Most companies overpay for phone service – every month

  

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Your company is probably being over-billed for phone service.

Unfortunately, most phone carriers send out long, complex and hard-to-understand bills. Companies simply write a check, hoping that the charges were accurate. But chances are, they paid too much.

We hear the stories from our clients all the time. They discover problems on their phone bills, only to discover that bogus charges have gone on for years. If someone discovers a questionable line item and calls the phone company for an explanation, they end up frustrated and sitting on hold.

Let me give you an example. We are moving a legacy customer onto our hosted platform. In the process, we discovered that they have been billed for services they shut off years ago. It has been incredibly difficult and time-consuming for them to sort out the bills. Plus, this small company has paid a couple hundred dollars extra every month – for services never used!

Unfortunately, learning to read and understand a phone bill has become a necessary evil. Assign one person in your company to read through the bill, line by line, and determine which services your company is actually using. That same person should check the bill every month for inconsistencies. The Federal Communications Commission provides a basic primer on how to read and understand a phone bill that may be useful.

Keep an eye out for common instances of overbilling. Here are some examples:

• Phone and data lines that should have been disconnected – but were not. These might include modem lines and data circuits.
• Companies are charged for outbound long distance on inbound-only lines.
• Hackers use the company’s phone system after hours or break into the 800 line to re-route long distance calls.
• Services are double-billed, literally showing up twice on the same invoice.
• Long distance services are not charged at the agreed-upon rate.

Not ready to take on the phone company by yourself? Several consulting firms specialize in phone bill auditing. Many of these agree to work on a contingency basis, meaning they are paid only if they uncover savings on your phone bills. Not surprisingly, phone bill audits for large companies have actually netted hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds for past over-billing and contract violation.

Whether you choose an outside auditor or in-house personnel to monitor your phone bills, put a strategy in place today. The time spent will more than pay for itself.

Xtelesis would be happy to take a look at your phone bill for FREE.  Our Account Executives are very familar with the fees charged on your phone bill.  Give us a call, 888.340.9835, and we'll help you audit your phone bill.