Success Story - Accounting Firm
The telecom manager, Chris*, had a big problem. The firm had about 20 mobile accounts across several carriers. In additions, many of the firm's partners had their own phones that the firm reimbursed. Some of these partners redirect their mobile invoices to the firm so they can be paid directly. Therefore, each month, Chris had to review over 40 mobile invoices and submit them to Accounts Payable, who would then write a separate check for each invoice. When the checks were not sent out on time, the partners' phones will be shut off.
On top of reviewing these invoices, the employees and partners would come to Chris for problems relating to lost phones, upgrades, roaming issues. The firm was considering hiring another person to assist Chris in this matter. But even a part-time help could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Plus, they could not find someone who understands wireless management at a reasonable salary. The client finally decided to hire us to clean up this mess.
We first audited the mobile program and found that the firm had 200 mobile devices. Some under the corporate accounts, some personal. Afterward, we determined the best carrier for this firm, negotiated discounts with this carrier, and consolidated all the personal and business accounts into one business account. We then suggested that the firm narrow down to only 2 or 3 types of devices to simplify tracking, repairs, and user training. In the process, we found mobile numbers that no one was using, but the firm had been paying nevertheless. When we completed the project, the invoice savings alone was $180,000+ over three years, or 26% of their monthly spending. These savings did not even include the time we freed up for Chris and Accounts Payable that they only had to review and pay one invoice. The ROI was 300% for this client!