In a bold move to try and improve its customer service, Telstra has put an invitation out to its more than ten million customers to participate in a new panel and give advice on how the telco can improve its business.
The service will be called ‘My Telstra Experience’ and will be based online. The panel is aiming at attracting around 18,000 regular contributors and is designed for them to discuss their experiences and highlight what areas need improving.
Gloria Farler, executive director, market based management at Telstra, said that the service will be the biggest of its kind in Australia.
“This is another significant step in delivering on CEO David Thodey’s commitment to improving customer satisfaction,” she said.
“With a target of around 18,000 members from around Australia, Telstra expects to get a good understanding of customer experiences across the board.”
Telstra is about to kick off the recruitment process by emailing 500,000 of its customers, a further recruitment drive will be implemented for the remainder of its ten million customers early in 2010.
“‘My Telstra Experience’ panel will help Telstra improve customer service, tailor our products and improve delivery of our services to better meet our customers’ needs,” she said.
“Telstra wants to hear what our customers think and then put that feedback into action. This is no online black hole’, we will be letting panellists know what we are doing as a result of what they tell us.”
According to Telstra, members of the panel will complete online surveys and participate in online discussion forums. The company anticipates that panellists will spend roughly 10 minutes a fortnight participating in surveys and other activities.
Some of the topics covered on the new panel include: ease of looking for information on Telstra’s website, which services or features customers find most useful, what people think of Telstra’s stores and how Telstra manages customer complaints.