Telstra to form 18,000 strong customer panel, again!

Stuart Corner
Monday, 07 December 2009 11:57

Opinion and Analysis

Telstra has announced yet another initiative that it claims will enable it to really understand what its customer want: it's going to build up a panel of about 18,000 of them. Something very similar was announced early in the tenure of the last CEO, Sol Trujillo.

Telstra says it is "inviting its more than ten million customers to join a new panel providing advice on how it can improve the customer experience. The new online panel, 'My Telstra Experience'', will see up to 18,000 customers regularly telling the company what they think of their Telstra experiences and where the telco needs to lift its game on service."
 
Telstra's executive director, market based management, Gloria Farler, says the panel would be the largest of its kind ever established in Australia, and she hailed it as "another significant step in delivering on CEO David Thodey's commitment to improving customer satisfaction." It all sounds very familiar!

According to Farler, "With a target of around 18,000 members from around Australia, Telstra expects to get a good understanding of customer experiences across the board. '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."

Panel members will complete online surveys, and participate in online discussion forums on existing and new Telstra products and their day-to-day service experience with Telstra. Telstra anticipates panellists will spend about 10 minutes a fortnight participating in surveys and other activities. More than 60 different, brief surveys are ready to be progressively presented for panellists to complete.
 
Topics will include the ease of looking for information on Telstra websites, which features or services customers find most useful, what people think of Telstra's stores and how Telstra manages customer complaints. Participation will be voluntary and unpaid but, Telstra says "panellists can make a real difference to Telstra's service, and will go into draws for monthly cash prizes."

Pardon my cynicism but I've lost track of the number of times I have heard Telstra say it is going to really understand what customers want. Every CEO has a different approach, but the overall message is always the same.

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