This FAQ section is designed to answer many of the basic questions that the viewer may have concerning our products and services or the leading edge process that has been put in place to complete the phone bill audit.
Be sure to check out our Useful Information page for valuable information regarding country calling codes.
General Questions
What is the GenX Network Solutions mission?
We are the client advocate and the client source for telecom and data solutions. We do not sell, but rather we assist you by bringing you a choice of vendors to meet your needs. As independents, we are loyal to you and not the vendor.
What are your products?
We're all about telecom and data management and telecom and data expense management and we offer many services in that large arena. Includes automated invoice management, wireless management, and telecom audit as well as more specialized services dealing with contact center management, discount directory assistance, discount teleconferencing and more.
Telecom Audit Questions
What kind of savings can we expect?
We typically see savings in the 10% - 40% range, but we have seen higher and only occasionally lower.
What gets audited?
All local, long distance, data, and wireless as appropriate. Basically, anything and everything telecom.
How much does it cost?
There is no entry fee or retainer. We ask to share in the savings we create. If we fail to obtain refunds, credits, or savings, the price of the audit is $0.00.
Will this take a lot of our time and resources?
Very little, especially as compared with the potential savings. To begin the audit, we only require copies of your most recent invoice from each carrier, copies of contracts if available, a letter of agency authorizing us to talk to the phone companies about your telecom and network bills, and that's about it. We will have a few questions along the way and will ask for your time when we explain the savings opportunities and refunds.
What is TeleMap™?
TeleMap™ is a picture of all locations, detailing: all telephone lines and circuits function, location, flow, cost and any contract terms.
How is TeleMap™ created?
TeleMap™ is created in Microsoft Word for easy modification.
What documents are needed to start the TeleMap™ Process?
All we need to start the TeleMap™ Process is one month's recent billing and copies of your carrier contracts. GXNS will also order the Customer Service Records (CSR's) from your provider(s.
How long does the TeleMap™ Process take?
GXNS will complete the TeleMap™ Process in 3-12 weeks depending on the complexity of your network.
Does GXNS require paper bill copies?
No. GXNS can work with CD’s or other electronic formats for billing data.
What if my location does not receive bills?
GXNS can still perform the TeleMap™ Process using an accounts payable list of all paid accounts.
What if I want additional invoices or contracts mapped after the process starts?
GXNS will accommodate any additional billing or contract data provided.
Can we audit ourselves?
Some large corporations have their own telecom staffs who have the time, experience, and resources to audit. If your company doesn't have a dedicated telecom team, then your bottom line can benefit by outsourcing.
Is the audit an invoice comparison with alternative vendors?
No. The audit is an in-depth study of your current telecom providers and is all about finding invoice errors over the year years and getting you both refunds and lower costs.
Automated Invoice Management Questions
What is this service?
Software that takes all of your invoices and integrates them with your circuit and service inventory and carrier contracts - which allows you to effectively manage your entire network from one desktop.
What does it do for me?
Invoice validation and approval, continuous audit of invoices v. contracts, cost allocation, manages MACD's, helps prevent fraud, procurement, and other benefits critical to complete and effective telecom management.
Who uses it?
Typically companies with telecom spends of over $3 million/year, although we have two vendors who will consider smaller spends. The end-user typically has too many invoices and too few resources to manage their telecom without an automated platform.
What makes you experts?
> Several things. Our Auditors and Contract Managers have years of experience in doing their work, both with GXNS and with AT&T, MCI, and Bell companies, etc.
> Our sweet spots are technical competency in the performance of the bill review and the contract management experience of dealing with all of the carriers and LECs across the country.
> We also have an extensive network of resources throughout the US that stay current with the latest tariffs and carrier billing plan options.
Why should I engage GXNS and not my large public accounting firm?
> The accounting firms are just that…accountants. They lack the readily available on- staff resources to get the job done - and most all of them actually outsource the work to a company like ours.
> Their strength is in tax interpretations - not with telecommunications expertise like GXNS They could probably analyze the bills but they do not have the in-depth knowledge, nor do they have the contacts within the industry to make things right and get it done in the shortest amount of time.
> Also, there are recent investigations by the SEC into the continued propriety of these firms actually being allowed to do other "consulting" work.
What makes you different compared to the competition?
> There are no set-up fees or administration charges - we must find YOU savings in order for us to be paid.
> Our services include discovery, implementation, and "proof of savings" - there are no extra charges along the way.
> After the study bills are gathered, there is limited involvement by your staff.
> We don't find savings for you by advocating that you switch your services to second tier carriers or to the latest dot.com telco who may go out of business before the ink is dry. Unless you tell us different, we work directly with your existing providers to leverage improved pricing and billing refunds.
> Each client is a customized project whereby the process to do our review remains very fluid and flexible - this becomes very important to a client who may actually want a contract re-negotiated before the audit is completed - no problem!
> Our pricing is based on a win-win situation. Our "proof of savings" feature is revolutionary in the industry - the last requirement for us to substantiate the savings is by producing to you copies of your bills that actually reflect the reduced charges - no one else does this, and frankly many engagements end up with the client investing exorbitant resources in trying to find the "savings" to support the auditing invoices.
> We complete audits in 30 days and the entire TeleMap™ process in less than 90 days.
Why not charge me on an hourly rate as opposed to a contingency fee?
> Our experience in doing this over a number of years is that clients overwhelmingly prefer the contingency fee basis. There are a lot of behind the scene work activities that may involve teams of resources - on some larger projects there could be as many as 20 people involved in various phases of the billing and contract reviews - the hours add up quickly and clients get jumpy.
> Also, there is a great deal of organization time in setting up the auditing activities, securing Customer Service Records (CSR), and ordering Traffic Utilization studies and the hourly rates and charges would ratchet up quickly.
> Hourly fees show up as liabilities on a client's balance sheet.
> There is no guarantee that there will be substantial savings to offset the hourly rate charges.
We have a pretty good relationship with our vendors - are you going to destroy that trust?
> Absolutely not! We will always represent your best interests. However, we will work them over - we will challenge billing discrepancies and we will question every charge that is suspect.
> We will push them to give you their very best rates - their "A" rates - not their "C" rates. Also, they will quickly realize if they already don't know that we have established and maintained an excellent reputation within the industry - we're tough but fair, and they'll know that our primary objective is not to take your business away from them. .. but they too will have to earn it.
What effect will your services have on my "bottom line"?
The returns go directly to profit!
Why can't I do this for myself?
> Too many changes
> Too many choices
> Too little time - too much follow-up required
> Billing formats are intentionally made complicated
> Vendors' representative and billing support personnel are constantly changing -the industry is the victim of extraordinary high turnover rates
Want to save time and money today? Contact us for more information.