Case Study | Telecom Expense Audit Case Study
Telecom Expense Audit Case Study Eliminates Nearly $60,000 in Annual POTS Line Waste
A real-world example of how structured telecom expense review helped uncover unused legacy lines, eliminate unnecessary monthly spend, reduce exposure to escalators, and better align services to actual operational need.
At a Glance
- Category: Telecom Expense Audit
- Environment: Legacy POTS lines with long-standing monthly billing and annual escalators
- Total Lines Reviewed: 91
- Previous Monthly Cost: $4,927.19
- Annual Spend at Risk: Nearly $60,000
- Lines Canceled: 68
- Lines Ported to eFax: 16
- Remaining Operational Lines: 7 elevator and fire lines
The Challenge
The client believed there was little to no waste in the telecom environment. Like many organizations, the bills were familiar, the services had been in place for years, and there was no obvious trigger to question what was still needed.
We secured a Letter of Authorization and worked directly with the vendor to gather invoices and review the trailing 12 months of billing. What looked routine on the surface turned out to be a legacy POTS line environment carrying significant unnecessary monthly cost.
The challenge was not just rising spend. These lines were also subject to annual escalators ranging from 15% to 20%, which meant the cost problem was becoming more severe over time.
What We Found
Once we drilled into each line and compared it against actual usage and operational need, the disconnect became clear.
Most of the POTS Lines Had No Real Use
Of the 91 lines reviewed, 68 could be canceled because they were tied to inactive locations, rang endlessly with no one at the other end, or had no meaningful use over the trailing 12 months.
Analog Fax Lines Were Already Obsolete
The client had already shifted to eFax for document transmission, yet 16 analog fax lines were still being billed. Those lines were cancelled or ported into the existing eFax environment.
Only a Small Subset Still Needed Special Handling
Just 7 lines remained operationally relevant, supporting elevator and fire systems. Those lines required nuance, compliance awareness, and transition planning using POTS replacement solutions with battery backup.
Our Approach
DE Bottom Line ran a structured telecom expense audit designed to validate what was actually needed, eliminate what was not, and reduce internal lift for the client.
- Secured a Letter of Authorization to work directly with the vendor
- Collected and reviewed trailing 12-month invoices
- Mapped all 91 lines to actual function, location, and business use
- Canceled 68 lines with no operational purpose
- Ported 16 unnecessary analog fax lines into the existing eFax solution
- Positioned the remaining elevator and fire lines for compliant POTS replacement planning
This was not just a bill review. It was a full validation of what the organization had continued paying for versus what it truly needed to support the environment.
The Results
- Reduced monthly telecom cost from $4,927.19 to virtually nothing
- Recovered nearly $60,000 in annual spend
- Eliminated 68 unused legacy lines
- Moved 16 fax lines into a more appropriate eFax environment
- Reduced exposure to 15% to 20% yearly escalators
- Created a clear path for compliant transition planning on the 7 remaining lines
- Uncovered a decade-old expense that had blended into routine AP processing
From $4,927.19 Per Month → Virtually Nothing
Instead of continuing to pay for unused legacy telecom services, the client uncovered substantial waste, eliminated nearly all recurring cost, and regained control over an expense that had gone unquestioned for years.
Beyond the Savings
This engagement reinforces an important point. Many expenses do not stand out because they are strategically hidden. They stay hidden because they become familiar.
Accounts payable teams see the same invoices month after month, vendors continue billing, and legacy services remain in place because no one has had the time or incentive to question them. In some cases, the incentive is actually misaligned, because keeping those lines active benefits the parties being paid.
In this case, a structured audit revealed that a long-standing telecom expense no longer matched reality. That kind of disconnect is exactly why organizations benefit from bringing in someone willing to dig for the sole purpose of lowering the bottom line.
This is exactly the type of result that defines our 40/60 Club. Savings are not always found by doing more. Often, they come from removing what no longer belongs. In this case, a feature sitting in plain sight created $50,000 in unnecessary cost.
Related Services
Supporting services that align naturally with this case study and strengthen internal linking.
What Legacy Telecom Costs Are Still Living Quietly In Your Environment?
Most organizations do not need more vendor noise. They need someone willing to validate what is actually being used, challenge what has simply been carried forward, and remove the waste that has become routine.
Request an AssessmentReal Savings. Real Impact. Zero Risk.