Telcos get poor marks for customer service: ACCAN

Australian telecoms service providers have received poor marks for customer service in a report compiled by advocacy group the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).

The report, based on a survey of customers of 10 providers, found that respondents were particularly unimpressed with the time spent getting resolution to an issue they are facing.

According to ACCAN, it takes an average of 13 days for an issue to be resolved, but for those with larger issues it takes an average of two months.

The survey also suggests that many customers are dissatisfied with the level of customer services being provided.

Vodafone had the highest customer satisfaction rating, with 61% stating that they had a positive experience while reporting an issue. This was followed by TPG/iiNet, Amaysim and Dodo/iPrimus with 50% each. Telstra and Optus had scores of 43% and 42% respectively.

For customers reporting an issue by phone, respondents had to contact their provider an average of 2.7 times and wait an average of 1.2 hours on hold, ACCAN said. Less than half (46%) of these respondents reported being told the wait time to speak to someone whilst on hold and only 48% were offered the option of a call-back.

“It’s obvious that there is clear need for improvement. Poor customer service by the industry shifts costs from providers to their customers, who are experiencing loss and disruption by spending far too long trying to resolve issues,” ACCAN CEO Teresa Corbin said.

“We’re recommending a fresh look at customer service by the industry and [ACMA]. There’s an opportunity to do this now with the current review of the industry Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code and a new ACMA Complaints Handling Standard. We’d like to see more concrete obligations in the code and more active enforcement by the regulator.”

But Communications Alliance, the peak body for Australia’s telecoms industry, has accused ACCAN of selectively presenting the results of its research to paint a worse picture than the reality.

The body’s CEO, John Stanton, noted the survey found that only 18% of customers were negative about their overall experience with their provider.

“ACCAN’s media release also neglects to mention that 58% of customers were able to have their issues resolved as a result of their first contact with their service provider — and that most consumers said the service they received from their telco provider was in line with their expectations,” he said.

“Customer service is extremely important in the telco sphere, as in all industries. Recent strengthening of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code — now in circulation for public comment — will further improve the situation for telecommunications consumers.

“We have seen more recent improvements in complaint volumes to the industry ombudsman and in customer satisfaction research that will be published soon.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/violetkaipa

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