Telephone Bill Auditing: Doing What Your AP Can’t
What is a telephone bill audit, and why do you need one?
The task of paying a phone bill seems quite simple. When your AP receives a phone bill, or series of telecom invoices, they check the system to ensure the bill has not already been paid, and then proceed to pay the bill. The problem here is that an AP does not check the contents of the bill in a thorough fashion, as they are not trained for this sort of in-depth analysis.
A telephone bill audit provides a company with a detailed run-down of the errors or even fraudulent charges in phone billings that are overlooked by an accounts payable clerk. Errors that, when left unchecked, can cost companies thousands of dollars monthly.
Unfortunately in the realm of telecommunications, good is often left as “good enough”. Even when outside expertise is readily available, and in the best case scenario this expertise can even be obtained on a contingency basis.
In addition to discovering discrepancies in charges, telephone bill audits are a great way to: discover services that are no longer being used, learn how to eliminate various contract penalties, and have disputes filed for you regarding contract rate inconsistencies resulting in hefty savings and refunds.
WHAT TELEPHONE BILL AUDIT COMPANY WILL WORK FOR YOU?
Finding the phone bill auditing company that is right for you may seem like a tiresome task, but narrowing the search makes it less time consuming. Here are a couple of things you want to look for:
CREDIBILITY
If the company does not have an impressive list of clients that were highly satisfied with the audit and savings found, you may not be satisfied with the results. Look for a history of clients and check their references to confirm that the company has successfully established themselves in their niche.You will also want to find a company that showcases their auditing skills and methods, rather than one who promotes changing service providers as a primary source of savings.
PRICING
Some auditing companies may try to sell you packages, have you pay upfront fees, or hide the proof of savings/lack thereof in billing. It is important to find a company that will lay out a detailed but comprehensive list of their findings, and will only charge you a percentage from the savings they provide you. Finding a company that charges on a gain-share basis eliminates the risk of paying for telephone bill audit savings you don’t receive, or refunds you don’t obtain. There is no risk of being charged more than you will save in the future, because you are only paying after you are provided with the monthly proof of savings. Look for a telephone bill audit company that conducts an audit every month to prove savings and invoice accuracy, so that you know you are getting what you pay for.
With any business, it is important to seek out opportunities for savings, and in an increasingly telecom reliant world, being able to expand upon data and phone services with the protection and security that telecom expertise can provide is invaluable.