Reflections on the First Year of TEM Talk, TC2’s Fast-Growing User Community

Tony: Hello, I’m Tony Mangino from TC2, and this is Staying Connected—where we talk about what really matters to enterprise buyers navigating today’s technology and sourcing decisions. 

If you manage telecom and technology spend at a large enterprise scale, you already know the hardest part isn’t finding “savings.” It’s sustaining control—inventory accuracy, invoice integrity, governance, and supplier leverage—month after month, deal after deal. Today we’re celebrating the first anniversary of TC2’s TEM Talk user group, and more importantly, to discuss what the community has learned—and what’s coming next.

Today’s episode is a milestone. In January 2025, TC2 launched TEM Talk—our enterprise-only monthly forum for professionals responsible for the management, oversight, and optimization of technology vendors and expenditures—especially teams using, or considering, an external TEM partner. One year later, the group has grown to represent over 40 companies and roughly 100 members across finance, procurement, vendor management, IT and cost management.

And what I love about TEM Talk is that it’s not a webinar. It’s not a vendor showcase. It’s a collaborative working session with peers who live the same issues—every day—and at scale.

To unpack what we’ve learned in year one—and what’s ahead—I’m joined by Theresa Knutson, who co-hosts TEM Talk with Brent Knight. Theresa, welcome back.

Theresa: Thanks, Tony. It’s great to be here—and honestly, it’s hard to believe it’s been a year already.

Why TEM Talk Exists (and why it’s enterprise-only)

Tony: Let’s start with the “why.” TC2 works exclusively with enterprise IT buyers. That buyer-only posture is central to how we show up—whether it’s sourcing, negotiations, cost optimization, or governance. TEM Talk feels like a natural extension of that approach. Why did you and Brent start TEM Talk in the first place?

Theresa: We started it because TEM in large enterprises is never just an outsourced solution.   Its the knowledge and expertise that covers a broad range of technical topics including vendor management, cost management, a working knowledge of the services managed by the TEM, your sites and your architecture.  Over the years I’ve been able to work and connect with many amazing people who manage TEM for large enterprises and always thought “it would be great if we all lived close together so we could have a happy hour and share expertise and war stories”;   So that lead to the creation of this virtual user group.

Tony:  You are right,  there are plenty of places to hear about TEM, but not many places where folks can compare notes—discreetly—on what’s actually working so this group  definitely fills that gap.

And the enterprise-only rule—no TEM suppliers—was intentional.

Theresa: Very intentional. It creates candor. People will share what they tried, what failed, what surprised them in negotiations, where their TEM partner fell short, and how they corrected it. That level of openness doesn’t happen when suppliers are in the room.  We are very careful not to share any confidential information—we focus on best practices, challenges and solutions. 

Tony: The objective is simple, but powerful: build a network of peers and industry experts; share solutions to common TEM challenges; and keep a pulse on TEM market trends and developments.

What the group covered in Year One

Tony: Let’s talk about substance. When you look back on the first year, what were the themes?

Theresa: Three big themes. First: procurement and negotiation of TEM deals—how you structure commercials, define scope, and avoid the classic traps.

Second: best practices for inventory, reporting, and cost management—because TEM value is only as real as the underlying data and governance.

Third: industry and market updates—what’s changing in the TEM landscape, including insights from Gartner’s TEM market guide, major transactions like Asignet’s acquisition of Cass, and updates from key network suppliers.

Tony: Let’s make that practical. When people say “TEM deal negotiation,” what are the recurring lessons?

Theresa: One recurring lesson is that enterprises often negotiate the TEM contract as if it’s a static service. But TEM is dynamic. Your environment changes: carriers change, contract terms change, acquisitions happen, business units merge, sites open and close.

So we spend time in TEM Talk discussing:

• How to define outcomes versus just activities
• How to structure governance cadence and escalation paths
• How to align commercials to measurable performance—without creating perverse incentives (marked by robust SLAs, SOWs)
• And how to avoid “scope creep,” where everything becomes an add-on

Tony: And that governance point is critical. TEM isn’t “set it and forget it.” It’s a continuous control system.

Theresa: Exactly. The most sophisticated teams treat TEM with finance-grade discipline: clear ownership, repeatable controls, and executive visibility.  Outsourced TEM teams have to be viewed as an extension of an enterprise’s team.

Segment 3 — The “live discussion value” and the therapeutic effect

Tony: You shared a line from a core member that made me smile: “sessions are both informative and therapeutic.” Tell me what that means in practice.

Theresa: It means people walk in carrying the weight of problems in this space, its an area that many don’t fully  appreciate and there are so many challenges: invoices that don’t reconcile, carrier disputes that drag on for months, lack of accurate inventory data, and most of all, missed savings opportunities.

Then they hear: “Yes—that happened to us too. Here’s how we solved it.” Or sometimes: “We tried that and it backfired—here’s what to watch out for.”

There is therapy in sharing.

I typically log into the call about 10 minutes before it is slated to start and many people also join early so we can just chat and catch up.   We’ve really created a community.

Live discussion is so valuable. People aren’t just getting ideas; they’re getting validation, risk warnings, templates, language for stakeholders, and real-world negotiation posture.

Who’s in the room and why that matters

Tony: Membership growth has been significant: over 40 companies, around 100 members, and multiple members from some companies. Why does that diversity matter?

Theresa: Because TEM success is cross-functional. If TEM is treated as “IT’s problem,” you leave value on the table. When procurement is aligned with IT, finance has visibility, and vendor management enforces governance, the operating model works.  IT typically owns this massive budget, so they have a significant, vested interest in getting this right.

TEM Talk mirrors that reality. You’ll hear from finance leaders who focus on controls and auditability, procurement leaders focused on commercial leverage, and IT leaders focused on inventory accuracy and lifecycle hygiene. That mix creates better answers.

Tony: And frankly, it creates better questions—which is where the best sessions tend to start.

Looking ahead: What Year Two will emphasize

Tony: Looking forward—what’s the agenda for year two?

Theresa: We’ll keep doing what’s working: practitioner-led discussion, market updates, and negotiation lessons learned. But we’re also planning deeper dives into:

• Strengthening inventory integrity as environments modernize
• Building executive-grade reporting that drives decisions, not just dashboards
• Managing supplier changes and consolidation without losing control
• And sharpening TEM governance so it doesn’t degrade over time

Tony: That last point is the key: sustaining control. A good quarter isn’t the goal—durable performance is.

How to join (no cost)

Tony: If someone listening wants to join TEM Talk, what do they do?

Theresa: It’s easy—and there’s no cost to join. Just email me at tknutson@techcaliber.com. We’ll confirm you’re with an enterprise end-user organization and get you added. And to reiterate: it’s enterprise users only—no TEM suppliers.   Our group meets monthly on the 3^rd Wednesday of the month at 1 pm CST.    

Tony: Theresa, congratulations to you and Brent on building something genuinely useful. And thank you for hosting a forum that reflects what enterprise teams actually need: a trusted place to compare notes and improve outcomes.

Theresa: Thanks, Tony. We’re excited for another great year.

Tony: To our listeners, if you’re interested in learning more about TEM Talk or would like to register for an upcoming session, please reach out to Theresa directly.  And, if you’d like to discuss other technology strategy, sourcing and cost reduction needs with Theresa, me, or any of our TC2 and LB3 colleagues, please give us a call or shoot us an email.

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