“Telecom expense management or ‘TEM’ is really just a subset of an overall integrated telecom management program,” according to Russ Maney (News - Alert), principal and co-founder of Xponential Group, a Louisville, Ky.-based technology procurement services company that represents Tellennium.

 

“As different types of telecom technologies and platforms proliferate, and as companies continue to try to use telecommunications to increase business process efficiencies and effectiveness, the TEM space has to evolve just as fast to help enterprises manage it all,” Maney said in a recent interview with TMCnet. 

 

Key areas where telecom, and, thus, the TEM space, are evolving include all forms of mobility, such as cell phones, smartphones, wireless laptops and countless other handheld devices. Other key areas include increasing usage of audio and video conferencing, webinars, voice over IP and remote worker enabling technologies. 

 

“Still other key areas include the increasing usage of telecom in customer service environments, from ever more sophisticated ACD and IVR systems to ever larger and more integrated and call center platforms,” Maney said. “Communications technology innovation continues at a rapid pace, further increasing overall enterprise telecom spending, which then further increases enterprises’ needs for TEM. Organizations like TEMIA (News - Alert) must educate enterprises to recognize these needs, to understand if they can (or can’t) handle their telecom management themselves, and to understand the breadth and depth of telecom management beyond just expense management.”

 

Contingent’s Integrated Telecom Management includes telecom expense management plus: efficient and effective telecom invoice processing; cost allocations and payments; telecom equipment and circuit infrastructure management and usage optimization; vendor contract and rate structure management; employee-assigned equipment and services usage management; and new telecom project needs analyses, Maney said.

 

In looking at the year ahead, Maney said given the current state of the telecom management industry – one of very high activity and change – within the current economic environment presents both a tailwind and a headwind. 

 

“The high levels of activity and change are being driven by the continuing evolution of telecom technologies and the overall elevation of telecom as a key business tool. The current economic conditions are actually a tailwind for TEM providers like Tellennium because, at the end of the day, what Tellennium really sells are cost savings – exactly what most companies are in the market for right now. It’s kind like running a water company in a draught – to shift metaphors – a good business to be in these days,” Maney said.

 

However, current economic conditions are also a headwind, he said, in that companies are reluctant to invest in anything, even things that will save them money in the very short run. 

 

Maney said that Tellennium guarantees that its Integrated Telecom Management services will “never cost a client a dime,” because the savings they identify will at least cover the cost of the services, and will likely create significant net cost savings. 

 

Over the next 12 months, Maney said he doesn’t see the current overall situation changing much. 

 

“Hopefully, the economy will improve, at least somewhat,” he said. “But, the pace of telecom technology change isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon. And, cutting telecom expenses isn’t likely to go out of style anytime soon either.”