What can TEMIA do for you?

The Telecom Expense Management Industry Association, (TEMIA) is publishing this TEM RFP Template to help educate the market and reduce the time for organizations to buy a TEM solution. This paper provides valuable information on understanding TEM and identifying things to look for even if you do not plan to issue RFP.  TEMIA will also be developing a paper on RFPs for TEM software engagements.

TEMIA is calling for greater standardization in electronic billing media that telecom service providers use. We propose to start in the United States with fixed wireline services and move next to wireless services and work with electronic billing media that telecom service providers use outside the North America region for international carrier services.

TEMIA is working to establish standards and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that can be used by managers and personnel performing operational roles at enterprises and suppliers. These standards seek to answer critical questions regarding performance including:

• What are the critical factors that contribute to supplier performance and a better return on investment?
• How do my results compare to “best practice” metrics?
• What Service Level Agreements (SLAs) will drive results?
• How do I measure the success of a TEM solution?

An effective Telecom Expense Management (TEM) program manages the full lifecycle of a telecom expense. It focuses on eight major service domains which include inventory management and change control, sourcing, procurement and fulfillment, invoice management, expense management (including validation and optimization), usage chargeback, payment, and reporting which provides business intelligence.

Telecom Expense Management (TEM) has evolved from simple programs to complex offerings to meet customers’ specific needs. Efforts to develop tailored solutions for clients have made the market appear to be more complex than it really is. It is like going to a restaurant that has suddenly changed its menu by adding hundreds of combinations of entrees that are now written in foreign languages. You are hungry so you go to your favorite restaurant to order food that will satisfy your hunger, but it is much harder to know if you will like what you order.

In 1989, cell phones were a luxury item and the government developed a complicated tax for wireless voice calls. Mobile “car phones” cost $350 to $700 and charges for calls of .50 or more per minute were common. Over the past 20 years, costs have fallen, but the U.S. tax code has not adapted to this new reality. This paper provides a timely review of the current tax and actions to take before the law changes.