In my last blog, I introduced you to one of our customers who is very similar to a lot of small to medium sized businesses in Canada: they have 30 employees with 40 mobile devices (a mix of smartphones & tablets) and do not have the budget to employ a full-time telecom employee. Therefore contract negotiation and monthly billing analysis is done by someone who is not specially trained in telecom. Although they are good intentioned, the unfortunate result is that they have been unknowingly overpaying by 30% every single month for 4 years! They were shocked when we presented them with this information.

We see the headlines when consumers receive a shockingly large bill, like the Canadian Dad whose 11-year old son racked up a $22,000 data bill over 3 days in Mexico (read the full story at CBC.ca). Why don’t we see headlines about businesses being overcharged by equally shocking amounts? It may be because business overcharges are less obvious than a consumer’s. It’s often small amounts billed in error on multiple users, so they are left unnoticed.

If your business is not requesting credits each month for billing errors, than you are overpaying for your services. Here are some of the most common billing errors that we come across, that you can start looking for today:

• Ad Hoc Billing Errors – whether it’s a hardware charge or a roaming package, I frequently see ad hoc charges billed incorrectly. Quick Tip: keep track of orders that will impact the bill and reconcile each order to the invoice. For example: if you order a cost-saving travel bundle for a user, ensure the correct bundle is billed – if the wrong bundle was added to the account, this can have a serious impact on costly roaming usage.
• Missing Feature Codes – every corporate contract will be filled with $0 features like Call Display, Voicemail, and Call Waiting. Depending on your contract negotiating skills, you should also have $0 features that are customized to your organization’s usage (stay tuned to my next blog for contract tips!). For example, we have a client whose contracted features require 16 different billing codes for the average smart phone user – it’s very easy in this case for the carrier to accidentally miss a feature code when setting up a new user! Omitted the Call Display feature won’t impact the billing, however, if the carrier neglects to add the “500 free text messages” that is in your contract, that will impact your billing. Carefully monitor the feature codes, especially for new users!
• Activation Credits – your contract will specify the credit amount that is given for every new user added to the account. If your contract offers a multi-month credit (example: $100 total credit, applied as $20/month for the first 5 months of the user’s billing), carefully monitor and track these credits. Ensure that your organization is receiving the full amount!

What do you do once you have identified a billing error?

It is important to deal with billing errors properly, to ensure a resolution with the first contact – back-and-forth communication only costs you time and money. Submit all billing disputes via email: keeping a paper trail is the key to success! Include as much information as possible to guarantee a swift and successful resolution. Include in your email:

• The corporate account number
• The user name and phone number that has the billing error
• Summarize the billing dispute in the body of the email and state the dollar amount you believe should be credited
• Attach a PDF version of the user’s invoice and highlight the disputed charges
• Attach your original email with the order request (if you have the reply from your representative confirming the order, include this as well) – again, a paper trail is the key!

In my experience, when a billing dispute is submitted this way, the dispute is always resolved quickly and my requested credit amount is given without argument. The trick is to offer as much information and supporting documentation as possible – don’t make the representative hunt through their billing system for information!

In the next installment of this blog series, we’ll look at the often-overlooked power of the “master contract” and how routine maintenance on it keeps your monthly recurring costs down.

Jennifer Caley,
TEM & WTEM Expert, Service Desk Manager of Nielsen IT Consulting Inc.

Would you like to be surprised by the savings opportunities that are hidden in your mobility bills? Call Jennifer today at 519-963-3035 or email jcaley@nielsenitconsulting.com for a no-risk audit. Remember, the errors and savings opportunities are always there – let Jennifer solve the puzzle and put money back into your budget.

Mobility Cost-Saving Case Study

Over this blog series, Nielsen IT’s mobility service expert Jennifer Caley will explore the importance of a monthly billing review, routinely scheduled contract renegotiation, and tips for regularly renewing your hardware fleet with current technology at minimal cost to the business.

• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Managing Monthly Costs
• Part 3: Keeping Mobility Contracts Current
• Part 4: Outfit Staff with Current Technology at No Cost