At the beginning of the pandemic, we saw that companies were looking to cut costs as they feared less revenue. Now, with inflation and rising prices, we see the same thing. The reality is that telecom and IT bills can be hard to decipher, and you may not know what you are paying for. In our more than twenty years in the industry and thousands of bill reviews, we know what to look for to save you money. Here are 3 ways you might be overpaying on your telecom and IT bill, and how to bring those costs down.
You are paying for a service twice and overpaying on your telecom and IT bill.
This might seem really simple, but that doesn’t make it less true. When we moved from the office to the home office over the pandemic, we needed the tech to make it work. What might have happened during that time is that you didn’t realize what you had. For example, you may have jumped on the Zoom bandwagon, thinking you didn’t have a video conferencing service. In reality, your team may have already had access to video conferencing through Microsoft Teams, Google, GoToMeeting, or even your VOIP provider. When ProfitComm does a vendor audit, we look at everyone you are paying and what services you’re getting. Then, we make sure there isn’t an overlap.
You’re paying for a Lambo when you need a Civic.
If you’re searching for a place to grab dinner, you can see a little dollar sign next to the restaurant and know how much you can expect to pay. Sometimes, you want the $$$ to impress a client, and sometimes you just need the $ to fill your stomach. Telecom and IT services work the same way. Sometimes, you need top-of-the-line, white-glove service. For example, if you work in finance or banking, you need a backup and disaster recovery system that works flawlessly, backs up often, and can keep working even if something goes wrong. That’s $$$. But, if you are a small company that doesn’t deal in secure information other than credit cards, you still need security, and you still need backup and DR, but $ might suffice. One way you might be overpaying on your telecom or IT bill is by having the $$$ option when all you need is the $. We know the depth and range of telecom and IT services, and can help you figure out what you really need using our RFP Alternative process.
You’re using legacy technology and paying too much.
What’s the easiest way to make people stop buying something? Make it cost a lot of money. The telecom companies know how this basic principle of economics works. That’s why when they want to phase out a technology, they’ll start charging a lot–and we mean A LOT–for it. Recently, telecom companies have been given the go-ahead to phase out plain old telephone lines. In order to encourage folks to switch away from this service, they are charging up to 8x what the rate was before. Because so many of us are used to automatic bill pay, you might not even see this rate is going up, or understand why. Because we have decades of experience in this industry, with all the massive changes that have happened during this time, we know what the industry standards are, and what you should and shouldn’t be paying.
If you’re interested in an audit of your telecom or IT bill, contact us today. Using our RFP Alternative process, we can help you figure out the technology you have, what you actually need, and make sure that the vendor you are using matches that need.