Released on: September 12, 2008, 9:27 am

Press Release Author: TEL electronics, inc.

Industry: Telecommunications

Press Release Summary: For the past 30 years, most hotel and resort chains have
required some sort of call accounting system in their properties. They do this to
recover phone costs, generate extra revenue, and plan for and manage telecom
expenses.

Press Release Body: Call accounting, the ability to track and analyze phone calls,
was originally invented in the 1970s as a way for businesses to manage phone usage
within their organizations. By the early 80s it had been adapted to the hospitality
industry, allowing hotels and resorts to more easily track guest phone usage,
recover telephone costs, and generate extra revenue through the resale of phone
calls.

Call accounting systems, such as the INN-FORM XL from TEL electronics, inc., can
track where a phone call was made, who made the call, what number was dialed, how
long the call lasted, and, using FCC tariff information, can determine the cost of
the call and automatically add pre-defined surcharges to it.

During the 1980s and 90s call accounting systems were in high demand due to the fact
that hotels could often generate thousands of dollars each month by marking up long
distance calls. However, with decreasing calling costs and the invention of cell
phones and VoIP, hotels have seen decreasing revenues from their call accounting
systems and some managers think that call accounting is no longer necessary for
their properties.

In today’s world, major business and hospitality organizations strongly suggest that
their properties use call accounting systems, and many require that their systems
are up-to-date and accurate. They do this for four main reasons: (1) to recover the
cost of long-distance calls, (2) to properly allocate, account for, and charge
customers for phone usage, (3) to generate revenue through the resale of phone
calls, and (4) to track phone calls made to and from their property for marketing,
planning, and other purposes, and especially for handling and tracking emergency
calls.

In the hospitality industry, it is often appropriate to have detailed information
about high-cost phone calls, wake-up calls, and in case of emergencies, where 911
calls were initiated. Without a call accounting system, hotel managers do not have
the information needed to quickly resolve guest concerns and may be confronted with
headaches and disgruntled customers. However, by using a call accounting system,
managers can have the added security and peace of mind that they have the
information needed to help their guests and to understand, manage, improve, and
control telephone activities.

When buying a call accounting system, hotel managers have three system choices:
software, hardware, or web-based products. Web-based products tend to get quite
expensive due to the monthly subscription fees which are based on the number of
extensions and users. Software products are more flexible than hardware-based
systems due to the added capabilities of the PC, but often require large amounts of
memory to store and retrieve call data efficiently. Hardware or stand-alone systems
appear to be the most popular form of call accounting systems in the hospitality
industry due to the fact that the systems are quite small and can be stored in a
closet or drawer. Stand-alone systems, like software and web-based products, will
automatically post call records directly to the Property Management System for
future retrieval.

There are many companies that offer call accounting products, but only a few with a
long history of providing quality products and customer support specifically for the
hospitality industry. TEL electronics, inc., founded in the 1970s, is one of the
nation’s leading call accounting providers for hotels, resorts, and businesses. TEL
has provided systems for nearly 50,000 organizations and offers two stand-alone
systems, the INN-FORM XL and the INN-FORM Plus, as well as two software-based
systems called the INN-FORM PC and the WIN-SENSE 32.

To learn more about TEL, its products and services, visit www.tel-electronics.com.


Web Site: http://www.tel-electronics.com

Contact Details: TEL electronics, inc.
705 East Main Street
American Fork, UT 84003
800-748-5022