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Call Accounting: Your Best Career-Enhancing Tool
Following is an overview of this workshop.
Most people first think of a call accounting system (CAS) as "big brother."
But a closer look shows that it can be a very effective telecom expense
management tool and the source of valuable reports that can benefit virtually
every department across the enterprise.
Using this valuable tool effectively enhances the image of the Telecom/IS
department. By delivering reports specific to each department, the telecom
department is now perceived as the "Information Provider."
A call accounting system's only purpose is to produce reports! We all know
that management lives for reports, presumably because they contain valuable
management information which can improve decision making.
Other than the obvious benefit of reducing unnecessary usage by providing
visibility and accountability to telephone call activity, CAS reports give
managers a tool to manage, motivate and compensate their employees with more
accurate data. When department managers receive regularly scheduled reports in
their email, they perceive the telecom department as more than just "dial-tone
providers."
New technology makes it easier for managers to get these reports – and takes
the burden off the system administrator! Reports can now be automatically
scheduled and sent via e-mail. Newer systems can be accessed by any browser –
making reports accessible anywhere, anytime.
Following are some ways that various departments can use this information:
Finance
Many organizations would like to allocate or "charge back" each department their
costs based on their actual usage. The CAS now becomes a tool for the finance
department to do that.
Some systems' reports show the "Real Cost" of making a phone call. This cost
includes the labor to make a call. The labor rate of a caller is normally 5-10
times more than the per minute rate paid to the telephone company. CEO/CFO types
love this kind of data. You will be perceived as a member of the management team
controlling expenses.
"Toll Free" calls should actually be called, "Automatic Collect." Toll Free
means it is free to the calling party, but somebody has to pay for the call.
Reports can show who is using this service as their own personal
Friends-and-family Plan, and reduce this expense.
Customer Service
Most systems have the ability to "map" a phone number to s specific company
name. Mapped number reports show if sales reps or customer service reps are
calling their accounts frequently enough.
Sales
Sales managers love CAS. Detail and summary reports for incoming and outgoing
call activity can be a valuable performance-measuring and training tool. One
sales executive reported that after a CAS had been installed, their reps
actually doubled the number of calls being made, because they knew that their
actual activity was visible to the boss.
Telecom
Telecom managers can use Trunk Reports to verify if their PBX is configured and
operating efficiently. Inoperative trunks or overtrunking can have serious
financial ramifications. Identifying and correcting these issues should be
documented and also included in reviews.
Trending Reports can select any item in the call record over a time interval
and period. They can be valuable in explaining anomalies in phone bill amounts
and can also be useful to show call activity increase in a department to help
justify more staff. They can also can be used to create more accurate budgets
and forecasts.
The message here is to use a CAS more effectively and take credit for any
success. You must document before and after numbers. Ask for this information to
be included in your performance review. Every trade journal in our industry has
to fill their publication every month. They welcome submissions from users about
success stories. You can then say, "I'm published!"
It takes a little effort and you should expect your CAS vendor to help you
learn how to use your system more effectively.
The summary & conclusion of this workshop is:
• Choose Carefully !
• Use Wisely !
• Benefit Greatly !
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