Control telecom spend (circuits, internet, mobile lines, UCaaS/VoIP, managed network) with a simple operating system: inventory → ownership → invoice QA → disconnect discipline → renewal leverage.
Primary outcomes:
- Cost reduction: remove orphan services, right-size plans, stop billing drift
- Risk mitigation: improve service accountability, reduce surprise outages and contract lock‑ins
- Carbon impact: not relevant here (this is a pure cost/risk control kit)
Beginner truth: Telecom is expensive because nobody owns the “inventory truth.” This kit makes telecom ownable.
What you’ll build
- A Telecom Inventory (circuits + mobile lines + services)
- Ownership for every line/circuit (no “unassigned spend”)
- A disconnect / change workflow (so billing actually stops)
- A monthly telecom close (invoice QA + anomalies + disputes)
- Renewal discipline (notice windows + negotiation leverage)
Quickstart (60–90 minutes for your first site/vendor)
- Pick your top carrier (largest monthly telecom spend).
- Pull the last 2–3 invoices (PDFs or portal exports).
- Create your Telecom Inventory (template below).
- Assign an owner to every item you can identify.
- Run the Invoice QA checklist and log anomalies.
- Start a Disconnect Backlog and close the top 5 orphan items.
Step-by-step setup
Your inventory should include at minimum:
- Service type: circuit / internet / mobile line / voice / UCaaS / managed service
- Unique identifier: circuit ID, phone number, account/subaccount, service ID
- Location: site address or user/department
- Billing: monthly recurring (MRC), one-time charges (NRC), taxes/surcharges
- Owner: who confirms it’s needed
If you can’t identify an invoice line, it’s a red flag—not “normal telecom stuff.”
Step 2 — Assign ownership (non-negotiable)
Every line/circuit must have:
- an Operational Owner (confirms it’s needed)
- a Financial Owner (approves changes and reviews anomalies)
No owner = candidate for disconnect or escalation.
Step 3 — Install a disconnect / change workflow (so billing stops)
Telecom leakage often comes from:
- lines never disconnected after employee offboarding
- circuits left active after site changes
- duplicate services after a migration
You need a lightweight workflow:
- request → approval → carrier ticket → confirmation → invoice verified stopped
Step 4 — Create invoice QA rules (match invoice → inventory)
Monthly, verify:
- every billed service exists in inventory
- MRC matches contracted rate / expected rate
- NRC/install charges have an approved request
- taxes/surcharges are consistent and explainable
- credits are applied (not just “promised”)
Step 5 — Renewal discipline (protect leverage)
Telecom contracts love:
- auto‑renew
- early termination fees
- bundled pricing that hides increases
Track:
- term end date
- notice window
- pricing escalation
- early termination terms
Templates (copy/paste)
| Carrier | Account | Service type | Identifier (circuit/phone/service ID) | Site/User | Status (Active/Disconnecting/Inactive) | MRC $ | NRC $ | Start date | End date | Renewal notice | Owner | Notes | Evidence link |
|---|
2) Line/Circuit Ownership Roster (simple)
| Identifier | Owner (Ops) | Owner (Finance) | What it supports | Last confirmed needed (date) |
|---|
Copyable template (TEXT)
Telecom Disconnect / Change Request
Carrier:
Identifier (circuit/phone/service ID):
Site/User:
Request type: Disconnect / Change plan / Move / Add service
Reason:
Requested effective date:
Expected monthly impact ($):
Approver:
Owner:
Evidence link (ticket, email, portal):
Copyable template (TEXT)
Telecom Invoice QA Checklist
- All billed services exist in inventory (no orphan lines/circuits)
- MRC matches expected rate (flag any increase)
- NRC/install charges have approved request
- Taxes/surcharges are consistent (flag spikes)
- Credits promised are actually applied
- Account/site mapping is correct
- Any “misc/other” charges are explained or disputed
Outputs:
- anomalies log updated
- disputes initiated where needed
- disconnect backlog updated
| Month | Carrier | Identifier | Issue type | $ impact | Action (hold/dispute/disconnect) | Owner | Due date | Status | Evidence link |
|---|
6) Carrier QBR Agenda (30–45 min)
Copyable template (TEXT)
Carrier QBR Agenda
1) Inventory accuracy + orphan services removed
2) Rate plan optimization opportunities
3) Billing anomalies and credits status
4) Service performance and outages
5) Upcoming renewals / contract changes
Outputs: action register with owners/dates
KPIs
- orphan services $ (trend down)
- % services with assigned owner (trend to 100%)
- time-to-disconnect (request → billing stops)
- credits recovered $ / month
- rate drift flags (#)
- Spend Visibility Starter Copy Pack ()
- Invoice Integrity Copy Pack ()
- Disputes + Credit Recovery System ()
- Contract Repository and Clause Extraction Copy Pack ()
- Renewal Control Copy Pack ()
- Telecom Inventory and Savings Estimator ()
Definition of Done
- inventory exists and is owned
- invoices are matched to inventory monthly
- disconnects are tracked until billing stops
- renewals are tracked early enough to negotiate from strength