Introduction
Our proprietary software platform ExpenseLogic is a component of RadiusPoint’s portfolio of services. ExpenseLogic helps organizations manage their telecom expenses systematically, and access business intelligence in real time. When ExpenseLogic is used in association with the line-item billing audit services provided by RadiusPoint, clients have the benefit of having fully dedicated human resources with a deep understanding of telecom processes and business environment.
In this case study, we explain how we helped a client in the hospitality industry from wasting telecom dollars.
Problem
A nationwide restaurant chain with 240 locations and multiple telecom vendors had a problem. Prior to working with RadiusPoint, this client had another Telecom Expense Management (TEM) firm processing their invoices for payment. Upon examination of services performed by that firm, we discovered that error detection and reconciliation services had not been performed — much to the surprise of the client.
As a result, we identified numerous 3rd-party telecom vendor billing errors, and no one to facilitate refunds and removal. These were costing our client every month, unbeknownst to them.
Solution
When we took over the TEM services, the first order of business was to identify all erroneous telecom vendor charges. To do this, we set limits in our business intelligence SaaS platform, ExpenseLogic, to flag any charges from a 3rd party or long-distance telecom vendors on local telephone invoices.
Utilizing the flags sent by ExpenseLogic, our Billing Analysts performed the following steps to reconcile errors:
• Third-party vendor contacted to dispute errors
• Identified personnel that may have placed orders for services
• Cancelled services to remove future billings
• Requested refunds for unauthorized charges
Results
As a result of RadiusPoint’s services, our client was able to save more money in a single month than the cost of our invoice processing and payment services for a full year.
Transcript of the video
Introduction: client & telecom expense management mission
In this case study, we are going to talk about a company that had a current TEM company (Telecom Expense Management) managing their expenses. They thought that everything was going well but they still were not saving the money that they needed to save.
This particular client is a quick service restaurant (QSR), meaning a fast-food restaurant. They have over 240 locations nationwide, thousands of employees that are working for them on a daily basis. They had a telecom expense management company processing their bills, and what they thought was auditing their bills on a monthly basis and identifying errors. What they didn’t realize was that the errors that were being identified were not being recovered for them. Then there were a lot of errors that were not actually identified.
Their first issue was they didn’t have the personnel to be able to do this work: calling the vendors to recover errors that were on the bills. They didn’t have the personnel and they really needed to save money because in a quick service restaurant, the profit margins are so small that they really need to operate in a streamlined manner.
Inventory & audit
When we initially started working for them, we noticed a lot of the errors on the invoices when we set them up in our system to start the processing on a monthly basis… processing those invoices for payment and auditing them. In our system, we were able to “set the limits”, which just means that we were able to set for each phone number, each DSL, and each meter number, a specific amount that that particular meter number or phone number was supposed to bill on a monthly basis.
Processing telecom invoices
And this [function] would also set basically a contract rate as well. Some of their services were under contracts. For example, their internet was $29.99 a month. That’s all they were supposed to be spending during the first month of setting those limits. Processing those invoices, we were able to identify the overcharges for either contract rates or the rates or the limits that were set for various services. On those where the vendor was overcharging or charging for something they were not supposed to be charging for, we were able to go back to the vendor to get those refunds. We would give our client the reporting on a weekly basis to show them “this is what we’re going back to the vendor for”, to get those refunds. “You guys don’t have to do anything. We are going to handle this”. And then reconciling that on the invoice to show that the following month, the credit was received, this was up. At that point, [the reporting was] showing them that “your cost avoiding, e.g., $10 for this site, you’re not paying that any longer, and we got you this credit back”.
Resolving oddities to cut more on telecom expense
Then there were other areas in which we were able to assist, that previously that they hadn’t even thought of. One of the biggest issues they were having was Directory Assistance… having that connection fee for directory assistance. The managers had no idea because they had no visibility into the reporting. When we were able to show them that they were spending $50 at their site every month for the employees picking up the phone and using Directory Assistance, and having that call connected at 75 cents per incident, the managers were able to instruct their employees “do not use Directory Assistance”. With that, we were giving them a reporting tool that not only accounted for the errors we identified on the bill, but also accounted for costs that could be avoided just by giving training and better instruction to their staff to no longer do that, or use that service, or download those types of services.
Telecom expense management mission: the bottom line
What this QSR chain initially thought we were coming in to help them for, was to save them money so that they could increase their profit margins. But as we looked through this, we were able to get actual savings, contrary to the previous TEM company which was not going after the refunds. They were showing the errors that were on the bills, but not going after them. And of course, our client didn’t have the personnel in their Accounts Payable or their Telecom or Facilities Department to actually go after those refunds and reconcile them with the vendors. From what they thought we were coming in for (streamlining), we were able to actually not only streamline, but to find them money they didn’t know was out there.
During the first 12 months. Their ROI was over 300% for what they were paying RadiusPoint, what we were avoiding for them, and the refunds we were able to recover.