The 5 Things Franchises Need To Do To Save Money on Phone Contracts

The daily grind of managing a franchise may seem relatively simple.  Things that work well as a franchise are often easy enough to set up, get running, and then handle on a day to day basis.  You, savvy business owner that you are, probably aren’t the person who manages the store, hotel, or kiosk on a daily basis.  You’re at a higher level, involved in what it takes to make everything run smoothly for everyone that has a franchise of your business.

As you well know, that’s where things get really complicated.

Luckily for you, there’s a lot of tools out there for helping you with the many aspects of franchise management. From task management training to software to help simplify business operations, there’s tons of software for the computer side.

But what about your phones?

Phone billing, management, and dealing with contracts isn’t a particularly fun or enticing aspect of running a franchise, and often gets pushed to the side for things that seem like a more obvious way to save money or time.  If you’re not carefully watching your phone bills, you may be missing out on some major savings and efficiency opportunities.

Here’s the top 5 things franchises need to do once they’re managing multiple phone lines, contracts, and locations:

1. Look at your contract in detail. Do you know what software or technology each location should have?   How quickly can you expect someone to come out and fix any problems you may have at each location?  Do you know exactly what you agreed to?  Not examining contracts in detail is one of the most common mistakes companies with multiple lines make.  Learn more about contracts and why it’s so important to examine them by clicking here.
2. Have a system in place to ensure all bills and invoices are paid on time. This may seem a bit obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many companies get hit with fees for non-payment.  Once you have multiple locations, multiple lines, and multiple contracts, juggling them all can get to be quite a headache.  You’ll save yourself money and headaches by ensuring that you have a system and process in place that at the very least, checks to be sure there aren’t any outstanding bills that will cost you money in fees.
3. Audit yourself regularly. Even a simple check to ensure that you aren’t paying for services that you don’t need, or that there aren’t unusual charges on the phone bills for each location, can add up to quite a bit of saved money.  Sometimes, you’ll catch things before they become major problems – an employee chatting long distance when that’s not a part of your plan, or data caps on mobile contracts that are preventing the sales team from being effective.  If you aren’t checking the details, your grasp of the big picture may be quite inaccurate.
4. Know what your business needs. You’ll need to do some research, but not all contracts, carriers, or plans were made equal.  Does your business need wired lines to brick-and-mortar stores?  Do you need mobile phones for a workforce that travels often?  Would you like fiber for your internet connection, or are fast internet speeds not an issue in your business?  Knowing what your business needs to work most efficiently is vital to ensuring you’re not overpaying for services you don’t need, or lacking in a service you do need but don’t have.
5. Check for credits you’ve earned on your phone plans: Many (if not all) contracts include a way for your company to earn credits towards your bills. These credits can add up to huge savings, especially if you haven’t looked for them before this.  You may need to call your service provider to check on whether or not you have credits or could be earning them soon, but the time spent on the phone for this is well worth it.

Or, save yourself the headache, and look for a quality telecom expense management provider to help you with your phone lines.  You’ll want to find a TEM provider that treats you like a partner, going to bat for you and finding every possible savings out there.

If you’ve never worked with a telecom expense provider before, you may be hesitant about the idea of spending money to find out how much money you should be spending on your phones.  Don’t be!  The first year of savings almost always more than pays for the cost of TEM, and the continued increases in efficiency, credits, and other savings continue to make telecom expense management worth it.

Imagine never having to worry about whether or not a bill was paid again, or which invoices matched up to which checks, or when each contract expires for each location.  A TEM provider like 4TelecomHelp is exactly what your company needs to continue growing.

Enter your email below for a free, quick checklist to see if it’s time for your company to look into advanced telecom expense management solutions.