Q: I'm tired of being invoiced an additional charge each month, per account, just because my company needs paper invoices. Is there anything that can be done to get invoices the way I want them?
A: As service providers move towards online billing systems, the choices for customers are becoming fewer and more costly. Many providers have added provisions to their tariffs and service/price guides allowing extra charges for certain invoice media and/or if multiple media types are requested. Verizon Business, for example, charges an $8 monthly recurring charge for every paper invoice provided to a customer in addition to or instead of online invoices.
One caveat to Verizon's charge, however, is that the added expense will not apply when the customer proves or Verizon determines that online invoicing is not a reasonable substitute for paper. Organizations such as financial institutions often have legal requirements mandating the retention of paper invoices for a certain period of time, and other companies may have defined internal processes with similar requirements.
A careful review of the tariff or service/price guide may provide the necessary language to support your position. Otherwise a provision could be negotiated into a future contract.
Q: I just got a price quote back from my service provider. The charges for the services are very competitive but the install charges are outrageous. Is there anything that can be done to lower my provisioning costs?
A: Typically there is an inversely proportional relationship between service duration and charges for installation. In other words, the longer an organization agrees to keep a service in place the less it will pay. So to benefit from reduced or waived installation charges your organization could agree to a longer term for the service. The downside is that it may be in conflict with the needs of your business. For example, if your organization is contemplating a move to VoIP you may not want to enter into a service several years in duration.
Another route that may be taken is the requirement that all installation and provisioning fees be waived as part of a contract. That way the costs will be tied to the overall contract instead of to each price quote or service. For further benefits this requirement can be tailored across services and providers.
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