What Does TEM Stand For? Understanding The Importance of Telecom Expense Management

In the race to stay competitive, companies continue to adopt new, innovative technologies. But in the rush to keep stay ahead, a critical factor of technology adoption is overlooked: management. Having the proper tools in place to get the job done is vital, but a lack of proper management can lead to costly oversights. One essential tool to remaining competitive in today’s landscape is TEM. So what does TEM stand for? And how does it benefit companies? 

What does TEM stand for? 

TEM stands for Telecom Expense Management. What does that mean? Telecom Expense Management refers to the cost and administration specific to the telecommunication needs of a business. This may include landlines, mobile devices, carrier plans and other related costs. In today’s mobile-centric world, most companies have some semblance of TEM, whether they know it or not. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s doing all that it can for the company. 

Taking Advantage of TEM 

Knowing what TEM means is a very small step on the long road to implementing the best TEM program for your company. Companies should be able to save costs and improve efficiencies with the right TEM program in place. Most businesses do so through outsourcing. Won’t outsourcing cost more money than standing up a TEM program in-house? Let’s look at an example. 

Getting Down to Business 

A business services company that specializes in food machinery consulting needs a better TEM program. They’re not large, only 150 employees, but they rely on their phones for both customer communication and sales enablement. The company’s first step towards improving their current situation is searching for carrier plans. They’ll be using the five IT members they have currently working on security and help desk support to implement the program. Additionally, up until this point, the company has relied on employees using their own devices, without reimbursement. Still, the company intends to provide their sales team with corporate devices. 

What’s the problem here?  

First, the company is putting a considerable amount of administrative burden on their current IT team. Their expertise is certainly in computer security and troubleshooting. Thrusting this program on their shoulders won’t be winning the company any favors with the IT department.  

Second, ongoing carrier contract and data pool management can be time intensive, not to mention costly when lacking expert oversight. Further, the process of procuring devices, preparing them for employee use and, inevitably, replacing them is an expansive and expensive undertaking. 

Finally, legal and security compliance get complicated when running hybrid programs. Not reimbursing employees for the business use of their personal devices is a violation of labor laws in many states. BYOD programs should be structured around the reimbursements employees will receive. In addition, managing security on personal devices can be nearly impossible without proper visibility and control, leaving companies vulnerable to data and security breaches. Unfortunately, implementing hybrid company-provided device and bring your own device programs can even be difficult for many TEM providers, let alone a company doing so in-house. 

Outsourcing TEM 

Education is an important factor in decision making. That goes well beyond knowing the answer to the question “what does TEM stand for?” The good thing is, your company doesn’t need to have the expertise to implement a TEM program in-house. You just need to be experts in what your company does, as well as the products and services it offers. As long as you can identify your company’s TEM needs, you can leave the rest to the experts. Which is where Motus comes in. Interested in learning more about how our device solutions cut costs and improve efficiency?  

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