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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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