In this new case study, CEO Sharon Watkins discusses the telecom refunds and cost saving opportunities discovered by RadiusPoint during an Inventory & Audit of the telecom invoices of a global paper manufacturer. This case study highlights the need for organizations to streamline their telecom invoice processing to avoid overcharges and paying for services that telecom operators add to their billing.
Transcript of the video
Summary
In this video, we will talk about how we were able to assist a paper manufacturer, a Fortune 100 company with a global presence, with their mobility management and telecom expense management needs.
To start with results, RadiusPoint obtained telecom refunds of over $450,000 on their wireless expenses in the first year of service. These refunds matched identified overcharges on wireless invoices. The primary challenge of our client was that they did not have the personnel to manage over 10,000 wireless devices and end-users. This was a global situation, the end-users were spread around the world.
The second major challenge was they could just not manage their telecom billing: at that time, invoices came in a box of over 3 feet high. According to our client, it took six people each month to go through these invoices, flipping through pages and pages to verify costs. So they needed assistance with the invoicing side, as well as with managing the servicing of so many end-users.
Inventory & Audit
We assisted our client with our proprietary platform, ExpenseLogic™, getting them set up to audit and process those invoices each month. We identified billing errors, and went back to the telecom operators to obtain all necessary refunds and reconcile the credits back on the bill.
We did identify over $400,000 in telecom refunds the first year. Those came back to the invoice. Then, still in the first year of service, we reduced costs by identifying services that were not supposed to be on their bill, or that Corporate did not want to pay for or authorize their end-users to have on their company phone. We identified over $850,000 in ongoing telecom savings (cost avoided).
Discoveries during the process
During our Inventory & Audit process, we discovered several major anomalies. For instance, the organization was still paying for phones (and services) for employees no longer on the payroll. Some of them had given their company phone to their children, and our client was still paying for them phones though these ex-employees had not worked there in two years.
We also identified instances when employees were downloading services (apps) — basically almost every phone had paid-app downloads — that were not authorized by company policy. However, since our client had no way to audit the bills, they had no idea their staff had downloaded those extra apps.
Initial TEM mission
Initially, RadiusPoint was hired by this client to perform a one-time audit, Then we continued on with monthly services for Telecom Expense Management and Mobility Expense Management.
Telecom refunds & savings
Q: Where did the $1.3 million in saving come from?
A: The $1.3 million came from two areas. First, we got over $400,000 in telecom refunds. During the first leg of our mission, as we were performing our Inventory & Audit process, we identified what actually belonged to the client, and disconnected what did not belong to them.
Second, going forward, we made recommendations that resulted in another $800,000 in telecom savings. Our recommendations aimed at cutting costs, consolidating the wireless operators, and optimizing contract rates.
That’s where the $800,000 [and ultimately, the $1.3M] came in.
TEM mission follow-up
Q: Does the client continue saving money on their telecom expenses?
A: Our client does continue to save money on an annual basis through our Telecom Expense Management services and the refunds we identify. It’s no longer a historical audit because the service occurs on a monthly basis and as the telecom invoice comes in, it is audited through our ExpenseLogic software platform. We then go to the vendor and reconcile. So yes, they continue to save money on a monthly basis.
Additional resources and references:
These links provide additional relevant information on our services and client feedback.
RadiusPoint and Telecom Expense Management: Our Presence in the Gartner Market Guide
TEM services: One of the two core business lines of RadiusPoint
Next case study:
Click here to discover how a glass manufacturer saved $100K on telecom expenses using RadiusPoint services
In this new video case study, Sharon shares how RadiusPoint helped a global glass manufacturer with large retail operations in the U.S. to overcome a lack of procurement framework, and curb their telecom expenses by $100K+ in Year 1 to get a ROI of 200% on TEM services.