Telecom expense management has become a solid revenue opportunity for the channel. However, understanding what constitutes a TEM solution can be difficult to pin down. What are its components? How will customers benefit?
Those are great questions. Unfortunately, the industry lacks guiding principles or standard practices that determine what is a TEM solution. Many analysts report on companies believed to be in the TEM space; however the defining criteria typically are vague and informal. There are auditing companies, bill payment companies, accounting companies and consulting companies that claim to offer a complete TEM solution. However, the reality is the “complete” TEM provider may be as elusive as the definition itself.
So, in an attempt to help agents better understand TEM, we’ve created a list of the primary components that should make up a TEM solution. There are many other ancillary services, but the following are considered the “must haves.”
Strategy and Policy Development
The strategy and policy will govern the delivery of the TEM solution and address questions like:
- Can we really implement the solution within our aggressive timeframe?
- How many lines do we need at this location?
- How much Internet bandwidth do we need at this location?
- Who is allowed to request moves, adds or changes?
- What models of mobile phones can an employee order?
- Are we going to pay the invoices or will the TEM provider?
- Do we create a corporate plan and eliminate the issue of managing mobile phones the company does not own?
- Who will be the liaison between the TEM provider and us?
