Cost Control: Managing Your Telecom Expenses

by Mike Powell, Cable&Wireless Worldwide, 12 December 2009

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Business Expense Management Management

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broadband Cable&Wireless fixed line Mike Powell telecom expense management wireless

At a time of increasing cost pressures, corporations in Asia Pacific – and indeed globally – are looking for more control, visibility and predictability in their communications expenses to help them forecast and plan their budgets. This time, it is not just the usual ‘cut costs’ mandate, but also the need for a long-term fix to the perennial corporate ailment of managing telecom charges. Telecom expenses can be amongst the most opaque corporate expense today.

The concept of Telecom Expense Management (TEM) has been around for many years in more mature markets, such as North America and Europe. Today, we are seeing an increased appetite for TEM in regional markets such as Australia and also with Asian business hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong.

The TEM application sector is predicted to grow into a US$1.7 billion market by 2010, according to industry analyst Gartner. That said, TEM is still a relatively new and emerging business in Asia Pacific, so there are a number of factors to consider when contemplating this service.

What is TEM?

Telecom Expense Management (TEM) provides the capability for organisations to manage their voice, data and wireless expenses in their entirety. Beyond being just a new enterprise software, TEM is the amalgam of people, process and tools that allows the IT, procurement and finance departments within organisations to work efficiently together to better manage their resources and optimise expenses.

In the current economic environment and as most organisations strive to reduce and optimise operational expenditure, this challenge is being exacerbated by businesses regional and global expansion, an ever increasing trend by consumers and businesses to move into the digital space, and the usage of mobile devices issued to employees and the richer content and application requirements being received and used on these devices.

TEM helps organisations take control of their business and provides a clear view of ICT costs, expenses, services and assets. It not only makes sure all telecom billings are accurate, but that they also comply with contract rates and terms. This may be done in-house by company employees as part of financial management, or by managed services or outsourcing companies.

Organisations considering embarking on a TEM selection and deployment have to recognise that it is more than being “just about the software”. Experienced TEM service providers offer a strategic approach that delivers a wide range of additional tools and services such as a personalised dashboard for clear visible tracking and analysis, the processing and payment of telecom invoices, reconciliation of telecom-related orders and sourcing, and the negotiation of telecom contracts using professional services and industry knowledge.

The value-add is in the ability to deliver a fully managed service, which removes the often unforeseen risks of deploying the software and the lack of internal resource to run, manage and derive the benefits of the investment.

What TEM Can Do For You

Globally, TEM solutions by dedicated service providers are becoming an integral part of the enterprise telecommunications strategy for their ability to easily retrieve, monitor, manage and analyse complex billing data from suppliers, provide valuable end-customer information and reduce operating and capital expenses.

interesting article

Submitted by daniel on 14 December 2009 - 1:07pm

interesting article

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