1) Great idea! One I’ve thought about for many years. In fact we would be interested in funding the project to develop a free open source TEM platform. In our view it’s not necessarily the software that’s the core asset, although obviously needed, what’s more important is the standardization of processes like invoice validation and auditing, as well as the inventorying of voice/data circuits, mobile devices, laptops etc. This is true whether you use Excel or some high dollar TEM software. Heck more telecom managers use Excel for TEM than any other software program.

Let’s get Open Source TEM going. Please contact me if you’d be interested in developing it.

2) Given that an average corporate wireless user runs $55 and the company cited above has 2,500 devices that would be roughly $1.7 million in annual spend. Saving them $326k would be about 20%. That would be about the industry average for a wireless TEM implementation.

Are they saying they’re having difficulty introducing the wireless TEM application to existing clients, warm leads or flat out cold calls? Getting an appointment with any corporate executive is challenging, but trying to explain (sell) TEM without some sort of warm relationship can sometimes elicit the same response as someone selling you life insurance at a cocktail party.

If it’s with warm relationships then perhaps it’s the upfront cost. One way we’ve overcome resistance is by providing a positive ROI or you don’t pay model. With that type of confidence you can generally at least get folks to give you a try. That way they have an upside, by saving the company money, and it eliminates the down side of being the champion of a costly failed initiative.