Most businesses are overcharged on their telecom bills without even realizing it. The most common sign of overcharging is a bill that is inconsistent from month to month, even with similar usage. Other red flags include vague or unexplained fees, charges for services you don’t use, and rates that are higher than what you were quoted. The best way to know for sure is to have a professional telecom audit performed. [1]

Telecom billing errors are incredibly common. According to Gartner, as many as 80% of business telecom bills contain errors. [2] Some of the most frequent errors include:

• Cramming: Unauthorized charges for third-party services.
• Slamming: Having your service switched to another carrier without your consent.
• Incorrect Rates: Being charged a higher rate than what is in your contract.
• Unused Services: Paying for phone lines or features that are no longer in use.
• Taxes and Surcharges: Incorrectly applied taxes and regulatory fees.

Hidden fees on telecom invoices are often disguised under vague labels like “service fee,” “administrative charge,” or “regulatory recovery fee.” To identify these, you need to scrutinize your bill line by line and question any charge you don’t understand. It’s also helpful to request a Customer Service Record (CSR) from your carrier, which provides a more detailed breakdown of your services and charges. [3]

If you find a billing error, the first step is to contact your carrier’s customer service department. Be prepared to provide specific details about the error, including the date of the bill and the amount of the overcharge. If the customer service representative is unable to resolve the issue, you can escalate it to a supervisor or file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). [4]

The amount of time you have to claim a credit for a billing error varies by carrier and state. However, most carriers will provide credits for errors that have occurred within the last 2-3 years. A professional telecom auditor can help you identify and recover these past overcharges.

The most effective way to reduce telecom expenses is to take a proactive and strategic approach to managing your telecom services. This includes:

• Auditing your bills regularly: To identify and correct billing errors.
• Optimizing your services: To ensure you are only paying for what you need.
• Negotiating with your carriers: To get the best possible rates and terms.
• Considering new technologies: Such as VoIP and cloud services, which can offer significant cost savings.

There are several ways to lower your company’s mobile phone bills, including:

• Pooling your data: To avoid overage charges.
• Choosing the right plan: For each employee based on their usage.
• Negotiating with your carrier: For a corporate discount.
• Implementing a mobile device management (MDM) policy: To control costs and ensure security.

A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system can offer significant cost savings over a traditional phone system. VoIP systems use your internet connection to make and receive calls, which can eliminate the need for expensive phone lines. They also offer a wide range of features that can improve productivity and collaboration. However, it’s important to choose a reputable VoIP provider and to ensure that your internet connection is reliable enough to support the service.

Negotiating with your telecom provider can be a daunting task, but it’s one of the most effective ways to reduce your costs. Before you start negotiating, you should:

• Do your research: To know what other carriers are offering.
• Know your usage: To have a clear understanding of your needs.
• Be prepared to walk away: If you don’t get the deal you want.

A telecom consultant can be a valuable asset in these negotiations, as they have the expertise and industry knowledge to get you the best possible deal.

The average saving from a telecom audit can vary depending on the size of your business and the complexity of your telecom services. However, it’s not uncommon for businesses to save 15-30% on their telecom expenses after a thorough audit.

A telecom consultant can be a valuable partner in your efforts to reduce telecom costs. They have the expertise and industry knowledge to identify savings opportunities that you may not be aware of. They can also handle the time-consuming task of negotiating with your carriers and managing your telecom services, freeing you up to focus on your core business.

Telecom Expense Management (TEM) is the process of managing and optimizing your company’s telecom services. It includes everything from auditing your bills and negotiating with your carriers to managing your inventory and tracking your usage. A TEM solution can help you to reduce your costs, improve your efficiency, and gain greater visibility into your telecom environment.

Outsourcing your telecom expense management can provide a number of benefits, including:

• Cost savings: By identifying and correcting billing errors, optimizing your services, and negotiating better rates.
• Time savings: By freeing up your staff from the time-consuming task of managing your telecom services.
• Increased visibility: By providing you with detailed reports and analytics on your telecom usage and spending.
• Access to expertise: By giving you access to a team of experienced telecom professionals.

The cost of a telecom consultant can vary depending on the scope of their services. Some consultants charge a flat fee, while others work on a contingency basis, meaning they only get paid if they are able to save you money. 180 Solutions operates on a performance-based model, so there is no cost to you if we don’t find any savings.

When choosing a telecom consulting firm, you should look for a company that has:

• A proven track record of success: With a long list of satisfied clients.
• A team of experienced professionals: With deep industry knowledge.
• A commitment to transparency: With a clear and easy-to-understand pricing model.
• A focus on customer service: With a dedication to providing you with the best possible experience.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize the telecom industry. AI-powered tools can be used to:

• Automate the process of auditing telecom bills: To identify and correct billing errors more quickly and accurately.
• Analyze telecom usage data: To identify opportunities for cost savings.
• Negotiate with telecom carriers: To get the best possible rates and terms.
• Proactively identify and resolve network issues: To prevent costly downtime.

Yes, there are a number of AI-powered tools available that can help you to analyze your telecom bills. These tools can automatically identify and flag potential billing errors, and can provide you with insights into your telecom usage and spending.

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180 Solutions, LLC analyzes invoices for local lines, long distance, wireless, data, internet, cloud service and phone system maintenance agreements, as part of our telecom cost reduction service.

According to research & advisory company, Gartner, “80% of businesses are being overcharged by the telecom carriers”…”Every month that goes by, organizations are losing money on their telecom expenses.”

The telecom cost reduction opportunity is a Performance Based Service that is solely dependent upon 180 Solutions, LLC saving you money. If we do not save you any money you don’t owe us anything.

There is a common misconception that contractual services for your telecom resources are the same every month. This is most often inaccurate. What is often overlooked are the non-contractual fees and rate changes that can occur for services under those contracts

Very little of our client’s time is required. 180 Solutions, LLC simply asks you to gather one month of telecom bills for each provider of local, long distance, wireless, internet/data and cloud services. All validation, negotiation and market-based research is done by 180 Solutions, LLC, including confirmation of the changes.

First off, it is not the fault of any individual employee or organization when certain errors and overcharges are not identified, because of the way telecom billing systems code their user’s invoices. Vague descriptors, industry specific codes and price elasticity fees are just some of the problems that plague an invoice. 180 Solutions, LLC has assembled a group of former telecom employees who are experienced in reading each client’s Customer Service Record and validating each Internal Vendor Code.