Why is Network Mapping Associates a one of a kind Telecom Consulting firm? 

Because in addition to providing a hard wired Telecom Audit, NMA is one of the few companies that will service your wireless needs, as well.  Utilizing much of the same methodology - NMA will:

• Analyze many months of your existing corporate and individual wireless service plans to determine where efficiencies can be realized
• Establish cellular calling patterns to determine what calling plan (corporate wide or individual) is most cost effective
• Identify the best cellular service provider based on your unique usage requirements
• Determine if your current paging system is most efficient
• Identify potential cost effective solutions that address both your paging and cellular service requirements

NMA’s exemplary customer service includes:
• Prompt and courteous response to all your inquiries
• Personal interaction with maximum attention to detail regarding your unique requirements
• Total representation on your behalf in negotiating the best possible pricing and solutions with telephone providers of your choice
• Total representation on your behalf in negotiating and securing identified refunds you are entitled to
• Most importantly, the highest guarantee that we work solely and completely on your behalf and only propose what is in your best interest 

We were discussing the fact that not all Telecom Consulting firms are created equal.  We were also outlining the in depth approach that NMA uses in conducting a Telecom Audit.  Back to that:

NMA will analyze your existing bills to identify historic calling patterns. This will enable NMA to:
• Identify network inefficiencies for call transport both internally and externally
• Identify any calls of abnormal duration
• Identify and negotiate the most efficient volume discount pricing points and calling plans
• Recommend potential cost effective alternative solutions/services based on usage patterns

NMA will work with the carrier of each individual circuit identified to:
• Determine if it is functional
• Determine if it is being used in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible
• Determine if it is being billed for features not available or not utilized
• Recommend and coordinate cost effective replacement services utilizing your existing providers

NMA will analyze each data facility:
• To determine if it is being utilized efficiently
• To determine if there are cost effective alternatives available based on its intended use
• To determine if there are efficiencies that can be realized by combining currently separate data and telecom facilities
• To determine ways of maximizing capacity without giving up redundancy or other disaster recovery requirements

But wait there’s a lot more…..

Business owners need to understand that not all Telecom Consulting firms are created equal. In every service oriented industry all providers claim to provide the best service, but everyone knows that not every company can be the best. Talk is cheap! There are a lot of factors to consider when determining what really separates the best from the worst. When you are talking about a Telecom Audit the single most important factor to consider is simply how in depth is the actual analysis. Over the next few posts I will outline everything that goes into an NMA Telecom analysis:

NMA will utilize your existing bills and contracts to manually compose a detailed TeleMap of your entire network.  This enables us to:
• Identify all carrier services and their location within your network
• Identify how the services being utilized interact with each other
• Determine network redundancy
• Provide advice on a more efficient network configuration while maintaining the same providers and functionality

NMA will compare recent bills to current contracts:
• To ensure that contractual pricing has been applied accurately and identify any potential refunds based on billing errors
• To ensure that call volume discounts have been initiated and billed correctly
• To ensure that contractual rates are cost competitive in today’s market
• To determine network efficiencies not currently being realized (i.e. such as utilizing existing T1’s for local access calling)
• To determine contractual efficiencies amongst services that are currently contracted separately (i.e. realizing larger volume discounts for combined usage of multiple services)
• To negotiate the most cost competitive rates on your behalf

 BUT WAIT, THERE IS A LOT MORE……..

Why NMA for a Telecom Audit and total Telecom Management?

Companies that switch from internal telecom billing and contract management to NMA can expect to permanently save at least 10%-40% annually. This represents savings that are on average 3 times better than using internal staffing or engaging a typical auditing firm for similar functions.

Outsourcing this function to NMA also brings additional advantages:

• Enhance the accuracy of equipment, service and billing records, which will reduce the time and potential errors going forward.
• Improve visibility into billing, contracts and customer service records through TeleMap.
  Reduce the complexity of the network by creating a single point of control from which to more easily manage a top 3 cost center.
• Internal staff focuses on its core competency and is used more efficiently in other activities related to improving the revenue side of the business.

Many companies have tried to control their multi-million dollar telecommunications costs in a number of ways that, ultimately, have limited success:

Typical bill auditors: Often they are telephone bill auditors who use telecom audit software programs to locate billing errors or low hanging fruit. They will usually keep a portion of the amount recuperated (Refunds/Credits) for the client as a service fee. This short-term and limited approach could only be helpful in the case of carrier related errors that create a refund or credit which only constitutes approx. 15% of what may be available to the client.

Strategic Consultants: They offer the service of reviewing the business environment and design networking options, which may or may not bring reduction in costs. They write RFP’s/RFQ’s, they manage the implementation, then leave and eventually begin the process again at the next contract renewal, never really addressing the core problem.

Outsourced telecom department or function: The entire function of managing the telecom expenditures is outsourced to a specialized company. This represents a major shift in the company’s culture and requires strategic corporate planning and decision from the top level yet it may still never accomplish total telecom cost optimization.

Another reason the Telecom Consulting industry is growing is because according to industry research, the cost of managing telecom expenses averages between 3% and 5% of total telecom expenditures, often requiring one or more a full-time employees if the total annual expenditures exceed $2 million. For most small and mid-sized companies, the cost of managing telecom expenses range from a few hours to a few days or weeks a month. Telecom billing audits, contract negotiations and management are generally not core business functions and the internal staff responsible for telecom contract management is usually understaffed and quite inexperienced when it comes to managing those contracts as well as today’s very complex billing statements which can be nearly impossible to decipher.

Outsourcing the management of telecom expenditures to a reputable and unbiased consulting firm can help companies to better understand the financial foundation of their current provider/s as well as the level of customer service that can be expected. It also takes a great burden away from the in house team who can now spend more time & effort on their core competencies.

One reason the Telecom Consulting industry is growing is because in medium and large companies, telecom agreements need constant attention to avoid billing errors, creeping overpayments for unused services, penalty for contract default, interest charges for late payment, etc. Many studies have confirmed year-after-year that 80% to 90% of businesses spend up to 35% more than they need to on telecommunications services.According to a recent study done by Rand Associates, 4 out of 5 providers’ invoices are billed erroneously. Billing errors usually favor the carriers, and the task of detecting these errors and recovering the overpayments is a challenge in itself. To make it even more difficult, most carriers have now limited the timeframe in which a customer can get restitution for a past overcharge down to 1, 3 or 6 months when up until recently that timeframe was as high as 6 years.

Adding to the complexity and time consuming nature of telecom contract management is the risk of service disruptions. The turmoil over the last few years in the telecom industry has clearly demonstrated that engaging even the largest tier one carriers is still not a safe bet. Buying from top tier providers does not guarantee performance or financial stability. These carriers often promise that consolidating under one roof will simplify billing and would be more cost efficient, however there is no safe haven when these top tier providers file for bankruptcy as we’ve seen in the recent past where the client is left out in the cold with little to no recourse.

If you believe you are spending more than is necessary on telecom related expenses, join the club …

Costs associated with telecommunications are often mismanaged & or overlooked. Users that fail to adequately resource this function will always overpay for their telecommunications services. Telecommunications expenses as a percentage of revenue range from 2% to 10% and are a significant cost line item affecting any organizations bottom line. Telecom spending on local & long distance, cell phones, data services and web hosting range from $100 to $10,000 per employee per year. On average, across industry, medium and large companies spend over $2,000 per employee per year in communications charges. Thus a company with approximately 500 employees is expected to spend approximately $1,000,000 per year in telecommunications of which, anywhere from 10-40% of that Top 3 cost center may be wasted every year unnecessarily.

For a large number of IT and telecom managers, the task of controlling telecom costs is overwhelming because of billing complexities, varying usage patterns, constantly changing market prices, proliferation of new services, introduction of new technologies and constant push by vendors and carriers to sell you the latest services. It is to say the least, a daunting task even for the most seasoned telecom professionals.

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