Previously talkRA reported how slip-ups by Bell Canada’s revenue assurance program actually resulted in the company overcharging its customers. Now the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has issued its decision about what went wrong. The Commission confirmed that more than one customer was overbilled, although it was satisfied with the steps Bell Canada has taken to inform customers about the error and to reimburse them for it. You can read their full decision here.
My conclusion: sloppy revenue assurance cost Bell Canada a whole lot more than revenue leakage. They angered customers, damaged their reputation, and ended up spending a lot of money clearing up the mess they made. Of all functions, revenue assurance should take the lead and act with the utmost care and attention. Good RA is not just about boosting the bottom line – it is about setting an example for how everyone can run a better business. Bell Canada’s RA let their business down, and let the RA industry down too.
More surprising than Bell Canada’s Revenue Maximization approach, or the regulator’s decision, is the fact that last May at the Telemanagement World conference in Nice, Bell Canada head of Revenue Assurance spoke about preventing revenue assurance and putting TMF practices into action.
I am sad to see how Revenue Assurance is loosing credibility