Frequently Asked Questions

Got questions? We've got answers.

We've compiled some of our most frequently asked questions below.
Don't see an answer to your question? Contact us here.

• What is Technology Expense Management?

  Technology Expense Management (TEM) goes beyond traditional “telecom expense management” to manage the full scope of an organization’s technology assets and services, including fixed/wireline, mobile/wireless, SaaS and UCaaS. By capturing the entirety of an organization’s technology environment in a TEM solution, your company will enjoy complete visibility, control, and optimization through a single pane of glass. With the right TEM solution, you can achieve complete visibility and control across your telecom, mobility, SaaS , and UCaaS estates.  
  

  • Unified business intelligence & reporting 
  • Invoice loading, processing, & payment 
  • Invoice auditing, dispute resolution, & optimization recommendations 

  • Unified, accurate inventory management 
  • Order management & tracking 
  • Cost savings generation & improved efficiencies 

• How does a Technology Expense Management platform save my company money?

  Savings generated by a TEM platform typically fall into two categories: Hard savings and soft savings. 

  Hard savings refers to quantifiable savings created through measurable impacts, such as credits and refunds from invoice disputes, cost avoidance through plan optimizations, and reduced labor costs from resource reallocation. Hard savings are usually the first and most prominent return-on-investment that an organization realizes after implementing an effective TEM solution.
  
  Soft savings are less tangible and more difficult to quantify, referring instead to improvements derived from increased efficiencies, streamlined processes, and an enhanced overall end user experience. While soft savings may not appear to impact an organization’s bottom line, they offer substantial financial benefits to companies by enabling greater efficiency, improved employee satisfaction, and informed business decisions.  

• What is the difference between cost management and cost control?

  Cost management is a broader, more strategic concept, which encompasses planning, budgeting, estimating, allocating, and controlling costs in an organization. Typically, cost management involves a long-term perspective to consider both immediate costs and long-term impacts, as well as corrective actions to avoid excessive costs when identified.

  Cost control is a more specific and immediate process, focusing on monitoring, reducing, and managing costs with a reactive approach. Through continuous monitoring and reporting, actual expenses can be compared against budgeted amounts to enable prompt action for expense reduction.

  Both cost management and cost control are vital to savings generation and cost avoidance in an organization’s TEM environment. 

• How will users use your solution?

  The Calero.com solution is hosted securely in the cloud and can be accessed through any device or form factor with internet connectivity. Your organization will have a unique URL to access your dedicated instance of our solution. Through security role-based groups, solution users can be limited to only the data, features, and functionality that align with their specific job responsibilities.

  Our solution supports single sign-on (SSO) and other authentication methods, so your end users can enjoy a seamless login experience and secure access to the platform. 

• What ERP and ITSM platforms does your solution integrate with?

  Our solution’s robust integration tool can interface with a wide variety of HR, AP/GL, ITSM, and other various enterprise systems to bring disparate data into one unified solution. 
  

  Systems with which our solution can be integrated include, but are not limited to: 

  • ServiceNow 
  • BMC Remedy
  • SAP Ariba
  • Oracle
  • Active Directory 

• What reports can be generated in your solution?

  Our solution provides a unified reporting and business intelligence solution across all telecom, mobility, SaaS, and UCaaS data. From inventory distribution and cost allocation to zero usage devices and unused application licenses, virtually any data point can be tracked, reported upon, and distributed to designated recipients, both ad-hoc and at a scheduled cadence. 

• What IT assets can be ordered through your solution?

  The Calero.com solution features ordering and provisioning capabilities that support the procurement of both telecom and mobile assets and services. 

• Does your platform support electronic and paper invoices?

  Yes. Our fully globalized solution is capable of loading invoices in any format (whether electronic or paper), as well as in any language and currency. Our dedicated invoice loading team ensures the correct and detailed mapping of all carrier billing into the Calero solution, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of invoices across your technology environment. 

• How does your solution identify abnormal charges?

  When an invoice is loaded, our solution automatically flags potential discrepancies between the billed charges, inventory data, and contract rates. Thresholds for automated alerts can also be set by your organization. Once a flag is raised, our skilled invoice analysts will review the discrepancy and initiate the dispute management process if the identified error is valid. 

• How are invoices disputed?

  When a charge on an invoice is flagged by our solution as a potential billing error, our expert team of invoice analysts and auditors investigate the charge to determine whether it is a valid claim. Once confirmed and approved for submission, the auditor places the dispute with the associated carrier per that carrier’s requirements, managing the dispute through negotiation with the vendor and receipt of a credit or adjustment on your organization’s behalf. Your company remains fully advised as the claim progresses, with the status of each dispute updated in our solution for ongoing visibility. 

• What support will be available for my company?

  Your organization will be supported by a flexible, fully globalized account team designed to meet your individual organization’s needs, with our high-touch Business Unit (BU) model driven by our “Customer First” focus. The same BU will own both the implementation of our solution and ongoing account governance, which means there is no transition in ownership from implementation to business-as-usual. Through weekly, monthly, and quarterly meetings,  key members of your organization will be kept fully informed of operational items, achieved savings, SLA and XLA attainment, optimization recommendations, and overall program alignment.

  For Managed Mobility support, Calero also provides our fully in-house Managed Mobility Team (iMMT) to support your organization’s mobile device end users. Unlike our competition, our iMMT consists solely of our own badged employees, enabling personalized, familiar, and consistent support that aligns to our uncompromising quality standards. With specialists working out of the United States (East and West Coast), the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and several remote locations internationally, your organization will enjoy comprehensive global coverage and support around the clock. 

• Which languages and currencies does your platform support?

  Our solution can process invoices in any currency and language. Multi-currency reporting and analysis is core to our solution’s functionality, and we support over 100 currencies with configurable exchange rates.