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Follow on Google News | Is Your Telecom Revenue Assurance Department Designed to Fail: Time for a Forensics MethodologySignificant revenue and cost leakage often go undetected at telecom operators -- even those with revenue assurance software and a dedicated staff. The secret to RA greater effectiveness is to adopt a more “forensic” approach to the practice.
These efforts were very successful in finding egregious forms of leakage that had previously gone undetected. Common examples include rejected call detail records never recycled and rated, lack of correlation between usage revenue and costs, and long-distance and cellular usage rate calculation errors. However, once the high-volume, easy money was found, executives and boards shifted their attention away from revenue assurance believing most of the savings that could be gained from RA were realized. But according to the communications industry experts at ProCom Consulting, senior executives should be reinvesting in revenue assurance. Curtis Mills (founder/CEO) In an article published in Black Swan Telecom Journal entitled, The Magical Market Cap Multiplier http://bswan.org/ Their analysis offers an updated, broader definition of revenue assurance; and describes the benefits of a “forensic” The term "forensic” is not used in the criminal evidence sense, but to describe an intensive hands-on, detail-oriented investigation using a heuristic method that analyzes a variety of technical --- and often esoteric -- data. Usually one finding leads to a subsequently deeper layer of exploration - a “peeling the onion” exercise. The article explains four key success factors to a good forensic program: 1. Use outside proxies for internal cable/telco operations and systems experts as needed. This ensures experts are on the team with long-term, legacy operations backgrounds who know where and what to look for. 2. Give the experts (whether internal or from outside) direct, unfiltered access to raw data. They need switch-level and other raw data right from the mechanical or digital source through billing, prior to processing by any internal or external systems. 3. Give the project senior management ownership and direct involvement. It’s essential that these initiatives be viewed as positive undertakings that won‘t result in blame or retaliation for any systemic weaknesses the review uncovers. 4. And finally, Follow through. Significant recovery opportunities are often not seized or, due to lack of follow-through, they are often never implemented. According to Mills and Howard, Forensics are key, but investments in revenue assurance monitoring and analytic tools are also part of a winning program. Software tools enable day-to-day vigilance. Telecom and cable operators simply need to understand the limitations of software and learn how to compensate for those. About the Black Swan Telecom Journal The Black Swan Telecom Journal http://bswan.org is a zine dedicated to the professionals and executives who protect and grow a robust communications business. The Journal covers a broad range of strategic issues, operator case studies, consultant perspective, and solution vendor advice, particularly in the fields of revenue assurance, fraud assurance, cost/margin management and security. End
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