4. Follow up to verify receipt of claim. You will need to follow up soon after submitting your claim to not only make sure the claim was received, but also that it was received by the correct person able to resolve the situation. Keep in mind that some carriers are notorious for letting problems be shuffled around until the customer either forgets or simply gives up. Staying on top of the contact person will ensure that your claim gets processed and resolved.

5. Follow up again and push for resolution. By now you have established the fact that you mean business and you expect your claim to be resolved and refunds or adjustments be made. Be sure to get an order number and the effective date of the billing correction during this step.

6. Verify errors have been corrected and refunds received. Errors that go uncorrected will continue to appear on telecom bills in subsequent months. The final step is the most crucial: be sure that the errors are removed and refunds are in your company bank account! Don't be surprised if a similar or exact type of error suddenly appears again in 3-6 months.

No matter what the technology, telecom vendors and service providers will continue to makes mistakes. With the proper systems in place to identify errors, and the action steps taken to resolve them, you will be well on your way to keeping your corporate telecom expenses in check.