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Call Accounting Software Benefits

Call accounting is software or hardware that provides metrics for telephony functions such as traffic analysis, toll fraud alerts, network management, E911 notification and cost allocation to various corporate levels.

Historically the software has been an invaluable tool for corporations that required control over telephone usage costs. Call accounting systems generally capture and report on call type, origin, date, time, duration and dialed digits. The system stores the data and utilizes the information to calculate cost and generate desired reports.

Call accounting can generally reduce telecom expenses from 10% to 40% by highlighting misuse and abuse, discovering supplier billing errors and increasing productivity through greater network and workforce efficiency.

Environments that are not monitored tend to have excessive charges for directory services, specialty numbers, personal and overseas calls. The implementation of a call accounting system can pinpoint calls to individual extensions for greater accountability. In fact, simple awareness of the impending installation of a new call accounting package circulated among staff curbs misuse immediately by approximately 10%.

Supplier billing errors can be a costly revelation. A Gartner Group study found 12 to 20 percent of corporate telecom invoices contain billing errors and 85 percent of such errors are in favor of the carrier. A good call accounting system can provide accounting assurance through bill reconciliation.

In this era of heightened security, it is imperative that a call accounting software package monitor suspicious, fraudulent and malicious behavior. Calls to E911, emergency services or to specific calling patterns can be tracked and notified to authorized personnel. In 2002, the United States Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act following fraudulent operations by companies, such as Enron and WorldCom. Call detail reports can be used to provide documented proof of fraudulent behavior.

Over the years call accounting has evolved from a single processor MS DOS system to elaborate SQL databases with globally accessible browser-based solutions. Web browsers are either pre-installed with the operating system or freely available downloads from the internet. Browsers are popular because they can access information remotely from a public IP address or via a virtual private network (VPN). Therefore an individual can access his stock quotes, read the latest headlines and review call accounting reports through various tabs on the browser. Web browser based systems allow enterprise users to easily manage many sites from a centralized location.

Many corporations are developing total communication management solution (TCMS) strategies to manage their growing communication spend. Call accounting is the core of any powerful communication management portfolio.

RSI (www.telecost.com) is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The communication management product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI has been granted Nortel Developer Partner status with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products. RSI is a Cisco Technology Partner, Siemens HiPath Ready Standard certified, Avaya DeveloperConnect Member, Mitel MiSN Member, Adtran Complementary Solutions Provider, ShoreTel Technology Partner, NEC Univerge Partner and Alcatel Applications Partner.

Rito Salomone is President of Resource Software International Ltd.(RSI). RSI is internationally recognized as a leader in communication management solutions. To contact the author, email rsalomone@telecost.com or visit the website at http://www.telecost.com

You have permission to publish this article, in its entirety, electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines and links are included. Please email a courtesy copy to rsi@telecost.com

posted by bmxj @ 2:44 PM 0 comments

Microsoft Moves to Small Business Accounting/retail Market - Stakes and Thoughts

In this small article we will be looking at the new opportunities for Microsoft Small Business Server specialists, but rather look at the global business strategy and possible ways of future ERP modules standardizing and interoperability. This is important to get into consideration for midsize and large corporate business IT decision makers. Lets look at the chronology and possible future development.

Great Plains Software acquisition. When Microsoft took leading position on the operating system market and released stable and reliable Windows 2000 Server, the next logical step would be getting into ERP market. Microsoft decided to try midsize market, and the reason is probably this it is wise to create small accounting as the extension to Microsoft Office, not to purchase existing small application. However if you plan to try midmarket you better purchase something established with broad client base. Developing midsize package from scratch might deplete all the resources. As the stake on Great Plains was high Microsoft formed business systems subdivision Microsoft Great Plains Business Solutions, later on Great Plains name was taken off and now we see Microsoft Business Solutions.

Navision Software Acquisition. There are multiple opinions among the MBS partners. Considering the fact that Navision Attain had strong clientele in Europe, and the fact that currently MBS promotes Navision on the majority of emerging markets: East Europe, Russia, Brazil the point of view that Microsoft got very large pool of clients in Europe and one of the goals of Navision acquisition was geographic expansion.

Axapta. Navision Software was indeed very robust and it was one of the Danish software dragons (in the good sense of this word), the other nice company was MacHanza. We would like here to credit Danish ERP vendors. Axapta was new product on the moment of acquisition and it is rich-functionality ERP and so a rival to SAP, Oracle Financials, PeopleSoft

Small Business Manager/Small Business Financials. This was natural way of downsizing the functionality of Great Plains Dynamics/Microsoft Great Plains to gain small business market. Small Business Financials is Great Plains Dexterity written accounting package. You see similar marketing moves from SAP and Oracle sides.

Small Business Accounting 2006. It took Microsoft about four years to feel itself comfortable on the ERP market before it decided to create its own small business package, targeted to take over market share from QuickBooks, MYOB, PeachTree. Small Business Accounting 2006 is really nice application, which is excellently integrated with Microsoft Office/Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft is right majority of Windows users spend their computer time in Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Excel. And it create accounting application, allowing you to do 50% of work from Microsoft Outlook directly

Microsoft POS. As you know that there are several thousand small retail businesses in the USA, using just one cash register and these folks have to use a lot of small retail Management applications, which are competing on this market for a long time. And it is a good momentum to take over this unreliable and turbulent market offering cheap and solid rock solution, working with POS devises. Please, take into account that Microsoft has another high-end retail Management system Microsoft RMS, which can automate midsize and huge retail stores and chains.

Market is taken over? Well the last flint of Microsoft Small Business Accounting and Microsoft POS give customer an option to stay in Microsoft framework from the company inception till going public as a large corporation. This fact would be very difficult to ignore for such folks out there on the market as BestSoftware, SAP, Oracle, Sun.

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) USA nationwide Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in the following industries: Aerospace & Defence, Logistics & Distribution, Freight forwarding & Transportation, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Wholesale & retail, Education, Biotechnology, Chemicals, Healthcare, Beverages, Conglomerates, Food & Drugs.

posted by bmxj @ 2:41 PM 0 comments