CUSTOMER SERVICES – AUSTRALIA

Telstra installs robot helpers across stores, call centres in push towards AI-fuelled future

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Original article by Matthew Elmas
The New Daily – Page: Online : 20-Feb-24

Telstra has started to deploy an artificial intelligence tool called Ask Telstra to assist staff in handling customers’ complaints. Ask Telstra is powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI, and is intended to be an internal search engine that will allow employees in the telco’s stores and call centres to access customers’ data quickly when they make a complaint or seek assistance. Professor Gary Mortimer from the Queensland University of Technology believes that unscripted, synthetic and natural AI voice interactions will eventually become the norm for retailers.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

NAB customers get $110m compo

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 19 & 23 : 13-Mar-19

National Australia Bank has disclosed that 310,000 customers have collectively been paid $110m over the fee-for-no-service scandal since mid-2018. Acting CEO and chairman-elect Phil Chronican has also used a letter to shareholders to concede that much more work needs to be done at NAB, and he has stressed the need to ensure that the bank always get things right for customers. Meanwhile, chief people officer Lorraine Murphy has become the first NAB executive to resign since the recent leadership changes.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG

Energy chiefs forced to reveal cheaper plans

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Original article by Mark Ludlow, Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 10-Aug-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has secured an in-principle agreement with the CEOs of seven major power retailers to address the rising cost of electricity. Electric utilities will be required to disclose to customers on discount plans how much they will pay if they do not switch to an alternative plan when the discount period ends. The Australian Energy Market Commission estimates that the electricity contracts of about 50 per cent of customers have expired. Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad notes that some consumers miss out on lower rates because they simply never switch electricity suppliers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET COMMISSION, SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, POWERSHOP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, RED ENERGY PTY LTD, LUMO ENERGY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL

Woolworths to spend $65m on fresh look

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 21-Sep-15

Australian-listed Woolworths will respond to customer complaints by spending $A65m on upgrading its supermarkets, including new shopping trolleys, in-store signage and shelving. The head of the group’s supermarkets division, Dave Chambers, says shopper have frequently complained about poor customer service and stock not being available. Woolworths is also undertaking daily customer surveys and using data analytics to improve its stores.

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, IGA, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, COSTCO WHOLESALE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, THE QUANTIUM GROUP PTY LTD, PROGRESSIVE ENTERPRISES HOLDINGS LIMITED, FOODTOWN SUPERMARKETS LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

Big airports flunk service: report

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Original article by Larissa Nicholson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 10-Apr-15

The quality of services offered at Australia’s major airports declined in 2014. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission writes in the annual "Airport Monitoring Report" that Brisbane offered "good" service while the service provided by Melbourne, Perth and Sydney airports were "satisfactory". Car parking fees are a significant source of revenue for the airports. Sydney Airport earned more than $A88 million from parking fees in 2013-14

CORPORATES
MELBOURNE AIRPORT, BRISBANE AIRPORT, BRISBANE AIRPORT CORPORATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA PACIFIC AIRPORTS (MELBOURNE) PTY LTD, SYDNEY AIRPORT – ASX SYD, WESTRALIA AIRPORTS CORPORATION PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA PACIFIC AIRPORTS CORPORATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, BOARD OF AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVES OF AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, SINGAPORE AIRLINES LIMITED, VIRGIN AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX VAH, EMIRATES AIRLINES

Vodafone aims to be favourite

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 31-Mar-15

Data from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman shows that Vodafone Australia attracted 10.5 complaints for 10,000 customers in the December 2014 quarter. Director of customer service Errol van Graan says the telco aims to reduce this to 5.25 per cent by the end of 2015. Vodafone has lost more than two million customers since it was plagued by network problems in 2010, but it has since invested significantly in network upgrades and a call centre in Hobart

CORPORATES
VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY OMBUDSMAN LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SPOTIFY LIMITED, STAN, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PRESTO ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Improved customer service the key to boosting Myer sales

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 18-Mar-15

It is estimated that about 28 per cent of people who visit a Myer store actually make a purchase. Citigroup says Myer should hire an average of six additional staff at each store in order to improve customer service and lift its sales conversion rate. Some analysts also suggest that the department store group should seek to lift sales by increasing its expenditure on marketing, IT, e-commerce and store refurbishments

CORPORATES
MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, MERRILL LYNCH (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, NORDSTROM INCORPORATED, DEBENHAM INTERNATIONAL, RH MACY AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW

Retailers urged to grill recalcitrant or disloyal shoppers

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 10-Mar-15

AT Kearney estimates that corporate expenditure on "big data" will top $US114bn ($A147.6bn) by 2018. However, AT Kearney principal Ian St-Maurice notes that most companies are not satisfied with the return on this investment. St-Maurice says retailers such as Coles and Woolworths should focus on improving their service to customers who shop at their stores regularly, and suggests supplementing big data with consumer surveys and focus groups, particularly for people who shop elsewhere

CORPORATES
AT KEARNEY INCORPORATED, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR