I can’t recall the year you outsourced your call centers to the Philippines and it’s not entirely important. Nonetheless, in my experience the quality of the customer service delivered by agents in these call centers has deteriorated over the past few months.

Often I have spent almost an hour on the phone or live chat while I listen/watch agents aimlessly wander around the issue I had presented them with.

Do you believe the cost savings achieved by operating a vast majority of your customer service teams from overseas – often where lower wages and socioeconomic dictate the skill set of agents – out-weighs the negative effect on customer interaction and service satisfaction?

What measures does Telstra undertake to monitor the quality of service delivered (aside from the obvious end of call/chat survey)? and where necessary, how does Telstra identify agents in need of coaching or in need of a skills upgrade?

Also, what strategies does Telstra employ to combat cultural differences within South East Asian countries where employees don’t necessarily feel comfortable thinking and operating ‘outside the box’?

Thank you for your kind words and feedback on how we’re progressing at Telstra. Our customers will remain our top priority in 2012 and as I mentioned in my blog, we have several initiatives already underway that I am confident will continue to improve customer service at Telstra. We know we still have work to do in this area and I look forward to sharing more about what we’re doing to better serve our customers over the coming months.

Best wishes, David

However, my initial experience with Telstra prove otherwise. For five years, I have been a satisfied customer of your competitor. However, as we have purchased a new home, your competitor is unable to service our area and so it pained me to part ways with them. We decided to transfer to the market leader who we assume is better capable of bringing better service.

Little did I know that it is wrong to assume. From Day 1 of our move, it has been one heart-ache after another.

I signed up with Telstra on 8 November. And one of my requests was to ensure services will be transferred on 19th December (a few days after our move). “Plenty of time,” I was told. But as I will learn the hard way that none of the services will be installed on the requested day.

There was a fault in the landline and it was actually connected on 20th December. Foxtel was scheduled on the 22nd December. And the broadband internet was scheduled for installation on the 29th December. These dates are clearly a letdown from initial request on sign-up date. I gave the Telstra move team the benefit of the doubt and just attribute it to the “merry season”.

However, it is now 4:30pm of 29 December and this household still has 3 Foxtel boxes to be installed and the broadband internet technician did not bother to knock on our door to let us know he has arrived so he left and we still do not have cable internet. It is a disappointment, to say the very least.

And to make matters worse, I already received our Foxtel bill!!

Throughout this process of endless waiting, let me tell you that out of about 10 people I have spoken to in your Telstra customer service team, there have been 2 people who share your vision. These are people who’ve sincerely tried their best to help. Unfortunately, as perhaps both you and I and most people are results-oriented, it is not enough.

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of 2012 – a new year and perhaps a new hope that things will be better for this very dissatisfied new customer.

You couldn’t make this stuff up.

AK

That request simply comes from the NBN where the NBN will offer a ‘fixed wireless service and a simple request is for Telstra to also provide a fixed wireless broadband service.

I hope that clears up what was meant

Have a great Christmas and a very good new year to you and all Telstra employees