Thursday, October 23

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Registration and Coffee & Danishes

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Cost-Reduction Essentials
Pre-Conference Workshop

Whether you are an established auditor/analyst with a few years under your belt or a project coordinator, accountant or IT manager looking to familiarize yourself with the concepts of a routine telecom audit, this workshop is for you. Our veteran instructor will arm you with powerful information about telecom billing that will ease your anxiety, boost your confidence in reviewing invoices, increase your value to your organization and get you ready for more advanced concepts covered in the main conference. More...


Main Conference Begins



11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Conference Registration


12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Total Telecom Auditing Welcome Lunch
For attendees to the Main Conference only
Brief Introduction by Conference Co-Chairpersons Jessica Gdowski and Art Yonemoto

Art Yonemoto
was a successful IT manager for a large technology company in the 1990s when he set out to reduce data and telecom expenses for his enterprise's headquarters and 38 branch offices. Instantly hooked, he changed careers. Now a 15-year telecom auditing professional, Yonemoto's Dublin, Calif.-based firm, Yonemoto & Associates, performs spot audits for enterprises of all types and sizes. Yonemoto personally has uncovered millions of dollars in excessive carrier fees, ineffective wireless pooling structures, bad employee cell phone behavior, misrouting of PBX calls, new competitive offerings and numerous other telecom-related cost saving opportunities. Yonemoto is co-chairman of Voice Report's Total Telecom Auditing conference.

Jessica Gdowski
Voice Report Editor Jessica Gdowski has hit the ground running since joining CCMI in April 2006. She speaks regularly with savvy enterprise telecom managers and other telecom experts about telecom auditing and expense management, mobile device and cost management, IP telephony, and contract negotiations. In addition to winning several awards for investigative, instructional and analytical reporting, she was recently honored with the prestigious National Press Club award for Best Exclusive Newsletter Journalism for her ground-breaking coverage of Avaya's PBX maintenance policies. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, one of the most acclaimed colleges in the country for teaching journalism.

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
How to Build Your Visibility as an Auditor

Steve Leaden
is founder and president of Leaden Associates Inc., an independent telecommunications/IT consulting firm providing specialized support in telecommunications technologies and ROI strategies. Leaden has been in the telecommunications field for more than 25 years, with 17 of those with his own firm. He is past president and member of the Society of Telecommunications Consultants, a national telecommunications association that requires objectivity and professionalism as a prerequisite for membership. Enterprises in the health care, education, manufacturing, financial services, publishing and government market segments have relied on Leaden for voice over IP/unified communications consulting and telecommunications expense management/telecom auditing. Leaden’s TEM/telecom audit practice has created significant cost reductions and ongoing savings to clients.

Steve Leaden, President – Leaden Associates Inc.
Jumpstart your conference experience and your auditing career when you attend this session and discover how to boost your visibility and earn the recognition you deserve. Steve Leaden, who has worked as a telecom auditor for more than 17 years, knows – like you – that management often does not realize or reward the effort you put into an audit. Join him as he shows you how to dovetail your audits with your firm’s financial objectives, how to present and market your skills (and results!), and build a win-win client relationship.

2:30 - 3:50 p.m.
War Stories from the Wireless Auditing Trenches

Ken Steinhoff
was auditing phone bills before he was even close to becoming a telecom manager. When photo department phone charges started spiking, he asked the IT department to deliver the phone bill on disks instead of a two-foot stack of paper. Being able to sort phone numbers made it possible to figure out that a newly-hired college intern was still in love with his girlfriend back at school. One of Steinhoff’s first newsroom computer projects was to analyze the billing records of the county commissioners' taxpayer-provided cell phones. (This was back in the day when cell phones were expensive and exotic.) The readers didn't care that he found plenty of evidence of Sunshine Law violations and long distance calls to a campaign manager. No, they were more interested in a commissioner's regular calls to her nail salon and a pizza parlor on meeting days. When Steinhoff moved into telecom, the paper had six Motorola brick cell phones that were checked out on an as-needed basis. Today, the paper has almost 700 wireless devices. Using tricks he learned in his old newsroom days, Steinhoff has managed to cut wireless costs in half and give managers more tools to make employees more accountable. Full Disclosure Alert: Steinhoff admits that he has used his company cell phone to order a pizza from time to time.

Ken Steinhoff, Former Telecom Manager
Ken Steinhoff, a telecom manager since 1991, shows you how to save 20% to 50% on your enterprise’s wireless spend. Get the details of his 7-point battle plan, which targets strategic areas like BlackBerry devices without voice plans, pooling, users signing up for dating services and more! Learn to use the arsenal of tools you already have on hand to replicate Steinhoff's success at your shop.

3:30 - 3:50 p.m.
Refreshment Break & Exhibits


3:50 – 5:00 p.m.
In with the New:
How Telecom Technology Conversions Impact Audits

Steve DeLuca
Steve DeLuca, VP of audit operations at Control Point Solutions Inc., brings 15 years of telecom audit experience to the table. He spent nearly 10 years at MCI, where he was responsible both individually and for the team that audited, analyzed, processed and optimized millions of dollars per month in telecom spend. For the past five years, he has been with Control Point Solutions; first as a director in the account management team and now as the vice president of audit operations.

Steve DeLuca, VP of Audit Operations – Control Point Solutions Inc.
Nothing’s more constant than change, especially when it comes to telecom expenses. Now’s the time to expand your auditing skills to tackle new communications technologies. What common billing errors can you expect as your company implements MPLS and other converged technologies? What new and different information will you need to audit on an ongoing basis? Steve DeLuca, VP of audit operations for Control Point Solutions Inc., reveals real-life examples that pinpoint the hot spots to watch during telecom technology conversions, and teach you how to audit the bills once these services are deployed in your enterprise.

5:00 – 6:45 p.m.
Networking Cocktail Reception & Exhibits

8:10 - 9:30 a.m.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Bills)

Imagine having your nagging telecom bills reviewed by an industry expert. It doesn't get more real than this! Bring a recent wireless, local, long distance or data invoice and work side-by-side with our expert presenters to pinpoint your most crucial savings opportunities.



9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
How DS Waters Cut $8M in Telecom Spend in Under 4 Years

David Taylor
has been manager of telecommunications at DS Waters of America since 2005. In that time he implemented plans that slashed telecom expenses to just $5.5 million annually from $13.5 million annually for this national firm with 5,000 users at more than 160 locations, including four call centers with 500 agents. He also manages all aspects of DS Waters’ telecom vendor relations, including all communications services contracts. Prior to joining DS Waters, he held positions with several leading-edge IT and communications vendors.

David Taylor, Telecom Manager – DS Waters of America Inc.
After a 2004 merger, DS Waters’ telecom expenses – at $13.5 million and growing – needed attention. That’s when David Taylor took control. Using a logical, methodical process that he’ll share with you, he – along with a telecom expense management vendor – implemented an entirely new invoice processing regime, improved bill payment (and put an end to untimely service interruptions!), and tightened up contract negotiation and compliance practices and policies. The result was an astonishing $8 million reduction in annual expenses – and better service for all of DS Waters locations. Don’t miss this revealing success story that will give you proven tips and tactics to employ at your company.


10:30 - 10:50 a.m.
Refreshment Break & Exhibits


10:50 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
TEM vs. The Auditor

Telecom expense management (TEM) firms claim that automating bill processing and other auditing tasks will make it easier to find savings and billing errors. Auditors, meanwhile, argue that hiring a TEM company is like using a sledgehammer to swat a fly; you need more precision. So what role should TEM play at your enterprise? What are its limitations? How might an enterprise’s own auditor work in concert with TEM? Get the answers to these questions, and your own, when you hear from an auditing pro employed by a TEM firm, two enterprise telecom managers and an independent auditor.

Steve DeLuca
Steve DeLuca, VP of audit operations at Control Point Solutions Inc., brings 15 years of telecom audit experience to the table. He spent nearly 10 years at MCI, where he was responsible both individually and for the team that audited, analyzed, processed and optimized millions of dollars per month in telecom spend. For the past five years, he has been with Control Point Solutions; first as a director in the account management team and now as the vice president of audit operations.

Ken Steinhoff
was auditing phone bills before he was even close to becoming a telecom manager. When photo department phone charges started spiking, he asked the IT department to deliver the phone bill on disks instead of a two-foot stack of paper. Being able to sort phone numbers made it possible to figure out that a newly-hired college intern was still in love with his girlfriend back at school. One of Steinhoff’s first newsroom computer projects was to analyze the billing records of the county commissioners' taxpayer-provided cell phones. (This was back in the day when cell phones were expensive and exotic.) The readers didn't care that he found plenty of evidence of Sunshine Law violations and long distance calls to a campaign manager. No, they were more interested in a commissioner's regular calls to her nail salon and a pizza parlor on meeting days. When Steinhoff moved into telecom, the paper had six Motorola brick cell phones that were checked out on an as-needed basis. Today, the paper has almost 700 wireless devices. Using tricks he learned in his old newsroom days, Steinhoff has managed to cut wireless costs in half and give managers more tools to make employees more accountable. Full Disclosure Alert: Steinhoff admits that he has used his company cell phone to order a pizza from time to time.

David Taylor
Has been manager of telecommunications at DS Waters of America since 2005. In that time he implemented plans that slashed telecom expenses to just $5.5 million annually from $13.5 million annually for this national firm with 5,000 users at more than 160 locations, including four call centers with 500 agents. He also manages all aspects of DS Waters’ telecom vendor relations, including all communications services contracts. Prior to joining DS Waters, he held positions with several leading-edge IT and communications vendors.

Art Yonemoto
was a successful IT manager for a large technology company in the 1990s when he set out to reduce data and telecom expenses for his enterprise's headquarters and 38 branch offices. Instantly hooked, he changed careers. Now a 15-year telecom auditing professional, Yonemoto's Dublin, Calif.-based firm, Yonemoto & Associates, performs spot audits for enterprises of all types and sizes. Yonemoto personally has uncovered millions of dollars in excessive carrier fees, ineffective wireless pooling structures, bad employee cell phone behavior, misrouting of PBX calls, new competitive offerings and numerous other telecom-related cost saving opportunities. Yonemoto is co-chairman of Voice Report's Total Telecom Auditing conference.

Panelists:
Steve DeLuca, Ken Steinhoff, David Taylor, & Art Yonemoto


12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Networking Lunch

Dan Aylward
Dan Aylward is a senior consultant with Abilita, an international consulting organization with more than 40 offices. Aylward, whose clients include not-for-profits and municipalities, enjoys pestering cell phone call center representatives. He routinely reduces clients' wireless bills by more than 31%.

Denise Munro
is the principal consultant and owner of CRG Telecom Inc. (d/b/a Cost Reduction Group), an organization she has been associated with since 1994. She has 22 years of experience in telecommunications expense reduction and management, telecommunications system hardware/software design, RFP development and analysis, implementation, project management and end-user training. She has coordinated projects ranging from small telephone systems for basic offices to large, complex voice communications networks for Fortune 500 companies. Munro is a nationally known speaker and educator in the area of telecom expense audit and telecom expense management. Prior to joining CRG, Munro was a senior communications analyst with Halliburton Company. Her responsibilities included the purchase of all PBX equipment for the company’s 350 domestic locations and operations in 100 countries as well as the design and implementation of its international private voice network. She also had held technology positions with Centel Communications Systems and Four Seasons Hotels. Munro has been an active, proud member of the Society of Telecommunications Consultants (STC) since 1998, adhering to the organization’s strict professional standards and rigorous code of ethics.

Denise Munro, Principal — CRG Telecom Inc.
Take your skills to the next level with proven techniques for winning credits and verifying you’re paying the right taxes, fees and surcharges. Audit like a pro with the help of our expert presenter, who returns to help you uncover billing errors, verify contract compliance, score rock-bottom discounts and structure your contracts right in the first place.

2:30 - 2:45 p.m.
Refreshment Break & Exhibits


2:45 - 4:15 p.m.
43 Areas for Telecom Cost Savings in 90 minutes

Art Yonemoto
was a successful IT manager for a large technology company in the 1990s when he set out to reduce data and telecom expenses for his enterprise's headquarters and 38 branch offices. Instantly hooked, he changed careers. Now a 15-year telecom auditing professional, Yonemoto's Dublin, Calif.-based firm, Yonemoto & Associates, performs spot audits for enterprises of all types and sizes. Yonemoto personally has uncovered millions of dollars in excessive carrier fees, ineffective wireless pooling structures, bad employee cell phone behavior, misrouting of PBX calls, new competitive offerings and numerous other telecom-related cost saving opportunities. Yonemoto is co-chairman of Voice Report's Total Telecom Auditing conference.