Why You Need Call Accounting with Invoice Management
May 11, 2015
By Susan J. Campbell
TMCnet Contributing Editor
The advancements we have available in communications today significantly streamlines platforms, spending and operations. Multiple machines have been reduced to one and mobile is as ubiquitous today as the fax machine was 20 years ago. With so many tools and applications at the ready, however, it can be easy to overlook the details in call accounting and invoice management.
A recent post in the Information Age by Ben Rossi explores this topic as we continue on in an era of the digitally native worker. The access we have to advancements and mobility today helps to support business growth, but also introduces new challenges. Employees expect to use their personal technology in the workforce, simply because it can do more than the tools they have available at their desk.
IBM (News - Alert) research shows that 49 percent of emails are now opened on a mobile device instead of a work computer. At the same time, ONS reports that nearly 14 percent of employees now work from home, contributing to a trend that technology used for the workforce is changing. IT departments are preparing for this change, if not already embracing it. For some, that means shoring up the network infrastructure to ensure security is optimal. For others, it means enforcing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies.
Even as technology offers new access to devices and streamlined communications, there are new challenges for IT and decision makers. Invoices will now reflect much more than just Internet access or phone lines. Without a clear understanding of what to expect, however, a company may easily wind up paying too much for a service they don’t need or for devices no longer in use. Proper call accounting and invoice management should be in place to ensure errors don’t turn into unnecessary payments.
The explosion of wireless devices and the continued incorporation of unified communications into the workforce lends considerable value, as long as they are managed effectively. In an effort to control telecom expenses, companies need to have effective invoice management in place as part of a robust call accounting solution. It’s the only effective way to properly approve expenses in an environment where employees are doing more with less and lack the expertise to validate all invoices.
A failure to have an effective program in place means companies are not optimizing pricing plans, billing errors are going unchecked and services are being paid for that companies don’t need. It’s a great way to eat into the profit margin and opportunities for growth. To reverse the trend, companies need ISI’s (News - Alert) Invoice Manager. If telecom spending is out of control and you don’t have a call accounting solution in place, it’s time to do your homework and get the invoice management you need to keep costs in line and telecommunications delivering the intended benefits.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi