Managing telecom expenses has grown significantly more complex in recent years. With mobile devices, internet connectivity, unified communications, and cloud services expanding across enterprises, staying on top of costs is a major challenge. That's where Telecom Expense Management (TEM) comes in - and platforms like ServiceNow are transforming how businesses approach it.
In this article, we'll explore what Telecom Expense Management is, how it works with ServiceNow, and why integrating TEM into your ServiceNow environment can significantly streamline your IT and finance operations.
What Is Telecom Expense Management?
Telecom Expense Management (TEM) is the practice of managing and optimizing costs related to telecom and IT services. This includes mobile devices, landlines, internet, cloud communications, data services, and related infrastructure.
A robust TEM process typically involves:
Auditing invoices for errors
Validating service charges
Managing telecom assets and inventory
Ensuring contract compliance
Forecasting and budgeting telecom spend
TEM isn't just about saving money - it's about gaining visibility, improving accountability, and aligning telecom use with business goals.
How to Optimize Telecom Expense with ServiceNow
ServiceNow, a powerful AI-powered unified platform, offers an ideal environment for integrating and optimizing Telecom Expense Management. While ServiceNow doesn't offer native TEM out of the box, it becomes highly effective when paired with third-party TEM solutions that integrate seamlessly with its workflows.
Here's how to optimize TEM using ServiceNow:
1. Centralize Your Telecom Data
Telecom data, including invoices, contracts, user information, devices, and service usage, is often spread across multiple tools and departments. This scattered data makes it difficult to track expenses accurately or make timely decisions.
How ServiceNow helps:
ServiceNow acts as a centralized platform where all telecom-related data can be integrated.
Data from third-party TEM tools, vendors, and internal systems can be brought into ServiceNow in real-time.
IT, finance, and procurement teams get a shared, single source of truth for all telecom assets and spending.
2. Automate Invoice Processing
Manually reviewing and approving telecom invoices is time-consuming, prone to human error, and often leads to overpayments or missed billing issues.
How ServiceNow helps:
Automate the entire invoice lifecycle - from data ingestion to validation and approval.
Set up rules and workflows to flag discrepancies, such as overcharges or unauthorized services.
Route invoices to the right teams for quick review and sign-off.
3. Track and Manage Inventory
Without proper tracking, companies often pay for unused or lost devices, inactive lines, or services that are no longer needed.
How ServiceNow helps:
Maintain a real-time inventory of all telecom assets (e.g. phones, SIMs, routers, data lines).
Link each asset to a specific user, department, or location.
Monitor status (active, returned, lost, broken) and usage history.
4. Streamline Ticketing and Support
Telecom-related support issues -like device replacements or service disruptions - can slow down productivity and overload IT teams if not handled efficiently.
How ServiceNow helps:
Use ServiceNow's IT Service Management (ITSM) capabilities to create structured telecom support processes.
Enable employees to raise tickets for telecom needs through a self-service portal.
Automate workflows for common requests (e.g. request a new phone, upgrade data plan, report service issue).
- Enable Chargebacks and Reporting
Without visibility into usage, it's hard to hold departments accountable or make informed budgeting decisions.
How ServiceNow helps:
Build custom dashboards and reports to show usage and spending per department, location, or user.
Use chargeback models to allocate costs accurately across business units.
Analyze trends to forecast future spending and negotiate better vendor contracts.
Conclusion
In today's hyper-connected business environment, telecom expenses can quickly become a blind spot - leading to overspending, inefficiencies, and operational headaches. By leveraging Telecom Expense Management within ServiceNow, businesses can take control of their telecom environment with increased visibility, automation, and cost-efficiency.
Whether you're managing thousands of mobile devices or multiple vendors across the globe, integrating TEM into your ServiceNow platform offers the clarity and control you need to optimize your telecom strategy.