A healthy business requires a clear understanding of expenses and where leakage may occur and be stopped. Because of the complexity and expense of telecom bills in the digital era, especially for larger SMBs and Enterprise, conducting a telecom bill audit is more important than ever.
Consider this scenario: your accounts payable department receives your telecom bill, and it contains hundreds of pages, including your wired and wireless bills. Does your AP department review each page and check for mistakes, or do they simply pay it because they do not have the time to review it in detail? If your answer is the latter, and bills are paid month after month without scrutiny, you have no idea if and by how much you are being overcharged. The fact is that over 75 percent of telecom bills have errors. This is where a telecom bill audit comes into play.
What Exactly is a Telecom Bill Audit?
A telecom bill audit is a thorough analysis of your overall bill, your telecom tariff, your contracts for telecom, and your expenses. An expert auditor will look at your wireless and wires service charges, taxes, surcharges, and any fees associated with your bill. They will also seek out tax exemptions on each line item of your bill.
Understanding Your Telecom Bill Audit
For most businesses, telecommunications are one of the largest expenses they have, after payroll and rent. If you are not conducting regular telecom audits, it is likely that you are overpaying, probably in many areas of your bill. Here are some questions you should consider when deciding on a provider for a telecom audit:
What Are the Benefits to My Business of a Telecom Bill Audit?
Studies have shown that more than 80 percent of businesses have errors on their telecom bills, and those errors almost always benefit the provider. A professional telecom auditor will comb through every detail of your telecom bill and find those errors, potentially saving you thousands of dollars per year.
Are There Risks Involved in a Telecom Bill Audit?
There are two primary concerns to a business owner when hiring a telecom bill auditor: will my business be disrupted, and will this cost me an exorbitant amount?
If you hire a professional, experienced telecom auditor, the answer to both questions is most definitely “no.” A professional telecom auditing team will have a method and can even conduct much of the auditing process off site. And considering that over 80 percent of businesses overpay for their telecommunications, the audit is likely to save rather than cost you money.
Here Are 5 Things Our Telecom Bill Auditors Look For
When we review your telecom bills, we do not simply look at individual bills, we analyze peak calling times, your long distance and roaming charges, internet expenses and any other charges that you incur. Our auditors will look for:
- Bills that are meant for another business (this happens often)
- Usage beneath your plan
- Usage running over your plan.
- Multiple bills for the same line item
- Bills for disconnected or discontinued services
We also review your contracts line by line and determine what exemptions you may not be benefiting from. Our industry experience will allow us to quickly spot charges that are out of line or irregular.
The Changing Pace of Business and Telecommunications
With digital transformation, the pace of change of business is continually accelerating. It may be that your business has upgraded their internet speed, or, with remote work, you face exploding mobile phone expenses. Perhaps you are now responsible for internet bills at your employees’ home offices.
Our auditors can make suggestions to your contract and how you provide telecom to your remote workforce, and you will no longer be at the mercy of the all too fast changes in the marketplace. By taking charge and gaining a thorough insight into your telecom expenses, you can reduce expenses and give you a clearer picture of your yearly expenses.
To learn more about a telecom bill audit or to schedule a consultation, contact us by email, or call us at (888) 208-0020.
Photo by Onur Binay on Unsplash