Why Your Business Needs a Telecom Audit

Direct representatives of telecom carriers can only sell products from their company, usually do not have access to the lowest prices, and provide biased information. It’s probably no surprise, but they will all tell you their carrier is the best for you! A telecom audit done by a reputable IT consulting firm will help you get the best value and the services best suited to your needs.

Like a health or life insurance broker, a good IT consulting firm will shop multiple carriers for you and give recommendations based on experience not quotas. In addition, they are able to sell products from different divisions of carriers including wholesale. They will provide options from an extensive portfolio that includes the full range of telecom products from analog lines to T1, Metro-Ethernet, Fiber, GigE, Cable, DSL and VoIP connections, as well as call center solutions and hosted VoIP phone systems.

Telecom audits are especially important to have done when considering major changes like adopting cloud infrastructure or switching to Voice over IP (VoIP). There are a lot of factors to consider like bandwidth requirements and capabilities of existing equipment. Unlike a direct carrier rep, a qualified IT consultant will have a better understanding of your overall IT needs. They can see how each decision affects the others and make sure your solution includes services that not only meet your needs but work well together as a suite of services.

What is a Telecom Audit?

During an audit, the consulting firm will review your existing services. They will check telecom and ISP invoices for fees and surcharges, contract limits, scale projection, errors, potential refunds or credits, service reconciliation, and adherence to any existing disaster recovery plans. It most cases audit findings result in substantial cost savings and/or increased value for existing cost. You will often find you can get more service for the same amount of money or the same service for less money!

Techminutes Pro Advice

Make sure to ask about scale projection. As your business grows, your telecom needs will change. If you aren’t prepared with service that is scalable, you may find yourself contractually obligated to a service that no longer works for you and you might incur significant costs trying to renegotiate a solution that suits your future needs.

Get a free audit of your current telecom and Internet service provider services. You may be paying to much or not getting enough bandwidth for the price you are paying.