I check out the postings on the so-called Global Revenue Assurance Professional’s Association (GRAPA) now and then. It pains me that Papa Rob and his family have set up a “professional” association just to promote their own services as consultants and trainers… and that so many people believed the hype. However, each month I look at GRAPA’s site, the less activity I see. Looking today, I see nobody has posted to any of their forums since 19th September. Bizarrely, you can still see the pattern of a few individuals registering with the site every day, but very few logins by anyone after they first register. Do people register just so they can say they are a member of a professional-sounding organization? Or are the rumours true: that GRAPA registers some people as members without their knowledge or consent. Either way, what would people do if there was a real professional organization: one that refused membership to people who lacked the necessary knowledge and experience? Some of the people who are currently members of GRAPA simply would not be allowed to join a real professional organization. Exclusivity is a vital component of any profession, or there can be no professional standards.
If you ask me, revenue assurance is not ready to be a profession. Based on this evidence, the phrase “revenue assurance” may be permanently tarnished – instant ‘professional’ status guaranteed and fancy-looking certificates hung on the wall of anyone who pays a modest fee. This is not a route to attaining professional status, but the reputation damage done may become an insurmountable obstacle to it. The sooner GRAPA grinds to a complete halt, the better.
