Telstra grows board, customer service

Telstra has announced that it has appointed two non-executive directors to help the telco transition itself into a more competitive organisation.

John Zeglis, joins after six years as chairman and CEO at US telco AT&T Wireless. He currently sits as company director of the boards of AMX Corporation, Helmerich & Payne and the State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company.

Peter Willcox, previously the chairman of AMP and Mayne Group, also joins. He has sat on the boards of Lend Lease, JH Faulding and James Hardie.

Telstra board chairman Donald McGauchie said in an ASX statement that the two appointments would brings “exceptional experience and qualifications to the board.”

"Both John and Peter have participated in significant corporate change processes during their expansive careers and will be well positioned to make a major contribution to the transformation of Telstra currently being implemented by the chief executive officer," he said.

The appointments will require endorsement at the next Telstra Annual General Meeting on 14 November 2006, Telstra said.

In related news, Telstra has pointed to a recent Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman's [TIO] report as proof of its improving customer service.

According to Telstra, the report found that only 0.05 percent of its customer services resulted in a complaint to the TIO in the December 2005 quarter. Less than one per cent of BigPond customers lodged a complaint with the TIO in the same period.

In a statement on the report, the TIO said many telecommunications customers were unaware of their right to complain about providers.

Dissatisfied customers were often not told by their telephone or internet service provider that they could take their complaint to the TIO, it said.

This was despite requirements for providers to tell customers with unresolved complaints that they could pursue the matter with the office, Ombudsman John Pinnock said.

“Only about 16 per cent of people who complain to us have been informed about us by their provider,” he said. “The rest find out about us from other sources. If the industry was serious about improving service to its customers then I would expect them to inform people of all their avenues of complaint resolution.”