Normally I would not dedicate a talkRA post to a promotional video, but there are two interesting things about this one featuring Danny Sangster, Senior Manager of Enterprise BI at XO Communications. First, and most obviously, there is no mention of needing or using specialized revenue assurance software. There is a Moore’s law undercurrent to what Danny says. As processing power increases, the need for specialization declines. Second, take note of how the language of ‘revenue assurance’ is used. Right from the beginning, Danny talks about margins, costs and profitability. These concepts are part of what ‘revenue assurance’ means to XO Communications. At first glance there may seem to be no connection between my two observations, but I believe there is a deep and fundamental relationship between them. Technology is an enabler, and language reflects what we do. As we attain new capabilities, our language evolves. If our technology allows us to be more versatile, then we can naturally adopt a more expansive role. Meaning is determined by how people use words in practice, and whilst marketeers might try to manipulate language, and standards-setters might try to define language, both can be overrun by the changes that happen in real life. The language and technology of revenue assurance keeps progressing and developing all the time. We will all change with it.
Here is the video…