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We want to make industry aware that telephone companies aren’t out to intentionally overcharge them. Most companies don’t have a trained billing auditor, and many have never had a detailed telecom audit. Why are there overcharges on your bills? It normally happens by human error, or can occur when many people are placing orders and some are unsure of correct way to place orders. Do you keep accurate records for all your telecom orders? If you don’t keep detailed records then it will be difficult to prove any billing discrepancies. Let’s say you cancel a phone line today. Tomorrow you dial number and it gives a disconnect message. Do you go to next bill and check it for accuracy? Does anyone in your company have time to monitor each and every bill that comes into your office on a monthly basis, and check for every order that was placed? Having correct documentation equals a refund.
What companies offer these auditing services? Most firms advertise on internet, or in local phone book. Many audit companies around world perform telecom audits and each has their own spin. Some just audit low hanging items and conduct an overview, while others do a deep cleaning audit. As with any business there are many who do a great job, and some that do as little as possible. It is up to you to do research and find company that best fits your individual needs. Choose a company that fits your budget. Some firms offer fee structures based on contingency fee basis, splitting future savings and credits and refunds with you. While others, charge a fee based on size of your audit. No matter which company you choose, make sure to contact their references, along with Better Business Bureau for their area. If companies have had complaints they aren’t likely to inform you.
Are you interested in learning how to audit your own bills? If so we highly recommend telecom workshop based training. These workshops are not seminars and these courses teach you how to actually audit telecom bills. Though there are many seminars available on market today, most don’t provide a process. You may leave seminar with a wealth of information, but will throw your hands in air when you actually try to conduct an audit. Locate a company with experience and contact references for firm to fit your needs. Make sure instructor has actual auditing experience. The experience you will get from a workshop will outweigh any seminar you may attend, saving you time and money in long run. Make sure you are provided with auditing software to help you track your telecom inventory and to log all of your orders submitted to various vendors.
After you have completed a telecom audit you need to determine how to maintain your audit savings. If you don’t have time to learn tariff, and if you don’t have staff to audit your bills on a monthly basis, perhaps you should consider outsourcing your telecom project. Many companies provide outsourcing to those in need of a telecom project completed, or a monthly audit to maintain their telecom bills. The size of your billings will determine how often you will need to have your bills reviewed. If your company spends more than $150,000 on a monthly basis, you should consider a monthly audit. If your company has mergers or acquisitions on a regular basis you will need a telecom audit to keep track of inventory and an experienced auditor can pay for their services 20 times over. Would you like to have a lot of months where you could say “we are below budget?” The choice is yours. Telecom audit, outsourcing, or training each may be what your company needs to get a handle on your telecom spending.
Auditel Inc. of Florida provides training and auditing for many corporations and government entities. We recently opened a Colorado branch to service Western States providing training workshop courses to suit every telecom training need and now available to Entrepreneur. For Additional Information, Please Contact: Barbara Clements
Auditel Inc. Of Florida
www.auditelinc.com
800-473-5655
auditel@auditelinc.com
Barbara Clements realized early in her career that companies were needlessly spending valuable assets. In 1990 Barbara made a career choice to focus on local telephone bill audits, bringing Auditel into existence by developing a meticulous bill auditing process & software that has led to many years of business referrals and satisfied clients. As President and Senior Training Instructor, Barbara was recently interviewed on TV by Alexander Haig.