Almost all businesses rely on telecommunication for their operations. It can range from smartphones to complex data centers that exchange gigabytes of data every second. As opposed to pre-paid consumers, businesses opt to pay as per their use. So the telecom providers send a bill each month detailing the usage of the corresponding cost.
But most bills contain some form of error that results in overcharge. So you end up paying more than what you should have been paying. That’s when you should take the help of a telecom audit solutions provider to go over your telecom bills and recommend cost-saving measures.
Types of Telecom Billing Errors
You can incur different types of billing errors for your telecom usage. That’s why the invoices tend to be confusing. Multiple tables and figures make it harder for an average person to wrap his head around them. There are different types of errors you’re going to find in your telecom bill, some of which are:
Non-recurring errors
These are those types of errors that you don’t have to pay every month. They make it into your invoicing as “Miscellaneous charges.” These errors are fairly easy to spot, but only if you have a robust internal process within your company. A MACD or Move, Add, Change, Delete process helps you spot these errors in your telecom invoice.
Recurring errors
Recurring errors are those errors that you pay on a monthly or cyclical basis. As compared to non-recurring errors, these are harder to spot. But you must spot them at the earliest since you’re paying the extra amount frequently. Contract discrepancies and inventory are a few examples of recurring errors.
Taxation errors
As a business entity, you pay tax for consuming telecom services. But taxation can get complicated. If not explicitly mentioned in the agreement, it’ll be nearly impossible to determine who is liable for the tax amount, your business, or the telecom provider.
Metering errors
At times, you’ll be charged more than what you’ve consumed. These are often software-related issues and are called metering errors. Such errors can also originate at the Carrier level and are related to routing policies. Double-metering is also a severe issue where you pay almost double the cost.
Human errors
Humans partly handle telecom operations, and humans make errors. So your bills may include errors that were unintentionally done manually. But you end up paying for the cost if you didn’t catch it during the audit process. Line management and unfulfilled credits are common agent errors in telecom.
How Can Telecom Audit Solution Providers Help?
You can work with a telecom audit to spot the errors for you. Going over a telecom bill can be complicated and overwhelming. Besides the ones mentioned above, there are other types of errors that can exist in a bill.
Auditors will request invoices and agreements. They will also go through the invoices that are 36 months old to spot any discrepancies.
They will prepare a report that lists all the errors associated with your billing based on the audit. You can go through the report and decide between fixing the errors and switching to a new telecom operator.
After the audits, most businesses save as much as 30% on their telecom expenses. That’s significant, considering the bills often run in thousands of dollars every month.
It’s recommended that you audit your telecom consumption regularly. This should include local, long-distance, wireless, and data usage. Large businesses have in-house resources to audit their telecom expenses month to month. But if you are a small or mid-sized business, you can opt for a one-time telecom audit.
Finally, you should always work with an experienced telecom audit solutions provider to save the maximum on your telecom bills.
