Wireless CDR Processing

In response to client feedback and changes at the IRS, we’ve addressed the need for automated wireless call allocation at the CDR level. Over the last 90 days the database development team has completed an automated method for wireless users to identify their CDR’s as business or personal calls and to the correct cost center. Through a web interface, an individual can review all their call information and designate each number as business or personal and select the appropriate project code or cost center. Of course the system will retain the selection, so users only have to identify new numbers from month to month.

The IRS has recently changed the policy of company provided cell phone usage and is designating company provided cell phone as a “working condition fringe benefit”. Any personal use of a provided cell phone is viewed as a taxable benefit. The employer is required to include the value of this fringe benefit in wages as part of compensation. TeleBright has given companies an easy way to record and report that data.

I spoke with one company that tackled this task manually. The finance person spends a week reviewing wireless bills. Individual call details for each phone number are inserted into individual spreadsheets, then emailed to users. The users fill in the spreadsheet with the cost center or project code or identify the call as a personal call. The user emails the completed spreadsheet back to headquarters. After the data is received at headquarters, the finance dept. calculates the percentage of the bill by cost center. After all that, the company was trying to cost allocate one bill before the next bill came in.

Imagine their relief when the labor burden was pushed to the users. A simple web-based interface that tracked and reported everything they needed and proactively completed work that had taken almost a month to do manually and allowed them a tool to comply with IRS requirements.