10 Ways to Save on Telecom Costs Today: 

1. Avoid using 411 if possible. The internet and 411.com offers free directory services.
2. Be aware of surcharges & miscellaneous fee’s that carriers charge. A provider can offer an aggressive price for a service then when you receive your first invoice you notice surcharges and miscellaneous fee’s listed on the invoice. Prior to signing a contract have the carriers list out all of their fee’s and explain what each fee is for.
3. Compare contracted rates to the actual invoice for the first few months after a contract has been implemented and or new services installed. This will avoid getting overcharged for months to come.
4. Make sure your organization has an international calling plan with your long distance provider. Some carriers will charge an excessive amount per minute if an international plan has not been chosen ahead of time.
5. Choose a conference calling plan that makes financial sense. Casual conference calling without a plan in place could mean a higher cost on your monthly telecom bill.
6. Block all 900 traffic.
7. Disconnect and cancel old modem lines and pots lines that are no longer in use. This could safe your company thousands of dollars each year.
8. Consolidate voice and data services on to a single circuit. If your organization currently has a full T1 for voice and a full T1 for data, but the number of employee’s has downsized, moving to an integrated access circuit could result in huge cost savings.
9. Keep your eye out for auto-renewing contracts. Some carriers require a letter 60-90 days in advance to not auto-renew a contract. By sending out a letter in advance to your carrier requesting your contract to not auto-renew, this will allow you the options to negotiate a better rate with your current provider and also receive competitive quotes from other providers. An auto-renewal could lock you into another 1-3 year term with the higher rates.
10. Utilizing fewer providers gives you more leverage in pricing discounts. Typically, the more services you have with a provider, the better discount they will offer.