Planning a Telecom Audit? Two Big Mistakes to Avoid

CIOs and IT managers tell us all the time how surprised they are at the savings they identify when they use our team to conduct a telecom audit. We’re anything but surprised as we’ve been conducting professional deep dive forensic audits for our clients for years.

But here’s the point --- these savings are not trivial. It is not unusual for us to find 25-40%+ savings on a company’s annual telecom spend. And you don’t have to be a mathematician to know what that can equate to in dollars — often over a hundred thousand dollars per year. So the only question clients are left with is, “Why did we wait so long?”

For other companies, however, the amount of savings they achieve through their audits are far less. But why?

They have probably made one of the following mistakes:

1. They conducted the audit themselves. This happens for a couple of reasons. One, they don’t like the idea of someone from the outside snooping on the way they keep track of their contracts and invoices. Two, they don’t want to “look bad” feeling that they should have caught those errors and negotiated better contracts. To those folks we have a message: You hired the wrong auditor. Here’s how that should work:
   
   Auditors should be nothing more than a tool that goes to work for you. That’s our philosophy. We work for you. You’re not an auditor, you’re a highly skilled IT professional. We’re a tool that you can use strategically to accomplish a very specific goal: save money.

2. They paid an “up-front” auditor’s fee. Many auditors will charge an up-front fee before they even begin their work. This should be a major red flag because it tells you one thing: They don’t think they will find anything significant enough to warrant their time. This is a money trap to watch out for! Here’s what an auditor should offer:
   
   A zero risk audit. That means you don’t pay a nickel until they identify exactly where the savings are and how to get those savings. Experts with a successful track record have the confidence to make this offer. Those who don’t cannot.

Have you made one of these mistakes? You’re not to blame and you’re not alone. But you can change the way you approach your audits. And if you haven’t had one in a while, now is the time to schedule one.

Our Deep Dive Forensic Audit makes you the hero, not us. We have done our job right if you are shown to be the pro that you are – the one who focuses their team on service and innovation not pouring over invoices. And the one who knows when it’s time to bring in an expert. You won’t pay a cent until we find actual savings for you.

Give us a call. Our IT and telecom experts are ready to share valuable insights and help you plan an audit that delivers real savings. We’ll help you uncover thousands of dollars in recoverable costs that can be reinvested to drive innovation and add meaningful value to your organization.