Telecom Expense Management (TEM) - CIOs List Their Top 3 Priorities

Telecommunications expense management (TEM) remains one of the largest expense reduction targets of most enterprises. The proliferation of communications end-points, whether remote workers or mobile wireless devices, has kept aggregate telecom expenses high even while long distance rates and fixed wireline circuit pricing have tumbled. The proliferation of telecom end-points is also driving the complexity of managing the telecommunications environment.

Ten years ago, most IT organizations did not even manage telecom. Today, not only is the CIO responsible for the communications infrastructure and connectivity between sites, but they are also under increasing demands to reduce total telecom spending in a rapidly expanding telecom environment.

In a recent survey, Telesoft (www.telesoft.com), identified the top 3 telecommunications expense management priorities of enterprise CIOs. my-tem believes that these priorities apply to mid-market businesses as well.

Top CIO Telecommunications Expense Management Priorities:

1. Improving Inventory

2. Managing Service Order Activity

3. Increasing Audit Capabilities

These priorities may not be intuitive TEM activities, so let's explore each in detail and discuss how total telecommunications expenses can be reduced through its application.

1. Improving Inventory: An accurate telecommunications inventory is the foundation upon which any TEM effort is built. With an accurate inventory of telecommunications components that are being used and billed, a telecom manager can take decisive action on determining where excess inventory may exist.

2. Managing Service Order Activity: Service orders are actually where most telecom billing errors occur. Telecommunication carrier billing systems are fairly stable until a change occurs. Billing changes are usually the result of a service order activity. The ability to manage a service order through the billing life cycle can substantially reduce the number and magnitude of errors experienced over time.

3. Increasing Audit Capabilities: Telecom audits have been a core TEM practice for decades. Increasing the visibility of telecom audit components and the efficiency with which the information can be accessed allows for more effective audits. With the proper tools, these audits may be conducted by internal staff, rather than hiring a contingency-based auditor.

These three priorities represent considerable opportunity to reduce and control telecommunications expenses. A consistent limiting factor in a mid-market business attaining these objectives has been the availability of an affordable TEM system to use as an expense reduction framework.

If you are looking to gain control over your wireline and wireless telecommunictions environment or looking for a free TEM application, go to http://www.my-tem.com. my-tem.com provides simple free telecommunications expense management solutions.

my-tem offers a leading mid-market telecom expense mangement (TEM) solution for free to business clients. my-tem supports all wireline and wireless/cellular services. Get organized and start finding areas to reduce your telecommunications expense quickly and easily with my-tem.com's free TEM offer.