The online initiatives will be handled by a new a new online customer service unit within Telstra Consumer that will “design and operate online self-service platforms that give customers the option of performing many transactions with Telstra online using their computer or mobile devices, rather than speaking to agents over the phone.”
It will be headed by Gerd Schenkel, who has joined Telstra from UBank, an exclusively online bank established by the National Australia Bank, of which he was general manager. He will report to Gordon Ballantyne, group managing director of Telstra Consumer & Country Wide.
Telstra says its research reveals more than 85 percent of Australians find it convenient to perform simple self-service transactions using their computer or mobile devices.
Telstra has a target to have 35 percent of customer transactions completed via online self-service channels by 2013. It notes that this would still leave it lagging considerably behind banks and airline, where the percentage today is around 60 percent.
A Telstra spokeswoman told ExchangeDaily that less than 10 percent of Telstra’s customer transactions were completed online today. She said that the company had not yet set any goal beyond 35 percent by 2013.
It has also announced plans to add another 100 stores over the next three years that will “feature a simpler range of products and accessories tailored to suit local markets.”
“Our existing stores welcome around 30 million customer visits each year, and this initiative means our retail outlets will now appear in even more locations, making it easier and more convenient for customers to interact with us,” CEO David Thodey said.
Company presently operates both wholly-owned and franchised retail stores, and there is a network of 32 stores owned and operated by Vita Group (ASX: VTG) but branded identical to other Telstra stores. Vita plans to add a further 25 by December 2011.
It has opened over 100 new format stores during 2009/10, bringing the total number of Telstra stores to over 185 nationally. It has previously announced plans to open a further 50 T[Life] stores across Australia “to provide an improved retail experience for our customers,” along with a further 40 Telstra Business Centres.