Avema forecasts the City of Toronto can save over 3 million dollars on telecom bills over the next 5 years

April 11, 2005
In the wake of the MFP scandal, recent news coverage about Toronto City Hall’s overspending on telecom bills has many taxpayers up in arms. Toronto-based Avema Corporation’s CEO, Roger Yang, offers some opinions on how City Hall can save taxpayers millions of dollars. Avema is a Telecom Expense Management firm that helps large organizations cut costs and streamline processes through unique software and professional services.

In many organizations, the oversight of telecom costs is not managed by any single department. The telecom department plans and purchases services, contracts are handled through the legal department, and invoices are paid by the accounting department. There is a gap between these departments, and often, there is no job description that states "look after the phone costs". A similar situation seems to be happening at City Hall.

“Often, people assume the telecom department handles billing details, and they don't typically have the proper resources, staff, or expertise to perform this effectively. These overcharges and missed savings opportunities are not uncommon in large organizations,” said Roger Yang, CEO and Founder, Avema Corporation. “All these processes may actually end up costing the city a six-figure amount in the end, but with some proper guidance the city has the potential to save millions over the next 5 years.”

Avema maintains that the recent recommendations made by the Auditor General are a very good start, but there are more steps that could be taken. The City of Toronto can save at least $1 million per year on top of what's already been identified with just a few proactive modifications to their current processes. Roger recommends:

• Consolidate telecom vendors and invoices

• As part of the contract negotiations, obtain the simplest possible pricing plans

• Implement the right software and processes

• Perform regular bill reconciliation, preferably with an automated solution

• Set up employee wireless usage policies and enforce them

Mobile phone usage and costs in particular have risen dramatically in the last few years. To help organizations gain more control in this area, Avema has issued a helpful information guide called, “Seven Steps to Wireless Spend Policies”. For a copy please visit www.avemacorp.com.

About Avema:
Avema is an innovative Telecom Expense Management firm that helps large companies cut costs and streamline processes through their unique software and professional consulting services. Avema’s expertise has helped hundreds of organizations in Canada and around the world, including: BMO, Purolator, Nesbitt Burns and Suncor. Avema provides a suite of powerful software tools that helps large organizations clearly understand their telecom costs, rid themselves of manual administrative chores, and free up more time to focus on higher value strategic work. For more information please visit: www.avemacorp.com

Media Contact:
Sacha DeGroot
SmackDab PR & Marketing
416-537-1913
sacha@smackdabpr.com