– Joe Basili, managing director for TEMIA (Telecom Expense Management Industry Association; www.temia.org), says:
How much do enterprises spend on telecom?
Enterprises spend a significant amount on telecom services and equipment, in North America, typically 3% to 6% of an enterprise’s gross revenues 28% to 12% of North American enterprise IT budgets is spent on telecommunications expenses.
Strategies for cutting expenses
Often enterprises think tactically about short term ways to address telecom expenses. They might conduct an audit of telecom expenses and have some cost saving recommendations, but this usually misses larger opportunities for cost savings. Organizations should be thinking about how they currently manage telecom expenses and the gaps in the current process. Most will find they have manual labor intensive processes. One of the other challenges is that organizations tend to have decentralized processes with different functional groups performing these functions. A good TEM program will help drive better collaboration and break down the silos that often exist.
Most organizations will find that they need a combination of technology and professional services to address these issues. Typically a TEM licensed software, hosted SaaS solution, or a full Business Process Outsource Managed Service solution will enable them to drive the largest amount of savings. These savings will include operation gains as well as reductions in spending for telecom services.
