So what do you do to prevent information overload and even confused sales people from giving you the wrong information you need?

Here are a couple of tips to help remedy this problem:

1.  Fully understand the scope of your services and what your REQUIRE. Too many times I see that price as the complete bottom line when selecting a carrier or phone system for instance, I’ll tell you now, there is ABSOLUTELY a difference in the quality of various providers of seemingly similar services.  Not simply from a technological standpoint, but competency, feature sets and things like customer service and reputation still play a big part in your selection.  We sat down with a client who bemoaned the fact that a phone system supposedly had a certain feature set and could be upgraded for a modest fee or simply “turned on” for them at no cost.  In reality, they had to spend over $20,000 for this feature and since he had purchased the phone system last year he felt forced into buying this upgrade.

2.  Your sales rep’s word should never be gospel. I have seen in more than one occasion where the sales team was just dead wrong about a question regarding a product or service.  To move forward with your decision criteria based on false information can ruin your whole network configuration or have you paying for fees that you weren’t expecting.  In one case, I actually was witness to PURPOSEFULLY false information presented to a prospective client because the sales rep was leaving in two weeks, but wanted to get the commission before she left.  Luckily, the client didn’t pick that vendor.  Yes – this really happens.

3.  Check the website and pull tariff information if possible. In the cases where very specific information is needed don’t be afraid to do a little “heavy lifting”.  I’ve seen a few times where simply checking some information on the website would have revealed that fees that were being charged in actuality were bogus, network coverage was handled by partner companies and not the vendor and where the customer service number when called yielded an hour long wait on the phone, not the claimed “immediate response”.  Today, we have a great deal of information at our fingertips, be sure to use it.

4.  Trust.  It can be deceiving. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again, it is imperative that you have a good relationship with your vendors, but be careful that it’s not taken lightly.  I enjoy a very comfortable relationship with some carrier representatives because that can be important for us to do a good job for our clients.  But I never take it for granted, if I’m really unsure I’ll check with multiple contacts to verify critical information is accurate and that what we hear is relayed back to our clients confidently.  Every now and then, and I believe to be a factor of laziness rather than malice, information is incorrect and I’m glad we checked and double checked.  Make sure you do the same.

All companies that have significant telecom bills need to realize that you are given the opportunity to get the best services and prices in the industry, at the same time be sure you recognize that some may try and take advantage of that and see you as their meal ticket and a fat payday.   Be sure you or have your telecom audit firm make sure it’s not you that gets the short end of the stick.

His eyes lit up when we chatting about how the infrastructure of carriers was changing dramatically.  We went on about network topology design, and telecom architecture management.  When the talk shifted towards billing, suddenly the conversation hit what seemed to be brick wall.  His look changed, he even groaned a bit.

“If my boss just understood how much I hate reviewing those stupid bills, I think my life would be a lot easier” he mumbled.  “Every month, I am supposed to take hours out of my week to review the billing and verify that they’re right, that credits were posted and that everything is in order, candidly – I just make sure that the bills aren’t too far out of line, I just sign off on them.  They really don’t care as long as they’re not too crazy.”

And so it goes, when I talk with many different companies the conversation is fairly similar.  Executives believe that their organizations are auditing their bills and that they’re being taken care of properly, when in fact over 80% of the time we’re able to find ways to reduce cost.  Why?  I believe it boils down to a few simple reasons:

1.  Just because it’s somebody’s responsibility, doesn’t mean it’s taken care of – how would an oversight manager actually know if they were being taken care of properly unless they audit the auditor – I’ve never met any one who wants to do that frequently plus it horrible for morale.  It’s not being done because it is a chore most people don’t want to tackle.

2.  It is a hassle and time-consuming.  On average, we see highly-skilled and capable IT professionals that make very large salaries responsible for non-technology related items such as billing verification and waste control as it relates to telecom.  They don’t like to do it and they’re not very good at it either, so it goes untouched.

3.  They don’t know what to look for.  Ever have the experience of looking at a problem for a considerable time period and not figure out a solution?  Then somebody takes a look at the same problem and figures it out in a second?  That’s because it’s their expertise, where they are educated and they know where to look to figure it out and perhaps it’s their passion.

Here’s the bottom line, just because you believe something is being taken care of doesn’t mean it is.  Don’t pretend it is being taken care of.

Okay, I’ll share something very personal with you to make my point.  I’m over forty and my wife had been hounding me to get a physical.  I delayed going to the doctor even though I know I needed to have it done.  After a bit of time, I finally relented.  Even though I eat right, exercise regularly and follow a healthly lifestyle, I needed to have that checkup.  I got the clean bill of health and now I know that everything is A-O-K.  Yes, I’m better off for it and you will be glad when your telecom expenses are given the thumbs up too – I promise.

Okay, I can hear the laughter out there now, but let me ask you, why do you think they’re so confusing?  Certainly they don’t have to be.  Most people simply dismiss this fact and say, “Everyone has to deal with it” (That’s right, but not everybody does, more on that later)

If you were to ask a telephone company exec (and trust me, because I used to be one) why do you make the bills so confusing, a pat answer might be that “the complexity of your bill is directly in alignment with the various features, add-ons, ancilary charges and most agregiously – those darn taxes we HAVE to charge you from the goverment!”  Not bad as I think that is what I was asked years ago in an interview.

According to a recent study by Gartner Group, a leading information technology research and advisory company, when it comes to telephone and data bills, an estimated $13 billion in overcharges will be generated in the next 12 months and less than 2% of these telephone billing errors will ever be identified.

Take for instance the new Motorola phone that Verizon is rolling out called the Droid running Google’s Android operating system.  Many industry pundits have labeled it everything from the next best thing in smartphones to an outright iPhone killer.  It will cost subscribers a competitive $199 for the phone if you sign a 2-year contract, and add a MANDATORY $30 unlimited data plan.  In my mind, unlimited means just that, “all you can eat”, but in Verizon’s vernacular unlimited means a cap of 5 GB or 5,120 MB per month.

The ability for you to “tether” an external device like a laptop is an aspect of your smart phone that some people have started to use to be able to be connected where Wi-Fi might not be available.  If you’d like to use that feature, guess what?  Verizon’s going to charge you more, add an additional $30 more PLUS the required $30 before ABOVE your “normal” wireless plan AND still with the extra $30 (which they call unlimited) is capped at 10GB per month.

In addition to that, Verizon isn’t stopping there with the upcharges. It also announced that as of November 15 the early termination fee will be double just for high-end devices like smartphones (read- the Droid phone).  Users who cancel out of the agreement before the two years are up can expect a $350 bill.

Head spinning yet?  Well hang on.  On your $30 “unlimited” 5GB maximum usage plan, it’s okay for any traffic just as long as it doesn’t come from a Microsoft Exchange server, because that will cost you $45 per month instead.

Also on the third Friday of each month with an “r” in it, your data plan only works 3/4 of the time but you can use it as much as you like – okay, I just made that one up but I couldn’t resist.

This is just policy for ONE phone, think about your organization with hundreds of wireless devices.  We see companies that have “rogue” phones that add and change aspects of their data plan and make it a nightmare to manage.  Additionally, companies also leave language in your contracts that allow them to change these terms at ANY time.  If you’re concerned about managing your telecom costs, this is where an audit can identify and help reel in your costs, because believe me the phone companies aren’t going to help make it any easier for you ANYTIME soon.