T1 Unlimited Blog

Archive for August, 2009

If your company has been in operation for two or more years, then it is time to have a telephone bill audit done by a professional consultant who is knowledgeable on the billing methods of the telephone industry.  An audit will uncover service and billing issue that aren’t always apparent when paying the monthly phone bill.  Having this done early on enables your company being reimbursed quickly if there are errors on the telephone bills. These over looked billing errors can add up quickly, costing a company thousands of dollars. The company I work with found out because of other issues that they had been overcharged for years on lines that were not being used any longer, taxes, and long distance rates.  The longer the time frame the more difficult it can be to have the phone company see their errors and getting them to pay the overages.
Many business change telecom vendors regularly in hopes of a saving, when they should be auditing their telecommunications services and systems to identify billing errors and opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining or improving service. If you do decide to change carriers it is a good idea to have an audit done first because you may be eligible for a refund from your current provider, but you may forfeit any reimbursements if you would cancel their service and go with a competitor.
Why should you use a trained Auditor? Well, I’m auditing a company’s telephone bill that last year swapped out an old PBX phone system for a Cisco Call Manager.  To do this complete switch over all of the new services had to be installed by their Telecom provider, which meant the company switched from analog lines to a PRI T1. Not until after doing the telephone audit did the company find out that it had been paying for service that it had requested terminated for a year.  The company was able to recoup thousands of dollars from the provider. Most companies accounting personal don’t have the knowledge or training to determine if accurately applied Federal, State and Local surcharges and taxes have been billed, thereby reducing your possible refunds.
Another point in favor of reviewing your company’s telephone service is performing a traffic study to see if you have the right number of lines and circuits to properly handle inbound and outbound calls.  Foolishly some company’s method of doing a traffic study is to do nothing about their current number of lines until customers start complaining and there is nothing worse than not being able to get thru to a company most people if they can’t get thru will go to a vendor  with enough lines providing a good customer service.  But on the other hand, margins are down and paying for unnecessary lines is not the answer either, a traffic study pays for its self.
There are many payment options available when employing a Telecom consultant to do an audit. They can either be paid by the hour, a set fee or the Consultant may opt to take a percentage of the refund.
Anything that makes your company give better customer service, profits high, and a little money saved it worth spending the money on a telephone audit.

I found a lighter side of T1 and communications in my own neighborhood, St. Charles, MO. Who would of thunk it? I found the booth along the river at the “St Charles Festival of the Little Hills”? It’s a annual celebration that The Towns folks in St Charles, Missouri puts on the third week of August. All of main street is closed off from vehicle traffic to allow craft booths to be set up. The attendants range from 200.000 to 300.000 people for the 3 day event.

As I was drugged along I happened to visit one booth that sold telephone wire jewelry, the jewelry was magnificently designed. I got a chance to talk to the owner who I could tell took pride in his craftsmanship. He told me that all the wire used was telephone wire just the short pieces left over from cable installation jobs. To all of us who sale, service and install T1 which T1 rides over copper wire lets think about how we can go GREEN and do our part to recycle.

Here are the steps on getting the best overall deal –using a T1 Agent to get broadband for your company. But, before I do, I want you to know that not all these online services is out for your companies’ best interest. Some agents doing business online are sending quotes out that favors certain providers because that provider pays then the most in commission to market their T1. By all means use online T1 agents it’s just that you have to be an astute intuitive shopper and apply the simple information I have found to grab the best deal because between 1-6 years you will be tied to a provider and the only way to resolve the relationship is to buy your way out of the contract.

How can you know a T1 agent is any good?

Establishing that an agent is right for you and has experience and qualifications, as well as being committed to the industry code of practice, is vital to ensure you’re getting the best service for your needs. Here is a step-by-step checklist that will help you know if your agent is on the level.

• Just because you contact the agent online a phone call should be made to the agent so he or she can really understand your business T1 needs, both now and into the future.


• Ensure your online agent is not just an agent for one provider


• Check the qualifications and experience of your agent, even ask for references from previous customers. Check to see if they are listed on the social network LinkedIN.


• A good agent should be able to explain the different products that are offered by the providers in language you understand and how it affects your communication needs.


• Your agent can be your best friend for a long term contract so it’s up to you, but it really helps if you actually like your agent as well!

Reason to shop online for T1

• Better price
  the advantage of ordering through a broker is that you will get a second channel of customer service and current information on promotions and price breaks. If the company is not performing to expectations you will always be able to go back to your agent.


• Convenient


• You’ll totally avoid sale people calling on you.


• Saves time

You will be able to sit in your office and have emailed to you quotes on price and service from multiple
provider before you talk to anyone.

For help on getting a T1 quote (s) you can contact Mike Stephens with Net Services Inc St Louis, Missouri at T1Unlimited (888) 369-3910.