Outbound Call Center Featured Article

English-Only Mandate for Australian Telco Sales Staff

By Linda Dobel
TMCnet Contributor

Call center agents whose accents reveal that English is not the first language they learned to speak can be a detriment to some businesses if those accents are so strong that customers are unclear about what they are purchasing from the business or need customer service and are less-than-happy with the experience.

This is a well-known issue in the United States, and is apparently an issue of great frustration to Australians as well.

According to the Sidney Morning Herald today, to address the difficulties Australians have complained about telco call center agents who speak with a heavy accent when trying to communicate in English, a new “code” has been implemented for all mobile and Internet companies’ personnel who work in a sales capacity. The code requires sales agents to ''communicate effectively in the English language” and sets forth a “minimum English language requirement.” This rule is part of consumer protection rules for the telecommunications industry, the paper said, which were drafted through the telco industry’s Communications Alliance as well as with input from the government and “industry regulator.”

The impetus for implementing this code was reportedly complaints from telco customers who claimed they made purchases without understanding what they were buying because of the sales agents’ accent.

A “draft code” was said to be released yesterday, and it will apply to all telecommunications companies in Australia as well as to any of their overseas call centers.

''It is important that if we are going to make a material difference to telecommunications users in Australia, that we get consistent compliance right across the industry,'' Communications Alliance chief executive John Stanton said.

Nevertheless, the code applies only to sales staff; it does not apply to customer service staff.

In addition to requirements for minimum English language skills for telco agents, the new code also implements standard unit pricing for phone calls, text messages and data downloading, the article said. Recommendations were also reportedly made for ways to ensure that customers clearly understand global roaming charges. 

 In other news, TMCnet recently reported “the 60-year-old mutual defense treaty between the United States and Australia will soon cover cybercrime, meaning the two nations will be obliged to support one another if they are the target of an online attack.”