Australian Aged Care Providers Q1 2026 Call Centre Rankings
These results show how effectively Australian aged care providers handle new resident, home care, and respite enquiries — based on real mystery shopping calls from older Australians and family members comparing services, availability, eligibility and costs.
Each call is evaluated across more than 80 CX metrics aligned with the Australian Contact Centre CX Standards . This provides a consistent, independent, data-driven assessment of how well providers manage intake enquiries, build trust, and convert interest into safe, timely care arrangements.
For aged care providers, these results matter. Every missed call, long wait, or unclear explanation can mean lost occupancy days, delayed starts to care, and unnecessary stress for families.
Our benchmarking pinpoints where friction occurs — and how leading organisations turn sensitive first contact into confident decisions. Through ACXPA's Aged Care Benchmarking Services providers can identify service gaps, lift enquiry handling quality, and strengthen conversion across residential, home care packages and respite.
Executive Summary – Australian Aged Care Providers Q1 2026
The Australian Aged Care sector recorded 51.00% Overall CX in Q1 2026, up 1.4 percentage points from Q4 2025 (49.60%) but down 4.1 percentage points year-on-year from Q1 2025 (55.10%), ranking 6th of 7 sectors nationally. The quarter showed modest recovery from Q4 2025's historic lows, though performance remains significantly below 2025 levels and continues to trail most sectors nationally.
Uniting NSW.ACT dominated the sector, winning Overall CX with 70.60% (ranking 7th nationally), Accessibility with 92.30% (ranking 2nd nationally), and Agent Mastery with 61.30% (ranking 8th nationally)—their third sector win in the past five quarters and their highest Overall CX result on record. At the other end, Benetas recorded 47.00% Overall CX, their lowest score since entering benchmarking in Q1 2025, while Silverchain's continued decline saw them record 31.70% Overall CX (their lowest on record) and 6:30 Average Wait Time (the 5th longest wait time nationally).
Accessibility (how easily prospective clients can connect with a live agent) averaged 75.10%, down 1.6 percentage points from Q4 2025 (76.70%), ranking 1st of 7 sectors nationally ahead of Internet (75.00%) and Education (72.40%). While the sector maintained its national leadership position, underlying metrics revealed concerning trends. Calls Answered Percentage declined to 82.10%—down 5.9 percentage points from Q4 2025 and the lowest result since benchmarking began—meaning nearly one in five prospective clients calling about aged care services experienced extended delays or call abandonment.
Average Wait Time increased to 2:18, up 8 seconds from Q4 2025 (2:10) and marking the fourth consecutive quarterly increase. Total Time to Reach Live Person reached 2:55, the longest total access time since benchmarking began. For families researching aged care options for elderly loved ones—often during emotionally charged circumstances—these extended wait times represent critical lost opportunities for engagement and conversion at the initial enquiry stage. With aged care advertising activity increasing noticeably across traditional and digital channels, providers are investing in generating inbound enquiries but risk undermining that investment if call centre performance cannot convert prospective clients efficiently.
Agent Mastery—which assesses how effectively agents Engage (build rapport and ownership), Discover (identify customer needs), Educate (explain clearly), Close (conclude with confidence), and create lasting Impact through empathy and communication quality—averaged 50.10%, up 5.3 percentage points from Q4 2025 (44.80%) and ending the three-quarter consecutive decline, but still ranking 6th of 7 sectors nationally ahead of only Education (46.20%).
The Impact competency remained the sector's strongest area, averaging 82.30% and ranking 2nd nationally, with Silverchain achieving 100.00%—a 29.9 percentage point improvement from Q4 2025. Bolton Clarke demonstrated the most comprehensive recovery, improving Agent Mastery from 39.30% to 54.50% (a 15.2 percentage point increase) and achieving their fastest Average Wait Time since Q4 2024 at 0:15. However, HammondCare continues to underperform, recording 5:19 Average Wait Time (8th longest nationally) and marking their fifth consecutive quarter with the sector's longest wait times.
ACXPA conducts Mystery Shopping by posing as prospective clients seeking information about in-home aged care services. We assess new service enquiries representing new revenue opportunities, not existing client queries, NDIS matters, or complaint resolution. ACXPA assesses outcomes against the ACXPA Contact Centre CX Standards.
🏆 Top Performers
Uniting NSW.ACT led the Aged Care sector with 70.60% Overall CX, ranking 7th nationally, their highest Overall CX result on record and their third sector win in the past five quarters (also winning Q4 2024 and Q4 2025). Overall CX represents the complete customer experience across both Accessibility (how easily prospective clients can connect with a live agent) and Agent Mastery (the quality of the live conversation).
Uniting NSW.ACT led the Aged Care sector with 92.30% Accessibility, ranking 2nd nationally, just below their Q4 2025 result (93.90%) which ranked 3rd nationally, and their third consecutive quarter above 90%. Accessibility measures how easily prospective clients can connect with a live agent, including call answering rates, Average Wait Time (0:27), and IVR navigation efficiency.
Uniting NSW.ACT led the Aged Care sector with 61.30% Agent Mastery, ranking 8th nationally, their highest Agent Mastery result on record and an 11.6 percentage point improvement from Q4 2025 (49.70%), ending their three-quarter decline. Agent Mastery assesses how effectively agents Engage (build rapport and ownership), Discover (identify customer needs), Educate (explain clearly), Close (conclude with confidence), and create lasting Impact through empathy and communication quality.
Bolton Clarke led the Aged Care sector with an Average Wait Time of 00:15, ranking equal 6th nationally, their fastest wait time since Q4 2024 (00:28) and a 33-second improvement from Q4 2025 (00:48). This means prospective clients calling about aged care services waited just 15 seconds in queue before speaking with an agent—a significantly superior experience compared to the sector average of 2:18.
⭐ Key Wins
🏆 Uniting NSW.ACT achieves record-breaking triple win
Uniting NSW.ACT swept all three core metrics—Overall CX (70.60%), Accessibility (92.30%), and Agent Mastery (61.30%)—achieving their highest Overall CX and Agent Mastery results on record. They also led four of the five Agent Mastery competencies: Discover (63.90%), Educate (70.80%), Close (52.80%), and tied for 2nd in Impact (85.40%).
📈 Bolton Clarke delivers comprehensive recovery across multiple metrics
Bolton Clarke improved from 53.00% to 61.30% Overall CX (an 8.3 percentage point increase), Agent Mastery from 39.30% to 54.50% (a 15.2 percentage point improvement), and achieved the sector's fastest Average Wait Time at 0:15 (down from 0:48). Their Impact competency surged 34.7 percentage points from 54.20% to 88.90%, their highest result on record.
🥇 Sector maintains national leadership position for Accessibility
Aged Care ranked 1st of 7 sectors nationally for Accessibility with 75.10%, ahead of Internet (75.00%) and Education (72.40%), despite a modest 1.6 percentage point decline from Q4 2025. The sector also achieved the shortest Total Time Spent in Menu at 0:36 and the second-shortest Total Message Time at 0:24 nationally.
⬆ Agent Mastery rebounds after three-quarter decline
The sector's Agent Mastery average increased 5.3 percentage points from 44.80% to 50.10%, ending the three-quarter consecutive decline. The Impact competency led the recovery with a 9.6 percentage point improvement to 82.30%, ranking 2nd nationally and continuing to be the strongest Agent Mastery competency for aged care.
🌟 Silverchain achieves perfect Impact score
Silverchain recorded 100.00% for the Impact competency, the highest result in the sector and a 29.9 percentage point improvement from Q4 2025 (70.10%). This demonstrates exceptional empathy, communication quality, and lasting positive impression across their aged care service enquiry interactions.
🔝 Uniting AgeWell delivers second-best Accessibility result on record
Uniting AgeWell achieved 92.00% Accessibility, ranking 3rd nationally, consistent with their Q3 2025 result (92.20%) and their second-best Accessibility result to date, demonstrating sustained excellence in call answering and IVR navigation efficiency.
⚠ Overall CX Challenges
📉 Call answering reaches historic low as one in five calls experience delays
Calls Answered Percentage declined to 82.10%, down 5.9 percentage points from Q4 2025 (88.00%) and 12.0 percentage points from Q4 2024 (94.10%)—the lowest result since benchmarking began. Nearly one in five prospective clients calling aged care providers experienced extended delays or call abandonment when attempting to enquire about care services.
⏱ Wait times increase for fourth consecutive quarter
Average Wait Time increased to 2:18, up 8 seconds from Q4 2025 (2:10) and 34 seconds from Q1 2025 (1:44), marking the fourth consecutive quarterly increase and the longest average wait time on record for the sector. Total Time to Reach Live Person reached 2:55, also the longest total access time since benchmarking began. HammondCare recorded 5:19 (8th longest nationally), marking their fifth consecutive quarter with the sector's longest wait times.
🔻 Silverchain's accessibility challenges offset excellence in agent empathy
Silverchain recorded 31.70% Overall CX, their lowest score on record and a 6.3 percentage point decline from Q4 2025 (38.00%). Despite achieving 100.00% Impact—tied for 1st nationally with only City of Launceston—their Average Wait Time reached 6:30 (5th longest nationally), Accessibility dropped to 56.30%, and Engage fell to 9.70% (down 4.2 percentage points from Q4 2025). This creates a stark disconnect: prospective clients who do connect with agents experience exceptional empathy and communication quality, but extended wait times mean many abandon calls before experiencing that interaction quality.
📊 Calls Answered in 10 Minutes deteriorates across multiple providers
The sector's Calls Answered Percentage within 10 minutes declined to 82.10%, down from 88.00% in Q4 2025. HammondCare recorded 58.30%, their sixth consecutive quarter as the worst performer for this metric. Silverchain dropped 25.0 percentage points to 50.00% (6th worst nationally), their lowest result on record. Bolton Clarke and Blue Care both recorded 91.70%, down from perfect 100.00% scores in Q4 2025.
⬇ Benetas records lowest Overall CX since entering benchmarking
Benetas achieved 47.00% Overall CX, their lowest score since entering benchmarking in Q1 2025, driven by Accessibility of 75.50% (down 14.3 percentage points from Q4 2025) and Agent Mastery of 44.30%. Their Calls Answered Percentage within 10 minutes dropped from 100.00% to 83.30%.
📱 Total Experience Time increases as efficiency deteriorates
Total Experience Time increased to 7:48, up 1:01 from Q4 2025 (6:47) and matching Q4 2024 (7:48) as the longest total experience time on record. Talk Time increased to 4:53, up 54 seconds from Q4 2025 (3:59), suggesting agents are managing longer, potentially more complex enquiries about aged care services.
⚖ Performance outcomes reflect customer experience, not operational causes
The data reveals clear pressure points across accessibility and interaction quality, but these rankings report outcomes from mystery shopping calls—they do not explain why performance has deteriorated or attribute results to specific operational decisions, staffing constraints, or system investments.
Factors such as increased service demand, workforce pressures, and sector-wide complexity may be influencing these outcomes; however, ACXPA's role is to measure and report the customer experience as encountered by prospective clients, not to diagnose internal causes.
Recognising Call Centre Excellence for Australian Aged Care Providers
Congratulations to the top-performing Australian aged care providers delivering outstanding customer experiences via their call centres in Q1 2026.
These results are based on independent mystery shopping assessments, using genuine customer enquiries to evaluate how effectively providers are supporting families navigating aged care options.
Recognition in these rankings goes beyond meeting expectations — it highlights providers who bring warmth, clarity, and responsiveness to moments that often carry emotional weight. By making it easier for families to ask questions, explore options, and feel heard, these organisations are not only improving the customer experience but also building trust and securing future care decisions.
70.6% 61.3%
55.9%
31.7%Quarterly Trend
Overall CX
Aged Care Providers
The Overall CX Score is the most important metric in our benchmarking program – a single, weighted score that reflects how easy it is for customers to reach a contact centre and the quality of the experience once connected.
As the defining measure of customer experience, the Overall CX Score blends Accessibility (30%) and Agent Mastery (70%) to reflect both access and impact – with a greater emphasis on the agent's role in shaping outcomes. Penalties are applied for major breakdowns to ensure a true picture of performance from the customer's perspective.
Key Metrics Trend – Australian Aged Care Providers (12-Month View)
The chart below highlights a 12-month trend across three core CX performance metrics for Australian aged care providers:
- Overall CX – A weighted composite score reflecting the end-to-end customer experience, factoring in accessibility, agent quality, and call handling efficiency.
- Accessibility – How quickly and easily families seeking aged care information can reach a real person to discuss services, eligibility, and care options.
- Agent Mastery – The skill, empathy, and clarity with which agents engage callers, explain care pathways, and progress toward placements or service commencement.
Overall CX
This is the headline metric – representing the total customer experience across every stage of the call journey. It's calculated using a weighted combination of the Accessibility and Agent Mastery scores, providing a holistic view of how well aged care providers are delivering end-to-end experiences during enquiries about residential care, home care packages, and respite services.
Accessibility
This measures how easily and quickly families can reach a real person when seeking aged care information. It includes navigating menus, clarity of options, queue times and whether callers successfully reach an agent. Higher scores indicate faster access, lower friction and fewer abandoned enquiries – particularly important when families are researching care options during emotionally challenging circumstances.
Agent Mastery
This evaluates the quality and professionalism of the conversation once contact is made. It measures how effectively aged care staff listen to family concerns, explain care options, address questions about eligibility and costs, and guide families toward next steps such as assessments or facility tours — all while maintaining empathy and clarity. It's a direct measure of agent capability in supporting families through sensitive care decisions.
Learn more about the Australian Contact Centre CX Standards that underpin these assessments.
Call Centre CX Quadrant – Australian Aged Care Providers Q1 2026
This Call Centre CX Quadrant shows how Australian aged care providers compare on Accessibility (how quickly and easily families reach a human when seeking care information) and Agent Mastery (the quality, empathy and clarity of the conversation). The mystery shops simulate new enquiries from families comparing services, exploring eligibility, and seeking information about residential care, home care packages and respite options.
Some providers are easy to reach but fall short once connected: agents struggle to listen effectively, explain care pathways clearly, address cost and eligibility questions, or guide families toward next steps such as assessments or facility tours. That wastes critical enquiries from families actively researching care decisions.
Others deliver strong agent conversations but make families navigate complex menus, endure long hold times or face unclear options before reaching help. By the time a human answers, frustration has built and trust may already be compromised.
The top-right quadrant represents CX best practice for aged care enquiry handling: fast, low-friction access paired with empathetic, confident guidance that helps families understand their options and progress toward placement decisions or service commencement. ⚡️
