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New TIO Code will challenge ISP customer service performance in their Contact Centres, says Fujitsu

Announcement posted by Fujitsu Australia Limited 08 Aug 2001

Outsourcing the key to cost control, customer service and code compliance
Fujitsu Australia has called for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to examine where they can improve their service and prepare for more scrutiny of Contact Centre operations by both regulators and customers.

ISPs should continue to use the opportunities created by current volatile market conditions to attract customers by improving the service in their Contact Centres, Fujitsu Services Executive General Manager, Peter McFarlane said.

A new industry-wide Complaint Handling Code will come into effect in October this year. The code requires ISPs to develop step-by-step complaint handling procedures, in an effort to help resolve problems before they escalate to require intervention by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

ISPs that are already struggling to find the balance between service delivery and cost may find it difficult to meet the obligations of the code without first addressing shortcomings in their Contact Centre practices, Mr McFarlane said. Contact Centres are a key part of Fujitsus InfraCare service offerings. Our i-Support Contact Centre specialises in support for ISPs and is already equipped to meet the procedures required by the TIO code.

Apart from assisting ISPs to meet the requirements of the code, outsourcing operations to specialists in the ISP environment such as Fujitsus i-Support Contact Centre can deliver long-term cost savings, he added.

Outsourcing to a specialist can deliver the integrated benefits of greater cost control, better customer service and compliance with the new code, Mr McFarlane said.

Because Fujitsu has the infrastructure and ISP-specific skills and expertise in place, we can pick up and deal with calls quickly and efficiently. More calls can be completed effectively in a shorter timeframe, which reduces the overall cost of providing the service.

Customers are becoming more sophisticated. In the early years of the ISP business, most churn was caused by customers looking for a lower price. Now a lot of churn is coming from customers looking for value-add from their provider, and that includes the level of service they receive, particularly for technical support.

ISPs that are achieving short-term cost savings through reduced customer service need to weigh that against the greater long-term cost of losing customers and failing to attract new ones.

The Fujitsu-run CompuServe Contact Centre recently won the Media and Communications category at the Teleperformance CRM Grand Prix awards for the third consecutive year.


Notes to Editors

Fujitsu Australia Limited

Fujitsu is one of the world's leading e-services organisations. Fujitsu technology solutions, from servers to e-Business applications, are powering the new Internet economy. In Australia and New Zealand Fujitsu is helping corporate and government customers to design, build and operate solutions which offer competitive advantage in the internet world, from state-of-the-art infrastructure through to complex e-Business solutions. Our portfolio of IT services includes consulting, systems integration, prime contracting and a full range of professional services.

Fujitsu Australia Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited of Japan.

About Fujitsu Limited

Fujitsu is a leading provider of Internet-focused information technology solutions for the global marketplace. Its pace-setting technologies, best-in-class computing and telecommunications platforms, and worldwide corps of systems and services experts make it uniquely positioned to unleash the infinite possibilities of the Internet to help its customers succeed. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 5.48 trillion yen for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001.