The combination of technology changes, regulatory restrictions and fluid asset inventories associated with telecommunications can be enough to drive an enterprise’s finance and IT departments batty. Managing telecom assets is a complex business that involves billing, contracts, and reimbursements among other tasks.

 

Perhaps the single largest problem with managing telecom assets in an enterprise is lack of cohesiveness. Because this task often involves many different company departments, it can be difficult or impossible to figure out who is responsible for what, and where the buck stops. It’s enough to make anyone a bit loopy.

 

The solution to all this is to achieve cohesiveness by choosing a telecom cost management vendor, selecting the most appropriate solution, and then sticking with it. In the process of implementing telecom cost management, most enterprises save a significant amount of money.

 

It is much, much easier and less costly for an enterprise to comply with regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley (accounting standards for public companies) when a telecom cost management solution is in place and working properly. In fact, without telecom cost management it might be practically impossible to maintain the updated accounting of telecom assets, devices, services, etc. needed to be in full compliance.

 

Telecom cost management is a pretty broad term, encompassing both software and services designed to bring order to the task of managing enterprise telecom. Today’s telecom cost management solutions cover both fixed-line and mobile communications. Automated invoice processing, inventory, procurement and dispute management, and billing optimization are typical elements included in a telecom cost management solution.

 

For most enterprises, the task of managing telecom is just too time-consuming and costly to do in-house. Outsourcing some of the job, and getting consulting services from a vendor that is an expert in this area, is a smart move.

 

To learn more about how telecom cost management can bring sanity back to enterprise telecom, please visit the Telecom Cost Management channel on TMCnet.com, brought to you by Optelcon.

 

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