Case Study – National Healthcare & Pharmacy Services Provider
The Situation
A leading national healthcare and pharmacy services provider with thousands of locations across the U.S. faced significant challenges in managing its telecom and IT expenses. With group homes, pharmacies, and healthcare facilities across the country, the organization relied on phone, internet, fax, and mobile devices to maintain operations. For nearly a decade, the company had used telecom expense management (TEM) services in a limited capacity, only managing a fraction of its invoices. As a result, millions of dollars in potential savings were left untapped, and expense tracking remained fragmented across thousands of locations.
A major shift occurred when a new executive leadership team took over. This group had worked with Tellennium previously at another large organization and had seen the efficiency, visibility, and cost savings the platform and processes could deliver. Recognizing an opportunity, the new leadership team expanded Tellennium’s role to help manage all telecom and related IT expenses.
To gain full control over its telecom and IT expenses, the company sought a centralized, automated solution that could provide visibility and cost optimization.
Challenges Before Full Engagement
- Disorganized invoice processing – Over 1,200 invoices per month were scattered across multiple locations, with $250,000 per month in invoices being sent to an employee’s home.
- Lack of visibility – Only one-third of telecom expenses were centrally managed, creating financial blind spots.
- Overpayments and inefficiencies – The company was paying for unused circuits, duplicate circuits, and overcharges.
To gain full control over its telecom and IT expenses, the company sought a centralized, automated solution that could provide visibility and cost optimization.
The Solution
With Tellennium’s Management of Things (MoT®) platform, the organization transitioned from a fragmented, inefficient processes to a fully optimized, centralized solution for telecom and related IT expense management.
Seamless Collaboration Between Teams
A key factor in the success of this transition is the strong partnership between the company’s IT and finance teams and Tellennium’s TEM experts. The teams work together seamlessly to:
- Standardize the telecom expense management process.
- Automate invoice processing and expense tracking.
- Improve cost allocation and visibility across all services.
- Hold vendors accountable for accurate billing and contract compliance.
They are really an extension of my telecom team. I email them just like I would one of my own managers. They respond just as fast—sometimes faster—to help us dig into invoices, validate charges, or chase down credits,” said the Senior Director of Network and Telecommunications.
Full Expense Visibility and Automation
Tellennium’s MoT platform eliminates inefficiencies and has centralized all 65,000 circuits and services, allowing for full control and real-time tracking.
“Once everything was in MoT, they finally had visibility into what they had, where it was, and what they were spending,” said Greg McIntyre, President of Tellennium.
“The tool gives us the ability to answer tough questions from executives like, ‘Why did our telecom spend go up this month?’ With Tellennium, I can explain exactly what changed and what we did to control costs,” added the Senior Director.
Audit and Cost Optimization
Through a three-phase audit process, Tellennium identifies and eliminates unnecessary costs:
- Purpose validation – Ensures every service and circuit has a defined business use. Any unidentified or redundant service is flagged for disconnection.
Rate compliance – Verifies all charges are aligned to their contracted rates and secures refunds for any overcharges.
Optimization – Identifies better pricing models and service alternatives, eliminating wasteful spending.
In one instance, Tellennium helped validate contract terms following a major vendor outage and successfully pursued SLA-based credits on behalf of the client.
Support for Telecom and IT Transitions
- Assists in network infrastructure upgrades, including WAN transitions and cloud migrations.
- Validates billing accuracy to prevent duplicate charges and lingering costs.
- Manages over 20,000 mobile devices, ensuring cost efficiency and oversight.
Moves, Adds, and Changes (MAC) Management
Tellennium plays a key role in managing service transitions and IT projects:
- Processes over 15,000 invoices annually.
- Handles 779 service deletions as part of the company’s optimization efforts.
- Dedicates 12,000+ hours to financial reconciliation, automation, and cost reduction.
The Results
Through proactive expense management, cost recovery, and strategic oversight, the company has realized significant savings of more than $1,000,000.
“There’s still over half a million dollars in additional savings in progress, and another $100,000 in recommendations waiting for approval. This isn’t a one-time fix—it’s ongoing optimization,” said the Senior Director. “A lot of providers can tell you where to cut costs. Tellennium actually helps implement those changes. They’re the hands and feet that bring those savings to life.”
To date, the company has achieved:
Hard Dollar Savings
- $1.1 million in verified cost reductions in the first year alone.
- An additional $560,000 in savings initiatives currently in progress.
- $250,000 in recovered credits from overbilling and duplicate charges.
Projected savings of $2.5 million in the current year, with several hundred thousand already realized in early-year efforts.
Improved Efficiency and Process Automation
- Automation of 1,200+ invoices processed monthly with cost allocations.
- 2.8 million individual expense line items coded last year.
- Significant time savings for IT and finance teams, providing quick detailed visibility and allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives.
Stronger Financial Oversight
- Eliminates duplicate charges, preventing ongoing financial losses.
- Ensures billing accuracy during major telecom transitions.
- Maintains an automated, scalable expense management system to support long-term cost control.
“They give us the lens to track our spend and report the savings to leadership—all the way to the bottom line,”
the Senior Director explained.
Conclusion: A Partnership Built for Long-Term Success
The success of this TEM transformation is driven not just by technology, but by strong collaboration between the teams. With regular communication, strategic alignment, and shared goals, the partnership enables:
- Cost control and financial transparency.
- Operational efficiency and automation.
- Scalability for future growth.
“They really are part of my telecom team. They help us solve problems, fight for credits, and implement savings. It’s a true partnership,” said the Senior Director.
By leveraging automation, expert analysis, and continuous optimization, the company has transformed its telecom expense management process—gaining both control and agility in an evolving industry.
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