Post on 01-Aug-2020
Wireless Service Audits Made Easy
Telecom Audit Training Module
Wireless Billing Elements
Required Elements
Service Plan
Number Portability
Usage Elements
Local airtime and directory
assistance
Long distance and directory
assistance
Out of Network Roaming
Direct-connect/two-
way radio
Obtain ALL wireless rate plans available, then examine 2-3 months bills for:
Data plans
Late charges
Overage charges
Airtime/feature plans
Insurance plans on phones
Radio/direct-connect plans
User assignment/identification
Long-distance/roaming charges.
Text plans and premium charges
Pooled minutes if plan is shared among users.
Wireless Service Audit Items
Wireless Service Audit Items
Both the summary pages and detail pages are
important for an audit.
The summary pages of the bill allows for a quick
review of all users.
All potential problems or savings items can be
investigated in the detail pages for each user.
Sprint Summary Bill
Extra charges on the front page of
the bill are critical to focus
on when conducting an
audit on wireless services.
Verizon Summary Bill
Extra charges on the front
page of the bill are critical to
focus on when conducting an
audit on wireless services.
at&t Summary Bill at&t only gives usage charges with no detail on the first page.
Discounts and Incentives
Higher bills should have more
discounts and incentives applied.
Contracts determine the discounts and incentives a
customer receives.
Discount Report
Discount
The Account Management Reports can be used to quickly identified users with additional charges.
Management Report Information
Usage reports identify calling
charges that can be eliminated
by an audit.
Pooling Detail Report
at&t wireless allows unused minutes to be carried over to the following month, which may reduce costs.
Management Report Information
Sprint Summary Bill
The summary pages of the bill provide a quick assessment of additional charges:
Shows the plan type. Identifies usage for each service. Provides charges on overages for all categories of service. Shows equipment purchases for current month. Gives directory assistance charges.
at&t Summary Bill
$373.23 in savings because of unused phones.
Verizon Summary Bill
Without even knowing who users are on this account, it is easy to get a clear picture of usage from the summary portion of the bill.
Department Identifiers
Grouping the bill by department, type of job, or
other identifier, makes it easy to find employees not using
their wireless devices.
Small Wireless Accounts
Small wireless accounts have big savings opportunities and many questions to ask:
1. The first phone has data usage but no calling usage. 2. Why is there an equipment charge of over $1,000? 3. One user has a 3,000 minute plan and is only using 553 minutes. 4. What are the minute allowances for the third and fourth phones? 5. There are no discounts on this plan.
When two numbers are in the same column for one user, the first number is usage, and the
second number shows charges.
Three of these phones are paying overage charges
for data services.
The detail records are necessary to determine why there
are data charges.
Summary Bill Sample – Data Charge
Detail Page Findings
Discount percentages on detail pages should match contract.
Data overage charges of $44.37 with no data plan.
On shared plans with Sprint, usage charges are billed and then credited back from the pool of minutes.
Detail Page Findings
The auditor can note how many phones have insurance plans.
Shared minutes are credited back.
There are three plans that are discounted on this bill.
Detail Page Findings
Usage charges are $75.00. This user has no data plan. Even though the user has 1000 minutes, charges still total $412.80.
Detail Page Findings
The user has unlimited data, but is billed for premium messaging.
Wireless minutes are not pooled.
The text plan doesn’t match text usage.
Wireless Messaging Plans
Text plan options:
Texting only plans – for a set number per month 1. Don’t add a text plan if it isn’t needed. 2. Determine an average number of texts sent and received when selecting a plan. 3. Unlimited text plans are worth the fee.
Enhanced Texting – picture mail, attachments, data 1. Plan costs more than simple text plan. 2. Price for no plan costs $1.99 per use.
Email plans – email, data, includes text and picture mail 1. Most smart phone users have this type of plan for email. 2. Only add this plan if it will be used.
Text Messaging Plan If a user isn’t sending texts, they don’t need a text plan.
No text detail on bill means texts have not been sent.
If these users had a text plan, they wouldn’t be paying for every text.
Text Messaging Plan
$.20 per text
$.20 per text.
Mismatched Text Plan
Games and Subscriptions
Downloads may be charged once, or they may start a subscription that will bill each month.
No texts sent with $5 text plan. Low minute usage for 450 minute plan.
Data usage with no data plan.
Wireless Bill – Low Usage Charges
Wireless Bill – No Usage
Summary of Cellular Audit
Department RC#
# of
Accts
Total
Phones
Total
Data
Cards
Total Bill
Amount
Unused
Phones
Unused
Data
Cards
Plan
Changes
Total
Savings
Found
Total Bill
with Savings
Not
es
570 7
426
phones/185
pagers 577 $ 39,265.57
27
167
- $ 8,123.69 $ 31,141.88
340 1
39 36 $ 3,140.06
2
17
20 $ 1,034.56 $ 2,105.50
270 3
148 33 $ 7,892.26
16
11
19 $ 1,258.40 $ 6,633.86
300 9
41 45 $ 3,497.51
3
16
5 $ 879.56 $ 2,617.95
500/525 7
154 52 $ 8,494.99
3
3
13 $ 912.51 $ 7,582.48
236 1
8 2 $ 395.74
1
1
7 $ 134.55 $ 364.18
219 2
2 2 $ 123.49
-
-
1 $ 5.00 $ 118.49
382 1
9 1 $ 379.27
-
1
8 $ 99.80 $ 279.47
121 3
7 2 $ 381.98
-
-
3 $ 46.16 $ 335.82
Unk 1
3 7 $ 462.02
-
3
- $ 135.03 $ 326.99
110 1
1 1 $ 52.80 - - - $ - $ 52.80 NO SAVINGS
140 1
5 - $ 225.19 - - - $ - $ 225.19 NO SAVINGS
161 1 190 pagers - $ 1,172.07 - - - $ - $ 1,172.07 NO SAVINGS
200 1
19 - $ 1,032.85 - - - $ - $ 1,032.85 NO SAVINGS
203 5
34 - $ 880.47 - - - $ - $ 880.47 NO SAVINGS
251 1
1 - $ 11.30 - - - $ - $ 11.30 NO SAVINGS
260 1
5 - $ 218.10 - - - $ - $ 218.10 NO SAVINGS
361 1
31 - $ 858.99 - - - $ - $ 858.99 NO SAVINGS
389 1
9 - $ 297.19 - - - $ - $ 297.19 NO SAVINGS
Totals: 48
516 758 $ 68,781.85 52 219 76 $ 12,629.26 $ 56,255.58
Dis
pla
y W
ire
less
Dat
a
Display Wireless Data
Verizon Wireless Account: 7555555555 - June/July
Attachment C-2
Data Cards
Monthly Access
Charges Data Usage Total
480-225-3555 $39.99 $39.99
480-225-4555 $39.99 $39.99
480-235-9555 $39.99 $39.99
480-235-9555 $39.99 $39.99
480-255-6555 $39.99 $39.99
480-255-6555 $39.99 $39.99
480-495-4555 $39.99 June=150 KB $39.99
602-255-5555 $39.99 $39.99
602-349-5555 $39.99 $39.99
602-391-5555 $39.99 $39.99
602-391-5555 $39.99 $39.99
602-400-5555 $39.99 $39.99
602-400-3555 $39.99 $39.99
602-400-7555 $39.99 $39.99
602-400-8555 $39.99 $39.99
602-400-8555 $39.99 $39.99
602-403-2555 $39.99 $39.99
Displaying Wireless Data Recommendations for Data Plan Changes
Name Number Plan Plan $ Data Plan $ Data Disc
Data
Used Overage Total Recommendation Savings/Mo
Kevin 403-461-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 2 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Daniel 403-461-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 3 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Trevor 403-461-5555 powershare $30.00 $40.00 -$4.00 3.5 $56.63 $122.63
$40 1 MB plan was discontinued. Change
to $25 4 MB plan. $67.63
Erin 403-462-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 32 $19.85 $103.85 $60 plan s/b unltd data. Refund overage $19.85
Jean-Pierre 403-542-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 2 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Scott 403-827-5555 powershare $30.00 $40.00 -$4.00 3 $16.52 $82.52
$40 1 MB plan was discontinued. Change
to $25 4 MB plan. $27.52
Jillian 403-827-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 2 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Mike 403-827-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 2 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Norman 403-836-5555 powershare $30.00 $40.00 -$4.00 3 $18.03 $84.03
$40 1 MB plan was discontinued. Change
to $25 4 MB plan. $29.03
Charmaine 403-921-5555 powershare $30.00 $84.00 -$8.40 1 $105.60
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Mike 780-231-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 1 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Ray 780-232-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 2 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Lisa Ann 780-266-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 3 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
North 780-838-5555 powershare $30.00 $60.00 -$6.00 3 $84.00
Data used is less than 4 MB. Change to 4
MB data plan for $25.00 $29.00
Linn 780-231-5555 powershare $30.00 $40.00 -$4.00 3.5 $44.99 $110.99
$40 1 MB plan was discontinued. Change
to $25 4 MB plan. $55.99
Adam 780-264-5555
business
anytime 30
day $30.00 $40.00
No
discount 3 $70.00
$40 1 MB plan was discontinued. Change
to $25 4 MB plan. $15.00
16 Phones Total Data Savings/Mo with tax $530.27
Total Annual Savings: $6,363.24
WIRELESS
REC
YES, NO,
PARTIAL
ANNUAL
SAVINGS COMMENTS
C-1 Yes $39,968.88
C-2 Yes $36,470.88
C-3 NO $0.00
C-4 NO $0.00
C-5 NO $0.00
C-6 PARTIAL $3,240.72 Cancelled 6 data cards - kept 11
C-7 PARTIAL $486.00 Cancelled 1 line - kept 1
C-8 YES $2,148.00
C-9 PARTIAL $1,799.64 Cancelled 3 data cards - kept 3
C-10 YES $378.60
C-11 NO $0.00
C-12 NO $0.00
C-13 YES $378.72
C-14 YES $695.76
C-15 NO $0.00
C-16 NO $0.00
C-17 NO $0.00
C-18 NO $0.00
C-19 PARTIAL $540.12 Cancelled 1 - kept 2
C-20 YES $8,101.80
C-21 NO $0.00
C-22 YES $240.00
C-23 YES $322.20
C-24 YES $972.00
C-25 NO $0.00
C-26 YES $540.12
C-27 NO $0.00
C-28 NO $0.00
C-29 NO $0.00
C-30 NO $0.00
C-31 PARTIAL $2,160.48 Cancelled 4 - kept 1
C-32 PARTIAL $1,063.20 Cancelled 4 - kept 12
C-33 PARTIAL $3,324.72 17 modified for text
C-34 NO RESPONSE NO RESPONSE NO RESPONSE - SAFETY SERVICES
$90,216.96 Total of "YES"
$12,614.88 Total of "PARTIAL"
Justifying the Audit
Total Savings Recognized – Yes and Partial
$102,831.84
Justifying the Audit
Wireless Savings Summary
Recommended Savings
Number of
Phones
Total Monthly
Savings
Total Yearly
Savings
Put unused phone on $11.99 plan. 28 $646.80 $7,761.60
Remove unused messaging plan. 132 $636.91 $7,642.92
Upgrade to 500 messaging plan. 12 $117.58 $1,410.96
Upgrade to 1500 messaging plan. 2 $63.25 $759.00
Upgrade to Nationwide Talk and Text 450 plan. 1 $94.78 $1,137.36
Change to 250 messaging plan. 1 $5.20 $62.40
Change to 500 messaging plan. 8 $75.55 $906.60
Change to 1500 messaging plan. 1 $5.20 $62.40
Change to Nationwide Business Talk 450 plan with 250
messaging plan. 1 $15.60 $187.20
Disconnect 3 unused phones. 1 $125.07 $1,500.84
Reduce overall share plan to 200 minutes for 180 phones, 450
minutes for 10 phones, and 900 minutes for 31 phones. 221 $902.20 $10,826.36
Total $2,688.14 $32,257.64
Wireless Service Audits
Set project goals to keep audit activities on a specific schedule.
Have all information necessary to make informed decisions.
Talk to users, not for permission, but to make sure what you have decided is appropriate.
Display your data so others can understand the logic behind your decisions.
Use monthly and annual savings for summary reports.
Keep track of order numbers, due dates, and savings amounts.
I hope you enjoyed watching this training module and learning how easy it is to conduct
an audit on wireless services.
To purchase additional training modules, or to review the variety of services TelCon offers,
please visit our websites:
telconassociates.com
telecomaudittraining.com
Thanks!
Karen Thatcher, President
TelCon Associates, Inc. 10500 Barkley, Suite 100 Overland Park, KS 66212
913-383-3200