Assuring Contact

Over the years, I have witnessed plenty of arguments about the scope of revenue assurance. It should include this, it should not include that, it will go from here to there… So much humbug. Arguments about scope do not really matter unless you are talking about a specific company with specific challenges. Nobody should design an org chart or set objectives based on an academic argument about scope. What really matters is what would most help the bottom line of the business. Because I take that attitude, I often find there is a wonderful opportunity for the RA function to make themselves more useful by redeploying their analytic skills, although it falls well outside the typical RA scope: improving interaction with customers. Simple examples include understanding what drives goodwill credits or how inbound calls to the contact centre can be reduced through better proactive communication with customers. But there often appears to be a mental block that stops RA people from doing more work of this type. Maybe it is because managing how humans behave will never be 100% reliable or because it cannot be fixed by a system update. Despite that prejudice, it should be a fertile area for RA people to reuse their skills to the advantage of the business. With that in mind, take a look at this interview, which captures just how much difference can be made by better analysis and management of customer contacts.

Eric Priezkalns
Eric Priezkalns
Eric is the Editor of Commsrisk. Look here for more about the history of Commsrisk and the role played by Eric.

Eric is also the Chief Executive of the Risk & Assurance Group (RAG), a global association of professionals working in risk management and business assurance for communications providers.

Previously Eric was Director of Risk Management for Qatar Telecom and he has worked with Cable & Wireless, T‑Mobile, Sky, Worldcom and other telcos. He was lead author of Revenue Assurance: Expert Opinions for Communications Providers, published by CRC Press. He is a qualified chartered accountant, with degrees in information systems, and in mathematics and philosophy.