New Mobile Telecommunications Industry Code Prioritises Customer Service

The mobile telecommunications industry is committed to improving customer service, consumer information and management tools to assist customers maximise their user experience as well as better understand and monitor their usage.

AMTA CEO Chris Althaus was commenting on today’s release of complaints figures for 2011-12 by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

The figures showed that complaints about mobile phones increased by nine per cent in 2011-12, however, the Ombudsman also said there had been a clear trend in a  reduction of overall complaints since April 2012, which was “a positive sign that reflects the focus by a number of telcos on improving their customer service”.

Mr Althaus said complaints to the TIO in the final quarter of 2011-12 fell by 19 per cent, which was a step in the right direction.

“The challenge for the mobile telecommunications sector is to build on these early signs of improvement with the benefit of the new Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, which is binding on industry and will deliver a range of practical benefits for consumers,” he said.

Under the new code, spend management tools provide notification at 50 per cent, 85 per cent and 100 per cent of data usage (for plans that are not unlimited or do not have ‘hard caps’ for shaping) that will allow consumers to keep track of their usage and spending on a range of services to avoid unexpectedly high bills.

The new code came into effect on the 1st September 2012, however, some provisions of the Telecommunications Industry Code have a longer implementation time-frame to allow smaller service providers a reasonable time to make the necessary system and process changes.

 Mr Althaus said: “The industry is strongly focused on improving customers’ mobile experience against a backdrop of about 30 million mobile services in operation in Australia and huge uptake of smartphones and mobile data services, which have seen mobile network traffic grow by more than 100 per cent in 2011. It is estimated that by the end of 2012 around two-thirds of mobile devices will be internet enabled.”

source: www.amta.org.au / 29.10.2012