What Is Telecom Expense Management (TEM) and Mobility Expense Management (MEM)?
If your company pays for phone lines, internet, or mobile phones, you already know one thing:
Those bills add up. Fast.
Over time, it gets harder to answer basic questions like:
- What are we actually paying for?
- Do we still need all these lines and devices?
- Are we on the right plans and contracts?
This is where Telecom Expense Management (TEM) and Mobility Expense Management (MEM) come in.
In this post, we’ll break down:
- What TEM and MEM really mean
- Why telecom and mobility costs get out of control
- How a TEM / MEM program helps you take back control
- Signs your business is ready for better telecom expense management
You do not need to be a telecom expert to follow this. We’ll keep it simple and clear.
What Is Telecom Expense Management (TEM)?
Telecom Expense Management, often shortened to TEM, is how a company tracks and controls all of its telecom services and costs.
This usually includes things like:
- Phone lines and voice services
- Internet and data circuits
- Network connections between sites
- Some collaboration or voice tools that run over your network
A TEM program or TEM solution helps you:
- See every service you are paying for
- Match invoices to real services and locations
- Catch billing errors and wrong charges
- Find services you no longer need
- Make better choices when contracts renew
Think of TEM as a single source of truth for your telecom environment. Instead of guessing what you have and what it costs, you can see it in one place.
What Is Mobility Expense Management (MEM)?
Mobility Expense Management, or MEM, focuses on your wireless world:
- Mobile phones
- Tablets
- Hotspots and data devices
- Data plans and roaming
- Phone stipends for employees
A MEM program or MEM solution helps you:
- Track every active device and mobile number
- See which lines are being used and which are not
- Put people on the right plans
- Control roaming and overage charges
- Follow a clear process when people join, move, or leave the company
You may see people write TEMS and MEMS when they search online. They usually mean the same thing: TEM and MEM, or Telecom and Mobility Expense Management.
Why Telecom and Mobility Costs Get Out of Control
Most companies do not wake up one day and decide to waste money. It happens slowly over time.
Here’s how:
New services get added, old ones don’t get removed.
A site closes, but the circuit stays. An employee leaves, but their mobile line keeps billing.
Telecom invoices are long and confusing.
They are full of codes and fees that are hard to read. So invoices get paid, but not checked.
No one owns telecom expense management.
IT, Finance, and Procurement all touch telecom, but no one has full visibility or clear responsibility.
There is no complete inventory.
Many companies do not have one master list of all circuits, phone lines, and mobile devices.
Because of this, it is common to have:
- “Zombie” lines and circuits that no one uses
- Extra data plans that are never touched
- Old contracts with bad rates still in place
- Bills that slowly grow year after year
A solid TEM and MEM program is designed to fix these problems.
How a TEM and MEM Program Works (High Level)
Every telecom environment is different, but most Telecom Expense Management and Mobility Expense Management programs follow a similar pattern.
1. Build a Clean Inventory
First, you gather all the information in one place:
- Every circuit, phone line, and service
- Every mobile number and device
- Which site or person each one belongs to
- The carrier, plan, and current cost
This becomes your telecom inventory and mobility inventory. It sounds basic, but this step alone often reveals waste.
2. Match Invoices to Inventory
Next, you compare carrier invoices to your inventory:
- Does every charge match a real service?
- Are there lines or plans on the invoice that are missing from your list?
- Are there services in your list that no longer appear on invoices?
This is where a TEM solution shines. It can help you see mismatches, errors, and surprise fees much faster than doing it by hand.
3. Find Errors and Extra Services
Once invoices and inventory match, you start to see:
- Services at locations that are closed
- Devices and numbers with no usage for months
- Plans that make no sense for how people work
These are often the first easy savings in telecom expense management and mobility expense management.
4. Optimize Contracts and Plans
Over time, you look at:
- Which carriers you use
- What rates and discounts you get
- How your usage has changed
This lets you make better decisions on:
- Renewals
- New contracts
- Plan changes
Put Ongoing Controls in Place
The last step is to make sure you don’t slide back into chaos again.
A good TEM / MEM program sets up:
- Clear approval steps for new lines and devices
- A simple process for moves, adds, and changes
- Regular reports for IT, Finance, and leaders
This is how telecom management becomes part of how your business runs, not a one‑time clean‑up.
Benefits of Telecom & Mobility Expense Management
So what do companies actually gain from TEM and MEM?
Here are some of the biggest wins:
1. Lower Telecom and Mobility Spend
By removing unused services, fixing billing errors, and improving contracts, many companies see real cost reductions. Even a small percentage of savings can be a big number when telecom and mobility spend is large.
2. Better Visibility and Control
With a TEM solution and MEM solution, you can answer questions like:
- “What are we paying by site, carrier, or business unit?”
- “How many mobile devices do we really have?”
- “What changed on our bills this month?”
This helps with planning, budgeting, and reporting.
3. Less Time Spent on Manual Chasing
Without a telecom expense management program, teams:
- Chase down random charges
- Dig through old invoices
- Try to match numbers between systems by hand
TEM and MEM help automate a lot of that work, so your team can focus on higher‑value tasks.
4. Fewer Surprises
When you watch telecom expenses and mobility expenses closely:
- Big jumps in spend stand out
- New services and lines are tracked from day one
- Changes show up in reports instead of as budget shocks later
This makes life easier for both IT and Finance.
Signs You Might Need TEM and MEM
You may not need a full telecom management program on day one. But here are some signs you are ready:
- Your telecom and mobility spend is now a meaningful line item in your budget
- You have opened, closed, or moved locations in the last few years
- You support a lot of remote or mobile workers
- You get surprised by big bills or random fees
- No one in the business can show you one clear list of all circuits, phone lines, and devices
If some of these feel familiar, Telecom Expense Management and Mobility Expense Management are worth a closer look.
Getting Started with TEM and MEM
As your company grows, it usually makes less and less sense to manage all of this in a spreadsheet.
1. Pick one area to review.
For example, look at all mobile lines, or all internet circuits, and build a basic inventory.
2. Look for the obvious waste.
Find services tied to closed sites or people who have left. Confirm if you still need them.
3. Decide who owns telecom expense management.
Make it clear who is responsible for telecom and mobility spend, even if you later use outside help.
4. Explore tools and partners.
Check out TEM solutions, MEM solutions, and telecom expense management services that can support your size and complexity.
How Eynstyn Digital Can Help
If you are reading this and thinking:
“We know our telecom and mobility spend is probably too high, but we don’t have the time or tools to get in front of it…”
You’re not alone
At Eynstyn Digital, we help companies:
- Understand their full telecom and mobility environment
- Find quick wins and hidden savings
- Put a simple, repeatable Telecom & Mobility Expense Management (TEM/MEM) process in place
We focus on making telecom management clear and practical, not overwhelming.
If you want a clearer picture of your TEM and MEM opportunities, you can book a strategy session with Eynstyn Digital.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Telecom Expense Management (TEM)?
Telecom Expense Management (TEM) is the process and tools used to track, check, and control all of a company’s telecom services and costs, like phone lines, internet circuits, and network connections.
What is Mobility Expense Management (MEM)?
Mobility Expense Management (MEM) focuses on wireless services such as mobile phones, tablets, data plans, and roaming. It helps you see every device, stop paying for unused lines, and keep mobile costs under control.
Why do companies overspend on telecom and mobility?
Costs rise over time because new services are added, old ones don’t get removed, invoices are complex and hard to check, and no one has a single, up‑to‑date inventory of all lines, circuits, and devices.
How does a TEM and MEM program save money?
A TEM and MEM program builds a clean inventory, matches invoices to real services, finds errors and unused lines, and helps negotiate better contracts and plans, which reduces waste and lowers monthly spend.