TL: Stellar to operate TransLink call centre

[somebody]

http://translink.com.au/news-and-updates/stellar-to-operate-call-centre

Stellar to operate TransLink call centre
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Stellar Asia Pacific has been appointed to operate the TransLink contact centre (13 12 30) from 1 July 2012.

Acting TransLink CEO, Matt Longland, said the tender process had been finalised with Stellar matching TransLink's current and future requirement for contact centre services.

"I'm pleased to welcome Stellar to the TransLink network as we continue to enhance our customer service response for up to 1.5 million calls a year - for journey planning, customer feedback and go card enquiries and transactions," Mr Longland said.

"Stellar are specialists in providing contact centres for major brands in Australia and globally, with extensive experience across a wide range of industries including utilities, telecommunications, finance and travel information services and I believe they will be a great information channel for TransLink customers.

TransLink will begin the transition to Stellar, which will be based in South East Queensland, and take over from the current contact centre provider Serco on 1 July.

"I would like to thank Serco and their staff for their efforts over the years, particularly the transition to a 24/7 call centre, supporting integrated ticketing and the transition to the go card ticketing system."

[somebody]

I for one am disappointed that it isn't to be internal.  Seems to keep the customers at bay.

[Jonas Jade]

Hmmm..... I don't think I've seen any company advertise what outsourced contact centre they used before!

[p858snake]

Hmmm..... I don't think I've seen any company advertise what outsourced contact centre they used before!

The Government has been trying to do a whole transparency push lately so this might be part of that, Also there has been a few negative comments about the call centre so they might be trying this as a PR push.

[Fares_Fair]

Hmmm..... I don't think I've seen any company advertise what outsourced contact centre they used before!

The Government has been trying to do a whole transparency push lately so this might be part of that, Also there has been a few negative comments about the call centre so they might be trying this as a PR push.

They could surely use it, that's for sure.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[BribieG]

I actually work at Stellar in Brisbane. Woot  Without giving anything away (which I'm not supposed to, ethically, of course) I'm sure that we will make a very good fist of this indeed as we handle a lot of after-hours customer contact roles for companies and various levels of Government. 
Wouldn't mind transferring into that dept. when it gets formed up in the very near future. 

[ozbob]

http://translink.com.au/news-and-updates/stellar-to-operate-call-centre

Stellar to operate TransLink call centre

Stellar Asia Pacific has been appointed to operate the TransLink contact centre (13 12 30) from 1 July 2012.

Acting TransLink CEO, Matt Longland, said the tender process had been finalised with Stellar matching TransLink's current and future requirement for contact centre services.

"I'm pleased to welcome Stellar to the TransLink network as we continue to enhance our customer service response for up to 1.5 million calls a year - for journey planning, customer feedback and go card enquiries and transactions," Mr Longland said.

"Stellar are specialists in providing contact centres for major brands in Australia and globally, with extensive experience across a wide range of industries including utilities, telecommunications, finance and travel information services and I believe they will be a great information channel for TransLink customers.

TransLink will begin the transition to Stellar, which will be based in South East Queensland, and take over from the current contact centre provider Serco on 1 July.

"I would like to thank Serco and their staff for their efforts over the years, particularly the transition to a 24/7 call centre, supporting integrated ticketing and the transition to the go card ticketing system."

[ozbob]

http://www.stellarbpo.com/australia/en/home.html

[BribieG]

As the site says 

- for anyone wondering, the contract will be handled 100% by the great staff at FV, AFAIK the Philippines operation mostly does USA outsourcing as they speak English with an American accent, basically. However I think there's a local telco who uses them for Directory assistance. Had the chance to go there a few years ago to run some training but couldn't make it unfortunately.

[SteelPan]

To be honest, I don't really care who runs it so long as 1) they are based in Australia and speaking REAL English and 2) they have - wait for it...waiiitttt... REAL TIME yes, REAL TIME transit information - how many years has been now???



Please do NOT tell me, you can give me train, bus and ferry timeetable information - I already know the timetable  that's why I've rung up, where me well overdue bus???    ::

[Gazza]

They themselves wouldn't have access to that info.

[Stillwater]

Stellar will meet its contract obligations using Australians based at Fortitude Valley.  Aussie accents and cultural nuances, people who know and use the network, local jobs, all good.

[somebody]

To be honest, I don't really care who runs it so long as 1) they are based in Australia and speaking REAL English and 2) they have - wait for it...waiiitttt... REAL TIME yes, REAL TIME transit information - how many years has been now???



Please do NOT tell me, you can give me train, bus and ferry timeetable information - I already know the timetable  that's why I've rung up, where me well overdue bus???    ::

A valid point.

[SurfRail]

To be honest, I don't really care who runs it so long as 1) they are based in Australia and speaking REAL English and 2) they have - wait for it...waiiitttt... REAL TIME yes, REAL TIME transit information - how many years has been now???



Please do NOT tell me, you can give me train, bus and ferry timeetable information - I already know the timetable  that's why I've rung up, where me well overdue bus???    ::

There is no way to get that information to them unless there is some way of expanding Customer First (the real time project) so they get access to it.  They can currently advise of broad delays to specific services once advised by TTA, but nothing else.  Info has to trickle into TTA from each operator, there isn't somebody in Brisbane who knows where every bus in the south-east is sitting.

However, once it is up and running, you will be able to get all the real-time info you need from Customer First anyway by using the phone app or website which are supposed to come with it.

[somebody]

Could they be wired in to the radio and thus be able to contact the bus that way, once it is more than a certain period late?

[SurfRail]

Could they be wired in to the radio and thus be able to contact the bus that way, once it is more than a certain period late?

Whose radio?

[somebody]

Could they be wired in to the radio and thus be able to contact the bus that way, once it is more than a certain period late?

Whose radio?

The bus's.  What would be required at the other end can't be too prohibitive can it?  Other jurisdictions can do it. AFAIK.

[Gazza]

Hillarious to imagine late bus drivers getting tens of calls from the TL call center, asking where they are at that moment as each customer request rolls in.

Umad, BT drivers union?

[STB]

Could they be wired in to the radio and thus be able to contact the bus that way, once it is more than a certain period late?

Whose radio?

The bus's.  What would be required at the other end can't be too prohibitive can it?  Other jurisdictions can do it. AFAIK.

Erm, short answer, no.  Long answer, doubt it.  Very long answer, I don't think that is technically possible given the number of routes at any one time and calls coming in at any one time on the SEQ network.

[somebody]

Hillarious to imagine late bus drivers getting tens of calls from the TL call center, asking where they are at that moment as each customer request rolls in.

Umad, BT drivers union?

Obviously there would have to be a way that this wouldn't happen.

Erm, short answer, no.  Long answer, doubt it.  Very long answer, I don't think that is technically possible given the number of routes at any one time and calls coming in at any one time on the SEQ network.

Couldn't you go through Bus Control (or whatever the privates have).

Obviously, if you had the GPS sending back the location of the bus, perhaps only when late, it would be automated.

My understanding is that they can achieve this in NSW.

[Gazza]

Obviously there would have to be a way that this wouldn't happen.

Would require co-ordination between all call center operators to make sure only one person asks the question of the driver, and only does no more often then a certain number of minutes.

I think just wait till the GPS realtime tracking is going. Solves everything, and will happen sooner than kitting out the call center with radios to drivers/bus control, and working out the procedures.

[somebody]

I didn't think GPS tracking was happening that soon?

[SurfRail]

Could they be wired in to the radio and thus be able to contact the bus that way, once it is more than a certain period late?

Whose radio?

The bus's.  What would be required at the other end can't be too prohibitive can it?  Other jurisdictions can do it. AFAIK.

Various operators do check in with their buses in various ways.  However, putting this in one meaningful common data system is a bit of an ask.

GPS is the easiest way, and that way the call centre doesn't even need to be concerned with it (most people will just use the website or an app and if asked the call centre people will do the same).

[awotam]

Stellar will meet its contract obligations using Australians based at Fortitude Valley.  Aussie accents and cultural nuances, people who know and use the network, local jobs, all good.

Aussie accents... not necessarily. I worked at Stellar FV for a while about 5-6 years ago. As well as my Scottish accent, there were possibly as many as a dozen other non-Aussie twangs. Non from Mumbai or Manila, admittedly.