Posted by Dave Snow on Mon, Oct 19, 2009 @ 10:33 AM
There is a new Gartner TEM Performance Metrics webinar openly available for both Gartner and non-Gartner clients to view.
This goes beyond the published reports that describe what metrics should be applied, and speaks to how they can be applied, and what lessons can be learned from the results. Case study data from an extensive multi-year, multi-company project drives home some of the key lessons learned.
This piece should be interesting to all TEM practitioners as we are all being asked to finalize our 2010 budgets or worse, to cut our current expenses as we plan for the new year.
Here is the link: Gartner TEM Performance Metrics webinar
Posted by Dave Snow on Tue, Mar 24, 2009 @ 03:32 PM
Gartner published today a new toolkit for Telecom Expense Management SLA Guidelines. As Gartner clearly stated, these SLAs "...should be used before any contract is signed....to protect against poor performance...". We could not agree more. In our experience in CommADVISOR-based TEM projects, these performance metrics will serve three critical purposes:
- Getting Ready: Metrics-based analysis will allow you to compare on an "apples-to-apples" basis different services, software platforms and vendor proposals
- Getting Started: Using these metrics to build your TEM contract SLAs will provide an unbiased and quantifiable measure to ensure results and to reduce project risk
- Getting Results: Performance metrics applied on a daily project basis allow you to constantly monitor and measure results, and rapidly identify gaps in order to persistently improve performance over time.
We are proud to have each of these key performance metrics built into all of our CommADVISOR client deployments, with the results available to our users on a real-time basis, 24X7.
Posted by Dave Snow on Mon, Mar 02, 2009 @ 10:12 AM
So, you have just received a $10,000 credit from a carrier as a result of your TEM program. Is that good news or bad news?
Well, it is good news if that is all that you are owed, but it is really bad news if you don't know one way or the other. Many companies and public agencies have implemented telecom expense management (TEM) programs based on the intuition that there is money to be saved. That intuition is then later supported by anecdotal evidence that results from billing error recoveries like the one mentioned above and perhaps savings from historical audits or new contract negotiations. Nonetheless, telecom expense management programs, and the vendors that are contracted in those programs, remain a black box for the responsible management team.
Recently, Gartner and Network Trends have each published specific metrics that can be used to measure the effectiveness of all aspects of a telecom expense management program. These metrics provide specific measures across each of the TEM domains, and can be used regardless of the method, vendor or software platform being used. Most importantly, these metrics can be used to
- Evaluate vendors during the selection process
- Establish quantifiable performance requirements in new RFPs
- Create specific SLA thresholds in the TEM vendor contract
- Establish performance benchmarks for ongoing project management and vendor reviews.
The publications from Gartner are available on their website, as is the information from Network Trends. The Voice Report has also published some of the data sourced from Joe Basili of Network Trends. These documents and links are attached below.
Voice Report 02-12-09.pdf
TEM Metrics WorkTool 02-12-09.pdf
Gartner Toolkit: RFP Provisions for Telecom Expense Management Services: http://my.gartner.com/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=204&mode=2&PageID=5590&resId=850816
Posted by Dave Snow on Tue, Feb 24, 2009 @ 10:38 AM
One in 10 telecommunications enterprise customers has switched providers because of billing issues, according to an Accenture survey:
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090210005408&newsLang=en
File this under "no kidding".
Telecom companies continue to resist the market organizing power that can be derived from collaborative supply chain management, and the competitive advantage that will acrue to the first mover in this space. The entire Telecom Expense Management industry exists based on ineffective carrier billing systems. Hopefully carriers will get soon get a clue.......
Posted by Dave Snow on Fri, Jan 16, 2009 @ 02:32 PM
In these tough economic times it's harder than ever to get something for nothing, especially from premium research firms like Gartner. Gartner has a view on reducing network costs that goes beyond TEM, and the first step on that trail is this webinar is free! Here's the pitch--
"In today's economic conditions, network managers will be under increasing pressure to reduce costs: After all, networking alone typically accounts for 30 percent or more of the total IT expenditures of an enterprise. Gartner can help enterprises like yours see their way through today's economic challenges and emerge stronger than ever.
Please join Neil Rickard and Jay Pultz for this complimentary Webinar. They will present Gartner's best practices to lower network spend both near-term and long term- and without appreciable impacts to quality of service.
Key issues covered:
Where are the major opportunities to lower network costs?
What best practices should network managers adopt to lower costs near-term?
How should network managers put in place a program to systematically reduce costs longer term?"
Posted by Dave Snow on Wed, Jan 14, 2009 @ 01:27 PM
As we start each New Year, one thing we definitely don't want to hear about is getting on the scale. This year is no different, yet in my professional life I am surprised to see what a big problem this really is relative to Network Financial Management, aka, Telecom Expense Management or just plain TEM.
As we implement CommADVISOR in new accounts we see a repeating pattern within existing enterprise methods and processes. In the first form, the existing method does a great job analyzing and optimizing results for those transactions being looked at, but those only represent a small percentage of the total. On the flip side of the coin, almost all transactions are reviewed, but at such a superficial level that all but the most obvious opportunities to reduce costs and improve services are missed. In other words, enterprises seem to be able to manage the depth or the breadth of network financial management, but generally not both at the same time. This seems to be especially true in the larger organizations or when the rate of change is high. To truly scale up an effective, change-resilient network financial management practice or process, you need to be able to execute on both dimensions.
During 2009 we will be talking a lot about the requirements and barriers to scaling up an effective network financial management process, and hoping to get input from you, our customers, our partners and some key industry analysts that we can share in this blog. Please comment or input as much as you are able as we move ahead on this. In the meantime, I am starting yet another New Year with a resolution to get (back) on the scale.....