Jul
29
Written by:
admin
7/29/2011 11:36 AM
Despite all the new and emerging business communications technologies (VOIP, WIFI, Bluetooth, etc.) the majority of businesses today still use POTS or “plain old telephone service" to communicate on a daily basis.
And while your local phone service may be old fashioned and simple, it might also be the perfect place to begin your telecom cost reduction efforts.
Here are 5 quick ways to begin cutting your local phone service bills:
1) Consolidate Lines
First and foremost, eliminate unnecessary or unneeded lines. The best thing to do is inventory all the existing lines for your business. Do this across all locations. Eliminate phone numbers that cannot be identified, lines that ring with no answer, and/or measured lines without current usage.
2) Remove unnecessary features and services
More often than not, most companies have lines that contain features and/or services that are either not needed or are rarely used. Typically these features are added for a specific employee or a specific purpose. But as the business changes, these features are never removed. Tip: consider removing wire maintenance charges. They can be as high as $6 per month for each line!
3) Block expensive pay-per-use features
Features like directory assistance call completion, repeat dial and call return are convenient for employees - but they will cost your company over time. All of these features can be blocked through your carrier or if you decide these are needed, contact your LEC to see if a monthly fee can be paid for unlimited usage.
4) Review your bills
According to Rand Associates, telecom invoicing is chalked full of errors. In fact, they estimate that 80% of Telco invoices have inaccuracies. A full telecom audit of your communication expenditures is the most complete way to assess the validity of your invoices. Common problems include: more than one long distance carrier included (slamming), bogus charges (cramming) from other companies and directory listings that are not actually listed. To maximize savings, review each bill every month.
5) Upgrade to a T1
For smaller businesses, installing a T1 line into your PBX system can reduce your local telephone charges. The T1 can replace up to 24 POTS lines in your PBX and carry data. No one will notice a difference except maybe the person who pays all the bills.
No time to audit but want to save money? Let RealCom Solutions help you manage your telecom services. Optimize your savings today!