answer. Next, you can file a formal complaint, which usually involves hiring a telecom attorney who specializes in such action. Another means of getting results is to contact your state’s attorney general and filing a consumer complaint with them. And still another method of escalation is to file a complaint with the FTC, also via an online form. The FTC is especially effective against cramming complaints.

You can also hire a professional telecom cost savings professional auditor to help you with your telecom billing issues. Contact BottaBoom at bottaboom.com to assist you with your telecom bill problem. We’ve solved hundreds of major telecom bill issues over the years and successfully secured numerous refunds for our clients, contact us, we’ll be glad to help you.

For more state-of-the-art telephone bill audit articles like this, check out telecom audit news at Bottaboom.com/news.