Telecommunications
ACMA to inquire into customer service
(27 April 2010) The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has launched an inquiry into customer service standards in the telecommunications industry after complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) grew to 900 per day.
Last October the TIO reported a 54% increase in complaint levels during 2008-09. And between July and December 2009 market leader Telstra topped the grievance list with 58,597 complaints.
Announcing the inquiry, ACMA Chairperson, Chris Chapman said that it would look specifically at the complaints handling process across the industry, as poor responsiveness in this area was a major cause of consumer dissatisfaction.
The aim will be to get a better understanding of the processes used and where they are breaking down with a view to tightening standards and perhaps introducing new enforceable regulatory requirements.
And while the inquiry will focus on present practices it will also be geared to addressing the problems that are likely to arise in the more complex, multi-service world of universal broadband.
The CEPU has long argued that company policies linked to staff cuts, contracting out and skills shortages has led to a deterioration in customer service standards.
Regulatory forum.
The inquiry is one of a number of initiatives announced by ACMA under the broad heading of “Reconnecting with the Customer”. This programme will also see ACMA establish a regulatory forum which will examine the roles of the various telecommunications regulators.
Describing current regulation as having created an “alphabet soup” of institutions (ACMA, ACCC, DBCDE etc), Chapman suggested that the current arrangements were not “leading to the best solutions for some of the bigger problems” facing the industry.
This is a view that has been consistently put by the CEPU for several years so it is heartening to see this problem being publicly acknowledged at last.
For more information, contact the CEPU via feedback@cepu.asn.au