When was the last time you looked closely at your phone bill? As your business grows with a bigger team and more products and services, the information on your telecommunications bill can get hard to decipher. Hidden fees and charges can quickly add up, resulting in unnecessary inefficiencies and costs. By taking the time to analyse your telco bill, you’ll be able to identify any overspends or irregularities that may otherwise slip between the cracks.
One of the main reasons to take a fresh look and review your telco service and phone bill is to save money. With many businesses having multiple fixed and mobile numbers, a phone bill can be lengthy and complex. Reviewing your telco bill regularly allows you to identify which services you’re paying for and how much you’re being charged. In some cases, the services on your bill may no longer be required resulting in instant cost savings.
With so many variations in contracts, we know it can be frustrating trying to work out if you’re getting the best telco deal for your business. We can help you get the right phone service that gives you the best value for money. As procurement specialists, Arrow Voice & Data can take care of all your telecommunications and IT needs. From technology and purchasing to warranty and 24/7 Australian based support. We can take care of your complicated technology requirements so you can focus on growing your business.
Essential steps to review your telco bill
As you review your telco bill, it’s important to identify whether you’re paying for services you no longer use and which services you’re being charged too much for. Itemising your bill into the following categories can help:
- Telco services that you either don’t use or aren’t using very often
- Telco services that you use
- Telco services that are used but have excessive charges (these can include data, service or call allowances)
Your telco bill will also include a summary of account section, which gives you a detailed overview of charges that may be itemised. There will also be a section for ‘customer messages’ where your vendor will give you details about any service updates and the other services they provide.
We suggest that when you review your telco bill you look at the following 6 areas:
- Statement and remittance information
- Type of phone service and number of lines
- Service charges
- Data fees
- Usage and extras, and
- Products provided
The 3 key areas to focus on are explained in more detail below.
1. Statement and remittance information
The statement information on your telco bill gives you a quick overview that includes any past due charges, the total amount due, the date it’s due, your company’s name, contact information and account number. Your vendor’s information will also be in this section with their business name and address. Your business name and address will be on the remittance information section.
2. Type of phone service and number of lines
Your telco bill will be itemised according to the type of phone service your business has. The type of phone lines you have and any additional services such as SMS can affect pricing fluctuations.
Main types of phone lines include:
3. Service charges
Your service level agreement (SLA) with your phone vendor will determine how your charges are shown on the telco bill. They may be itemised or listed as recurring, flat charges.
It’s important to note the definition of basic services can vary between phone vendors. Toll-free service charges are considered to be a basic service that’s listed under line charges. These will typically include:
If your telco agreement doesn’t include toll-free, the calls will either be summarized into a total number of minutes or calls, or be itemised. Local calling can be part of your basic phone service, but can sometimes be charged on a per-minute, per-call basis. If your business is being charged for local calling, you’ll see a ‘local section’ under the summary section of your telco bill.
Depending on the definition of your basic phone service, long distance calls may be included in a separate section of your telco bill under the summary section. If these aren’t itemised on a per-line, per-call basis, you’ll need to divide the total charges by the fee per minute or fee per call.
How to simplify your telco bill and save money
Stop paying too much for your phone, data and technology. Arrow Voice and Data is the only company needed for all your IT and telecommunications needs. Being procurement specialists allows us to handle all technology, purchasing, warranty and support under one umbrella. Your business can focus on what you do best, leaving the complications of technology to the experts. Our highly experienced and trained customer service staff can review your telco bill. We take the guesswork out of analysing your phone bill by looking at your usage patterns and how your employees use their phones, data and technology. By identifying the telco services you use, we can help you reduce your business costs with the best telco service that is easily scalable.
