In a bid to make sure Telstra customers who swap from the old-school CDMA network to the updated Next G network have the correct handset for their use, the telco has announced a new ‘health check’ program which will see Telstra contact customers who are experiencing an ‘unusual’ number of drop-outs using Next G.The move comes after the Government ruled that Telstra must put in place further measures to assist its customers migrate to the new Next G network, following customer dissatisfaction.
Telstra was also ordered to extend the cut-off date for the change to Next G by almost three months to 28 April 2008.
Telstra Country Wide group managing director, Geoff Booth, said the new program is designed to give the last remaining CDMA customers the confidence to move to Next G.
“The Next G network is performing extremely well and has already reached and exceeded global industry standards for network performance in relation to drop out levels, however we want to help all of our customers get the most of what it has to offer,” he said.
The program involves Telstra scrutinising customers’ usage on the Next G network and then contacting those who appeared to have an unusual number of drop-outs on their handsets.
Booth said this was the latest measure in Telstra’s “unparalleled” effort to assist customers get the right handset and equipment for their coverage needs.
The move also follows the introduction last week of the 1800 888 888 customer hotline and the addition of more than 50 coverage advocate staff to visit homes around Australia to assist migration.
“The new high performance monitoring program enables us to proactively identify and help the small number of customers who may experience higher than average drop-out rates by completing a virtual health check of their service,” said Booth.
According to Booth, there can be “any number of reasons” for a customer experiencing issues with reception and cut-outs, including using an inappropriate handset for their location, the wrong SIM card, having their handset set to the wrong network or not using the right accessories, such as a car kit or external antenna.
Booth also said that Telstra’s initial monitoring suggested a “very small number” of customers experienced any issues and in most cases they related to “simple” handset problems such as having the incorrect settings or aerials.
