How Do You Know Your TEM Provider Is Trustworthy?
One of the biggest worries any business can have relates to one of their top spend areas like IT and Telecom. Even bigger is the worry when they handle management of those areas to another company – and whether or not that company is trustworthy. Once your company is large enough that you need to outsource expert help for your high investment areas, you also want to be sure you’re working with a company that isn’t just going to take your money and run.
But how can you be sure if a company is trustworthy? What signs are there to alert you to a potential risky partner?
The first place to start is their willingness to work with you. Not just their willingness to take your money, but how closely they’re willing to work with you as a business for what your business needs. When it comes to telecom expense management, what you need most for your business is a management provider that cares about what your business needs to succeed. This may mean that your TEM provider needs to be available on evenings and weekends – whatever it takes for your business to succeed.
This means to determine if your potential TEM provider is a good business fit with your business, ask them what their customer service is like. What hours do they keep? What are their response times? Do their testimonials specifically mention their customer service as being a top notch part of what makes the company great? If not, you may want to do more research into what other past clients have said about working with the company.
A trustworthy telecom expense management service will also point out everything you can possibly do to save. You want to understand what kind of ROI you’d receive. From working closely with the telco to negotiate substantial credits, or renegotiating contracts entirely, your TEM provider should be working for the best possible outcome for your business. A telecom expense provider that’s dedicated to a lasting relationship with their clients won’t be worried about trying to extend how long you have to pay them to see benefits, nor will they be worried about losing your business after the initial audit to find savings. A TEM provider focused on quality of service will know that if you feel you have continued needs, you’ll reach out – something that leads to a high number of referrals.
Referral business is a great way to find high quality expense providers that you can trust. But how do you find a trustworthy TEM provider if you’re not able to get good referrals from your friends or colleagues? Looking at named case studies on the website of the potential TEM provider you’re considering is one way to determine what people are saying about them, but it’s naturally very one sided.
You can also check out the LinkedIn profiles of their top level execs. For example, you could look at Chad Parnis of 4TelecomHelp to see numerous recommendations from current and past clients. These recommendations are often much more personal than what is posted on a company’s website, allowing you to get a glimpse into what it would be like to work with the company.
Above all, you can always look on the company’s website to see what they offer to their visitors. A company that offers resources that are helpful to you and your business, or who offer content that you can use to make more informed decisions about your telecom expense management, is a company that’s dedicated to helping your business.
You can also reach out to talk to them. An easy option that will help you get a feel for the company is simply to talk to them. A quick contact form, a free consultation to determine the fit of your company with theirs, things that make it easy for you as the business owner to reach out and find a fit – these are great signs of a company that has your interests in mind.
If you’re not sure yet if you’re ready for telecom expense management, you can download our free checklist by entering your email below.