How much time do you spend scrutinising your business phone bill when it arrives each month? Probably not too much if the number at the bottom is roughly in line with your expectations.
After all, your mobiles and fixed lines are essential services you can’t do without, and if the tariff you’re on has been working for a while, why would you want to take valuable time out of your day to pore over it with a calculator?
Actually, we can think of a few reasons why checking your phone bill regularly is good business practise. For one thing, telecoms can be a significant overhead – especially for businesses with teams working remotely or on the move; for another, both your business and telecoms technology are continuously evolving, so the way you use your phones is constantly changing (mobile data consumption for example, is currently increasing by around 50% year on year); and finally, telecoms is a fast-moving and highly competitive market, so it pays to be aware of your options.
But of course, your bills will only give you the headlines.
For a little more information, a standard online analysis may be available from your network provider, but if you want to get real detail, it’s likely to involve you having to download numerous files, convert them into spreadsheets, extract the information you need and set up complex formulae so you can compare the data against your tariff.
A time-consuming process, and a real distraction from getting on with running your business – but not something you have to worry about if you’re a DRC customer!
As part of our standard service package, we undertake regular Tariff Reviews for our customers using Genie, the tariff analysis tool we’ve developed ourselves over many years.
Genie’s bespoke analysis provides us with comprehensive insights and data, meaning we can review usage in detail, identify trends and changes, and make sure that the solutions we provide for each individual customer are always the most efficient and cost-effective for their needs.
Why a Bespoke Analysis?
As already mentioned, getting a standard network presentation is relatively easy, and something you may be able to do yourself, if you have the time and inclination, but the information provided is generally fairly superficial – an interesting read, but not in-depth enough to give you much more than a general overview.
We wanted to be able to drill down into far greater detail, and to have the capability to analyse, interpret and test the data… so we created our own tariff analysis tool – of which Genie is the latest iteration. Genie automates the process, taking just 15 minutes or so to produce a comprehensive analysis that would normally take at least a day of manual calculations.
As well as being able to use Genie to analyse mobile and hosted One Net services for our own customers, we can also analyse services supplied by our competitors, so long as we have billing information to work with.
How the Process Works…
- When we first begin working with a new customer, we gather all the information we can, using this to recommend the tariff that best matches their requirements.
- When the tariff is fully embedded – usually after 4 – 6 months, we’ll undertake our first review to check that the tariff is delivering against expectations. Thereafter, we’ll schedule reviews to take place every 3 – 6 months.
- In between these scheduled reviews, our Account Managers maintain close communication with their customer contacts, ensuring they stay informed on any upcoming developments and changes in the business that might – potentially or definitely – impact on the tariff. This way, we’re able to help customers prepare for and manage change.
Our tariff review process leaves DRC customers free to focus on their business, secure in the knowledge that we’re always working proactively on their behalf.
They know we’re using our industry expertise, our understanding of the market place – and crucially, our insights into their business to make sure they’re always on the most appropriate tariff, that they stay within budget, and don’t receive any nasty surprises.
Is It Time You Were Analysed?
If no one is checking your phone bills in detail regularly, you could be spending more than you need to. Call one of our advisors now on 01256 895895 to arrange a FREE tariff analysis!
