Telecom Recovery Audits

Telecom billing errors are increasing every year. Auditel has a proven track record for delivering superior audit and recovery services. As technology is dynamic and the environment is constantly changing we have the infrastructure to manage your costs, reduce your overhead, and protect your telecom services.  Accurately updated information for telecom management is important. Telecom inventory, service optimization, and research into your telecom infrastructure are needed for optimum savings. 

CFO magazine reported (based on research by Aberdeen) that telecom service expenses are in error at a staggering 7% to 12% of spend; a figure resulting in $8 Billion dollars a year in lost profits for Fortune 500 companies alone. Another study from Gartner found that 85% of telecom invoices have billing errors.

Many organizations make an effort to locate errors in their telecom bills, typically done in the Accounts Payable department, but it is a tedious and time-consuming task, and frankly, this isn’t what AP personnel are trained to do, nor do they have the time to attempt auditing along with their job.

If your Organization experiences constant mergers and acquisitions, office moves, and changes, your telecom contracts need to be researched for protection clauses and to ensure you receive increased discounts for additional revenue as services are added.  Most Telecom Service Agreements (wired, data, and wireless service contracts) last one, two, or three years. The provisions in some of the older contracts are becoming outdated due to changes in technology.  Data infrastructure is constantly changing with new services constantly being added increasing telecom capabilities. Many companies opt to work on their own contract review until they are referred to Auditel or discover our services. With our telecom audit, your contracts are reviewed and protection clauses are added to give you the security of a full telecom contract review. We will ferret out all of your Service Agreements, Contracts, and Addendums both new and expired.  We will conduct a full investigation into your service requirements, usages, and ensure your services are in line with your contractual commitments.  We will recommend any additional language required to amend your Agreements to give your Organization added security and savings.

Negotiating the refund of overcharges with telecom vendors is an often frustrating and lengthy process. Very few telecom employees are expected to have the knowledge to read and translate thousands of USOCs, various service types, and Classes of Service that make up the telecom billing charges. They may not have the knowledge or training to determine if accurately applied Federal, State and Local surcharges and taxes have been billed, thereby reducing your possible refunds. They probably do not have the knowledge to analyze and compare hundreds of different billing formats, billing codes, and constantly changing rating plans, applied by the carriers.
We analyze the current Telecom Service Provider Service Agreements and various contracts Minimum Annual Revenue Commitment (MARC), and SLA (Service Level Agreements) and compare them with any revisions or addendums to the original signed agreements. We research and review the contract terms. Here are some items we highlight and discuss with our clients. For more details visit our Telecom Contracts page.

We analyze the current Telecom Service Provider Service Agreements and various contracts Minimum Annual Revenue Commitment (MARC), and SLA (Service Level Agreements) and compare them with any revisions or addendums to the original signed agreements. We research and review the contract terms. Here are some items we highlight and discuss with our clients. For more details visit our Telecom Contracts page.

The definition of a full detailed inventory is a telecom inventory that includes service type, service location, circuit ID, line type, wireless line, plan description, data cards, detailed usages, and any extra feature and fee details.  The service agreement and contract information should be noted regarding key items such as discount percentages, contract expiration term, Minimum Annual Revenue Commitment (MARC) and SLA (Service Level Agreements).  Each page of the contract should be read and any clauses not fully understood should be noted.  Expired contracts and those nearing expiration along with any revisions or addendums need to be investigated and compared to the original signed agreements to capture the growth and changes that have taken place within your services. 

We review all the fees assessed for multiple routing 800s, 800 # service fees, Dedicated and Switched 800# fees, Specific Time of Day Routing fees, Managed 800 routing fees, Access Charges, Paper billing fees, Managing toll free numbers, and Management of the service level agreement. We can help you reduce these charges, and some can usually be waived.

Centralized Services Add Savings

Combine and consolidate services and usages from other locations within the best service agreement to capture savings.  Consider centralizing your telecom bill payment process, and have the invoices managed within one central location to realize added savings. Greater discounts can be obtained with larger revenue to the Service Provider.  Combine and consolidate services and usages from other locations.

Consider setting up online payments to reduce costs of processing your telecom invoices.

Centralize your telecom order processing and maintain accurate inventory.  Document all the details of all telecom orders placed including due date, type of service requested, contact information, and order number.  Don’t forget to follow the order through completion and verify the service work you requested, was completed.  Next, find the telecom invoice to ensure the order processing fees and all provisioning fees are accurate and as quoted, and the correct service charge is noted on the invoice.  If you can’t identify the change, contact the Service Provider and track the order until it is billing accurately. This same process should be completed for each order processed to maintain clean inventory.

For a true comparison of Service Provider charges and deliverables an accurate detailed inventory is needed.  This apple to apple comparison must be exact to include all current service charges, fees, and usages associated.

Your contract must be analyzed to verify Service Provider, revenue commitments, service level clauses, and contract termination clauses, and expiration dates.

Service Provider Quality

We don’t recommend carrier switch to save money unless there are service issues. It is very important not to choose a vendor solely on price, Vendor service is very important and service up time is extremely important. Research the reliability of each Service Provider to determine their level of customer service, guaranteed bandwidth, maintenance, and reputation. Contact several existing clients to validate any service issues they have had, and the carrier flexibility in managing their services. Ask them about service outages, and if they had any service delays.

We can work with your team conducting a market analysis to give you all the latest technology, and service offerings to compare to your current telecom services to obtain the best market pricing for maximum savings.


Contract Review

Begin at least five to six months prior to your contract expiration date. This will provide leverage especially if you have met all the contract requirements and volume levels. You may be offered longer term, higher rates, or with some efforts the ability to renew existing agreement. Prices for services are not stable and the market has decreased. The competition between Service Providers varies based on economic times. Now is the time for you to consider reviewing your current contract to shave large percentages off your telecom budget.

Keep your leverage by having more than one Service Provider. There is less risk for potential service outages.

Termination clauses are critical to understand in your Service Agreements. Beware of heavy penalties if termination is not followed as specified in the agreement.

We ensure your contracts are reviewed for maintenance clauses, equipment fees, service installation charges, monitoring and testing fees, warranties, and all payment, terms and conditions.

We check your Service Agreement to see if it includes any clauses for both increase and decrease in business due to: business changes, ramifications, mergers, or acquisition clauses for office closures.

Recovery and Dispute Resolution

Auditel uses over 18 years telecom experience and expertise in telecom recovery to identify file accurate disputes with Telecom Service Providers.
We provide Reports documenting the identified credits, refunds or recovery. Auditel processes claims and follows the disputes to completion for refunds and recoveries with all service providers

Our Telecom Expense Management and auditing process is very comprehensive using propriety analytical tools and manual audit techniques. It produces more detailed and accurate savings compared to OCR software used by many other TEM companies. We investigate all telecom expenses on local phone, long distance, data, frame relay, Internet, and cell phones as well as potential inefficiencies within a client’s phone services and network design. Based on our detailed research, we provide extensive reports, audit findings and give our recommendations to obtain refunds, recoveries and forward savings to ensure enterprise-wide efficiency, optimum utilization, accuracy and consistency. As part of Auditel’s extensive telecom audit recovery we also provide services for the Federal Government under our GSA Schedule 520-9.

Historically Auditel has produced savings of over 25 % on client’s annual telecom expenses. Over the years we have achieved $ 110 Million in pro forma savings for our clients.  Due to the dynamic and constantly changing environment of telecom, we identify and recover saving in the majority of the bills we analyze. Please see some of our client video testimonials (http://www.auditelinc.com/Auditel_Client_Interviews.aspx).

Organizations, Corporations, City, State and Federal Government agencies are opting to contract with us to provide their auditing and telecom expense management (TEM) services.  Our services free up staff to focus on their core job. It is almost always more profitable to turn the task over to a competent and trustworthy auditing firm with the expertise and ability to get the job done timely and gain substantial savings. 

Wireless Phone Service Contract Review

Each telecom contract or Service Agreement is analyzed to determine the best mobility plan to meet your business needs. We analyze each plan and study usages to ensure the plan reflects your contract agreement. Wireless rate plans and pooling plans are reviewed by our analysts and buckets of usage are monitored and compared across your entire company. Plans, rates, and fees are analyzed for optimization, and contract compliance. Each rate plan is studied and the usages analyzed including pooling plans, roaming usage, text, SMS, Data Cards, and International usages to maximize service and decrease spend. We don’t base our wireless research on the service peak times, but analyze many months to present accurate findings to our clients.

Wireless Management | Cellular Optimization
Wireless plan management will provide reports on inventory, plan rates, roaming fees, data and app usages, corporate allowances and discounts.  Wireless rates, data plans, and any International usage plans must meet your staff needs and requirements.  On the go changes to services are time consuming and waste valuable manpower.  One method available for savings is setting up a Pooling Plan.  When setup correctly, pooling plans bring your business the flexibility to share your team minutes intercompany in many ways.  Anytime minutes are added to a common “Pool” each month the plan members within the same network share from that pool.  This plan doesn’t require the constant monitoring of each individual plan, as the minutes are pooled together into buckets to provide optimum usage distribution.  The light users and heavy wireless users balance each other out.  This is an efficient smart way to save money and optimize your wireless services.