ent increase in access charges have on my budget?" Another perspective on facilities management is presented in an article from TELECONNECT Magazine by Tracey Tucker. This includes some tips for purchasing this type of system. CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TELEMANAGEMENT SYSTEM As telecommunications networks become larger and more com- plex, telecom and IT managers are realizing the importance of controlling every aspect of their network's operations. It's not enough to just track and cost calls. There is a lot of money invested in equipment, and recurring expenses associated with MACs (moves, adds, changes). There are maintenance issues to deal with and choices regarding services and equipment. This is why you need tools to help to make timely and informed decisions. Telemanagement software provides these tools. It automates management functions in three primary administrative areas: Process control: This refers to the ongoing activities that occur on a day-to-day basis, like traffic engineering, network optimization, trouble tracking and work-order management. These activities are time-consuming and a great deal of in- formation crosses different files. For example, every time you generate a work order, you need to access cable, directory, inventory and vendor contract information. Telemanagement 130 The Telecom Handbook CHAPTER 6 software helps by automating the process and by provid- ing a central database from which you can access all network information. Asset management: This relates to inventory control. You know what equipment you have, where you have it, and the status of equipment (whether it's already in place, in stock, out on repair, etc.) Asset management also lets you allocate costs for budgeting and track feature usage for system de- sign and planning. Resource management: This allows you to manage your workforce and schedule problem resolution. You can issue work orders based on resource availability (i.e. Do we use our in-house staff for this job, or the vendor representative?) You are also able to