So, how do you install a Telecom Expense Management solution?
I've been involved in telecom expense solutions as a vendor and as an end user and every single time, I've run into the same mindset. Every time I've seen a company do this so far, they start by looking at vendor solutions and getting some analyst's opinion of how much money could be saved. And I can assure you that neither of these is the right way to go.
Before you start on a solution, you've got to start by defining the problem, figuring out who needs access, and what you want the solution to do. Otherwise, you're just trying to be stupid in a more efficient manner. And trust me, doing stupid things faster just makes the problem worse. Good organizations can recover quickly and figure out how to make stupid processes smart. But better organizations take a relatively short period of time (3-6 months) to actually design a model of the aspects of TEM that they want to use or outsource. And the timely deliberation is important, too. Drawing this out forever and ever just wastes your resources on an installation that never occurs. Then you get the worst of both worlds: you've wasted tens of thousands of dollars in labor and you don't have a solution that saves you any money.
I know this seems like common sense, but just think about how many times you've had software or solutions installed at your office based on some measured value of ROI or perceived value rather than just figuring out what people at work need to do and what the best tool would be? Life would be a lot easier if there were just a few more people who actually asked themselves the question, "Is this the best tool that we could use to get the job done?"
