Black Box Transforms Voice/Data Service Management for Leading U.S. Automobile Manufacturer

CHALLENGE

Disconnects in Carrier Management and Cost Recovery
While the business used a telecom expense management system, its voice and data environment was not well documented, with no clear way to correlate existing services and usage with monthly expenses. This problem was exacerbated by several factors. Replacement circuits were being ordered without subsequent disconnects, resulting in duplicate billing and expense to the business. Consolidation of several business units into a single entity increased the circuits and vendor relationships requiring oversight by an IT department already working near capacity. The business needed a more effective means of managing its carrier environment and ensuring both cost recovery and operational efficiency.

SOLUTION

Optimized Voice and Data Service Management
Working in parallel with the IT team, Black Box is providing carrier managed services that optimize management of voice and data services to expand the savings potential for the business and provide better service to all business locations and end users. Through this relationship, the business now maintains a well-organized inventory of voice and data services mapped to monthly invoices.

OUTCOMES

Improved Visibility for Significant Cost Recovery
Black Box has saved the business hundreds of thousands of dollars in the first year of the engagement on an annual spend of approximately $8 million with their carrier partners. Black Box is on track to save the business several additional hundreds of thousands of dollars during the second year of the engagement.

RESULTS

Optimized Management of the Voice/Data Environment
With Black Box not only managing all quoting and ordering processes, but also validating connectivity options for new locations for access diversity, the manufacturer has reduced the burden on its IT department, established a 'cleaner' voice and data environment, and given its business management unit much greater visibility into the voice and data service inventory and usage.

BENEFITS

Improved Cost Efficiency and Business Decision-Making
The business now can efficiently validate charges before paying their service providers and has realized additional savings by eliminating recurring late payment charges. Moreover, the business management unit now is positioned to make better-informed decisions for digital transformation that supports the most pressing business initiatives. With Black Box Carrier Managed Services in place, the business is free to focus on higher-level decision-making

FUTURE PROJECTS

Expanding Optimization and Cost Savings with Black Box
Having realized substantial carrier cost savings through its work with Black Box, the manufacturer is considering expansion into management of mobility devices, cloud service providers, and SaaS licensing.