The most complicated Telco Billing Process in the world?

The most complicated Telco Billing Process in the World? Missing TELCO DISCOUNTS and credits? We got you!

REGULAR MANAGEMENT and REVIEW of TELECOM COSTS or expenses is a great way to IMPROVE BUSINESS COST CONTROL and PROFITABILITY.

However, we recognise that Telecom phone and internet providers have made the BILLING PROCESS COMPLEX, TIME-CONSUMING, and DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. They have a range of complex systems and processes, in which errors are bound to happen.

Our Business Management Audit Service is designed to help you to identify opportunities to find errors that can bring you immediate and past cost savings on your telecom expenses across the following areas:

👉Products and services delivered but NOT BILLED AS QUOTED

👉Contract DISCOUNTS NOT IMPLEMENTED

👉AD-hoc CHARGES you were UNAWARE OF

👉Services or products that SHOULD HAVE BEEN CANCELLED but still appear in your bill each month.

Why not book a FREE CONSULTATION with us today? We can help your business save thousands every year by ensuring your telecom bills represent the true costs associated with your phone or internet usage. +61 409 481 508 with Jensen IPA | www.jensenipa.com.au |  #telco #telecommunication #analysis #billing #bills #expenses

How Important is Checking Invoices?

How Important Is Checking Invoices?

Almost certainly you have paid or authorized invoices that were plain WRONG. We have found that approximately 1 in 10 invoices have errors, and half of the errors get paid anyway. Do you give your invoices a cursory glance and approve them for payment, or do you purposefully challenge each one?

And if you, or someone in your team, were checking invoices for an additional hour every day, how many mistakes would they find and correct, and how much would that add to your net profit?

Assume all invoices are wrong

Assume every invoice is wrong until proven correct.  Challenge every invoice regardless of value and importance.  Pay particular attention to:

  • Long-standing suppliers who have added multiple annual increases and variations (i.e. waste management firms)
  • Suppliers who are list-picking their prices from a catalogue (i.e. office supply companies). You may have agreed to prices on core products that were quoted as artificial loss leaders – only to be obscenely overcharged on the non-core off-list items.
  • Professional suppliers (i.e. accountants, lawyers) who bill by the hour. It is your right to see their timesheets, remember to ask politely. They won’t like it, but at least you can see you were charged $50 for a phone call, or $30 for file retrieval.
  • Invoices with a suspicious lack of detail. No mention of date work was completed, frequency, or proof of delivery.
  • Less sophisticated suppliers who are less computerized. They might have a large invoice run and may have rushed through the detail, or put in an item and hoped for the best. It happens a lot.

Don’t let the little things pass

You might agree with the main item on the invoice, but what about the small items that are put in there? Is the supplier thinking they can get away with it because it is such a small amount?  Look out for additional fees or charges for shipping and handling fees that look exorbitant that were never agreed upon. These little things will be a fraction of your cost but will contribute disproportionately to your supplier’s margin.

Track invoices back to your original agreements, emails, etc

It will not be practical to do this for all invoices, every time, but with a long-standing supplier, it is important to regularly reconcile the invoice to the original agreement.  Establish the originally agreed price, establish signed or agreed paperwork for any price variations, and challenge each item accordingly. We find that companies can easily be guilty of agreeing to a price for a specific service and invoicing you a completely different price. Would you think to challenge it? You should.

Use a Purchase Order System

Are you using a Purchase Order (PO) system, and is it working well for you? They are normally available as an extension of your accounting platform. If done well, they are excellent. If done badly, you can tie yourself in knots with unnecessary paperwork. They are particularly important for multi-site businesses where there are several purchasers. They can be used for single-use purchases or recurring blanket purchase orders for recurring purchases.  With a PO system, an invoice can only be approved if it matches the original PO, which you will have generated in advance.

Invoices that under-charge your company

Yes, they exist, too. What you do with these is, of course, a value judgment for you. If you bring it to your vendor’s attention – you will pay more. The upside is you win the respect of your vendor, and your relationship is deepened. If you don’t you win a small savings break, but for how long? Your vendor might later discover the undercharge, and send you a backdated corrected invoice that could be problematic on your cash flow.

And lastly, are you double-checking your own sales invoices?

How about your own invoicing procedures? How accurate is your invoice run? Is anyone double-checking your invoices and reconciling each line to original agreements or Purchase Orders? Incorrect invoices damage your integrity and reputation. Invest the time to make sure they are accurate, every time!

Published by Marc Freedman

billsanalyst #customerexperience #businessstrategy #smartfinances #telecom

Book a FREE consultation call with Jensen IPA. We are experts in reviewing and ensuring client telecommunication bills are correct.
See https://www.jensenipa.com.au/booking-appointment/ or CALL 1300 058 887

Telstra T-Connect changes in 2022 promise nothing

“The best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour”

This now-famous quote has been attributed to psychologists, such as Albert Ellis, Walter Michel, and B.F. Skinner, to writers such as Mark Twain. So, our belief is that if a large Telco hasn’t given much help in the past with interpreting their billing data, our confidence is not high that future access or understanding will be any easier!

Telstra has recently advised the software platform T-analysis, with all the past billing tools and reports is being moved to a new platform called Telstra T-connect early in 2022. And whilst they have won a shiny new award for the change , it appears no one has thought to make the billing and charges any simpler to decipher.

What does this mean? We know this will affect existing users. We are hopeful, Telstra won’t change anything when they move things across. But, as you know, when large scale changes are made, things will fall through the cracks.

All Telstra T-analyst customers – We want you to have the heads up on this change. Do you use the existing reports and information to your advantage? We believe this is rare, or you would be able to discover the errors we constantly see with each new customer.

Ask Jensen IP Analysis to review your old data urgently, get the credits you deserve, and prepare you for the new platform. A great time to reset things and get your telco accounts into order, and save. We save Telstra clients on average of $49,903 per customer in Credits per Audit. Then, in addition, there are ongoing savings.

NBN and Telstra accounts may well be the most complex billing systems devised… Jensen IPA can make sense of it. Don’t wait though. Call 0409 481 508 NOW | [email protected] |https://www.jensenipa.com.au/ #TELCO #telstra #costreduction

ISDN is Dying – Businesses need to switch from old telecom technology.

ISDN is Dying – Businesses need to act now! By May 2022, all existing ISDN services (on Telstra networks) will be switched off. It will take months to sort out account issues- so you need to act right now.

We know the telecommunications industry is constantly changing. We understand many business services will now be using NBN and new technologies associated with the NBN. However, we are also aware there are a few businesses that have held off changing or adopting new NBN services.

It is vital to NOTE: these changes are no longer optional. By the end of May 2022, all existing ISDN telecommunications services in Australia (on Telstra networks) will be switched off.

What does this mean? If you have not made the changes to NBN by May 2022 your ISDN services will not work.

Further to this, any new orders or products for NBN, are already taking months in some cases to be completed. Any delay or inaction on your part may impact your business.

We want to ensure your business services will continue. Please contact us today to check your services and find out more.

Book your FREE CONSULTATION today by calling 1300 058 887 or go to https://www.jensenipa.com.au/contact/

From Telstra – Some information for you in regards to the ISDN Product Exit.

We have decided to exit these services across all of Australia by 31 May 2022. Before this time, we expect that the underlying technologies and platforms that support these services would have ceased by the relevant vendors, meaning we would no longer be able to provision and maintain services to satisfactory levels. During this period we expect that the nbn™ rollout would reach up to 92% of Australian premises, and we’re subsequently being required to disconnect the copper network that is currently used to deliver ISDN services on a region by region basis.

Our Migration Plan outlines how we’ve agreed to progressively withdraw these services (further details of the disconnection processes that apply, any exceptions, and the process we will use to notify you about the timing for disconnection, are contained in Required Measure 5 (D) of the Migration Plan).
Some information for you in regards to the ISDN Product Exit.

We have decided to exit these services across all of Australia by 31 May 2022. Before this time, we expect that the underlying technologies and platforms that support these services would have ceased by the relevant vendors, meaning we would no longer be able to provision and maintain services to satisfactory levels. During this period we expect that the nbn™ rollout would reach up to 92% of Australian premises, and we’re subsequently being required to disconnect the copper network that is currently used to deliver ISDN services on a region by region basis.

Our Migration Plan outlines how we’ve agreed to progressively withdraw these services (further details of the disconnection processes that apply, any exceptions, and the process we will use to notify you about the timing for disconnection, are contained in Required Measure 5 (D) of the Migration Plan).

See link below with full details.

https://www.telstra.com.au/business-enterprise/products/networks/nbn/special-services

Jensen helps Scissorlift Co find $7000 Credits in ISDN issue

The challenge

A small company was finding the phone bill hard to work out and were sure they were being overcharged for some old services. While investigating, they realised they needed help arranging their services, cancelling old products and services, and ensuring the bills were accurate according to their needs.

Jensen IPA was brought in to check their accounts and aid them. Jensen IPA was able to quickly size up the problems and issues. It appears that there were 4 old ISDN services charged since 2019 that were never cancelled when they moved premises. 

Results

Jensen IPA was able to gather the evidence and details needed to mount a claim for cancellations and backdated rental credits.  A claim was lodged by Jensen IPA through Telstra, resulting in the immediate cancellation of the disputed services. In addition, a credit was applied for charges billed from 2019. A total credit for over $7000 was applied to the customer account.

The professional services supplied by Jensen IPA aided this company to ensure their telecommunications bills and charges are accurate and reflect only active services that they use.

Our skills aid companies to navigate the complexities of telecommunications billing, and claw back any credits they may be entitled to. 

How can we help your company to save money and ensure you are being charged accurately by your telecommunications provider. JENSEN IPA is ready to help you now. Call for a no-charge, obligation-free chat, or see www.jensenipa.com

CALL 1300 058 887 FREE Consultation – JENSEN IP ANALYSIS will interpret & track data and phone expenses. Mon – Fri 9am to 5pm

TELCO #telstra #costreduction

Small things DO matter – Education Provider on the Gold Coast saves over $9,000 pa

A National Education Provider on the Gold Coast saves over $9,000 pa on multiple little charges.

Sometimes telecommunication bills are so large and complex, you just don’t know where to start. Recently, Jensen IPA received a
call to assist the IT manager of a large childcare provider with over 500 sites. They had previously engaged their provider (Telstra)
with several disputes. These had taken several months to work through and finalise. They did receive a substantial credit. However,
they were still unsure that everything was fine.

The Challenge

The Education Provider required assistance to navigate through some changes they were making to their telecommunications
services and network. As we sorted out current and past issues, we noticed some small fee charges applied on some services for an
old product no longer necessary. Although this was only a $6 monthly fee, we found there were over 130 services that had this
charge. That equates to over $780 per month in unnecessary fee charges.

Results

We immediately cancelled  product charges saving the company $9360 in annual expenditure. It really does count to check
the details, with professional help.

“If you need help with your Telstra bill, or even if you think you don’t, Kevin is the one to speak to.”

“We recently had Kevin ( Jensen IPA) review over 6 months worth of Telstra bills. We are an ASX 200 company and our bills are
huge, over 1000 lines of data. His in-depth knowledge of Telstra billing and ability to analyse data resulted in not only some savings
for us, but a transfer of skill to me. Kevin is highly approachable, and customer-focused. If you need help with your Telstra bill, or
even if you think you don’t, Kevin is the one to speak to.

Adam Lorde , Network Manager, G8 Education 

 

COVID-19 assistance with Telstra Business account reconciliation

COVID-19 assistance with Telstra Business account reconciliation

As businesses move to work from home, close branches and reduced staff situations, it will be difficult to keep track of changed and reduced telecommunication accounts.

Cancellations may be a low priority now, especially with complex data services. For you to track credits for 3 or 6 months of reduced services, it will be even more frustrating than usual.

You can save money – and save time – by tracking your credits and changes. Please allow JENSEN IPA to help with their expertise and knowledge of channels, jargon and processes.

With the current COVID19 environment, with some off-shore call centres impacted, you may experience more than your usual level of frustration with checking business services and accounts.

JENSEN IPA has the ability to check and audit your Telstra accounts. You could sit in a 2-hour phone queue – OR you could call JENSEN IPA, on the Gold Coast, with 33 years’ experience in Telstra billing for large companies and corporations.

We have saved our clients on average $30,000 through our audit process.

#telstraaccounts #accountspayable