🏆 Australian Call Centre Rankings · Q3 2026

Australian Banks Q3 2026 Call Centre Rankings

Almost nobody rings a bank about a home loan on a whim. By the time they call, they have compared rates and decided to act, so the call is the most valuable moment in the acquisition journey.

We mystery shop Australia's banks as customers shopping for a home loan or a new credit card, and score every call against 48+ CX metrics aligned to the ACXPA Contact Centre CX Standards. Nobody is told when we are calling.

Overall CX

The headline score: getting through and the conversation, combined

52.3%

▲ 8.4 pts on Q2 · best on record

Accessibility

How easily callers reached a real person

52.1%

▲ 9.7 pts on Q2

Agent Mastery

How well agents handled the conversation

57.7%

▲ 3.1 pts on Q2 · best on record

National ranking

Banking's Overall CX against the other sectors we benchmark

7th

of 7 sectors · all-industry 59.0%

The quarter in one line: banking's best result on record, and still last of the seven sectors we benchmark, because too many customers can't get through.

↑ Report sections

🏆 Australian Banks Leaderboard – Q3 2026

Recognising Call Centre Excellence for Australian Banks

Congratulations to Hume Bank, which leads Australian banking for a second consecutive quarter and tops Overall CX, Accessibility and Agent Mastery again.

In a market where the enquiry arrives already qualified, the banks at the top of this table are reaching the callers their competitors lose at the phone menu.

Overall Winner — #1 Ranked Call Centre, Australian Banks

BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Australian Banks - Q3 2026Australia’s Leading Banks by Contact Centre CX Score on enquiries for new products and services such as home loans and credit cards — combining Accessibility (how easily customers get through) and Agent Mastery (how well they’re helped).

1st:

73.5%

2nd:

59.3%

3rd:

58.5%

Lowest:

14.9%

What do the colours mean?

🎯 Call Centre CX Quadrant – Q3 2026

Call Centre CX Quadrant – Australian Banks Q3 2026

The quadrant plots Accessibility (how easily a caller reaches a live agent) against Agent Mastery (how well the conversation is handled). It shows the top three and lowest three banks on Overall CX this quarter.

The chart tells the quarter's story. All six banks shown score above 50% on Agent Mastery, in a narrow band from 52.2% to 68.8%. What separates them is Accessibility, from 84.6% for Hume Bank down to 7.7% for Westpac.

Hume Bank, Bendigo Bank and Bank Australia sit in "easy to reach, strong conversation". CBA, ING and Westpac sit in "hard to reach, strong conversation". Bendigo Bank made the biggest move, as its Accessibility rose from 24.3% to 68.9%.

No bank reached the Best Practice zone. For the lowest three, the next gain is at the front door. For Hume Bank, it is the conversation.

Australian Call Centre Rankings · Q3 2026

Contact Centre CX Quadrant

Australian Banks · New home loan and credit card enquiries

Hover or tap a number to see who it is

Top three

73.5%Access 84.6%
Mastery 68.8%

59.3%Access 68.9%
Mastery 55.1%

58.5%Access 73.2%
Mastery 52.2%

Lowest three

50.2%Access 32.3%
Mastery 57.9%

47.4%Access 34.4%
Mastery 53.0%

14.9%Access 7.7%
Mastery 56.0%

↑ Accessibility (up the chart)

How quickly and easily a caller gets through to a real person: phone menus, recorded messages, wait time, and whether the call is answered at all.

→ Agent Mastery (across the chart)

How well the agent handles the call once answered: understanding what the caller needs, explaining options clearly, and checking the caller is ready to proceed.

★ The goal: top right

Easy to reach and a strong conversation. Banks in the Best Practice corner score 80%+ on both.

91+ Outstanding76–90 Exceeds61–75 Meets45–60 Below<45 Poor

Shows a selection of the banks ACXPA benchmarks, not every bank in the sector. Scores are the quarter average of independent mystery shopping calls, rated against the ACXPA Contact Centre CX Standards.

📋 The Quarter in Review – Q3 2026

Australian Banks · Q3 2026

The Quarter in Review

Australian banking posted its best quarter on record. Overall CX averaged 52.3%, up 8.4 points on Q2 and ahead of the previous best of 51.8% in Q4 2024.

Both halves of the score moved. Accessibility rose 9.7 points to 52.1%, and the average wait (1:58) and time to reach a person (3:53) were both the sector's best on record. Agent Mastery rose 3.1 points to a record 57.7%.

The gains came from the middle of the table. Bendigo Bank (+35.0 points) and ING (+34.9) posted the largest single-quarter gains we have measured for any bank, and Hume Bank led for a second consecutive quarter at 73.5%.

At the bottom, Westpac fell to 14.9%, its lowest since its first quarter of benchmarking in Q3 2023, answering only 24.4% of assessed calls within ten minutes. The 58.6 point gap between first and last shows how far apart the sector still is.

📊 How banking compares nationally · Overall CX, Q3 2026

Internet

67.2%

Energy

61.1%

Car Insurance

61.0%

Councils

60.2%

Education

56.4%

Aged Care

56.4%

Banks

52.3%

Banking ranked last of the seven sectors, 6.7 points below the all-industry average of 59.0%, but posted the largest gain of any sector.

The gap is access. Banking's Accessibility (52.1%) is the lowest of any sector, while its Agent Mastery (57.7%) is above the all-industry average of 56.7%.

📊 Q3 2026 Scorecard

Every headline measure at a glance

📊 Q3 2026 Scorecard – Australian Banks

The sector average for each measure, how it moved since Q2, and the best and weakest bank results this quarter.

See the weakest bank on every measure, free. Subscribers unlock the full scorecard.

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Measure	Sector avg	vs Q2	Best in sector	Weakest in sector	Your bank
Headline scores
Overall CX	52.3%	▲ 8.4 pts	73.5%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Accessibility	52.1%	▲ 9.7 pts	84.6%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Agent Mastery	57.7%	▲ 3.1 pts	68.8%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Getting through
Calls answered within 10 minutes	83.8%	▲ 8.5 pts	4 banks tied ▾100.0%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Average wait	1:58	▼ 1:26	0:36	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Time in phone menu	1:55	▼ 0:01	1:01	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Time to reach a person	3:53	▼ 1:27	2:31	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Menu layers	3.1	– no change	1.1	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
The conversation
Engage	30.7%	▼ 3.6 pts	60.6%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Discover	50.9%	▲ 4.2 pts	58.5%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Educate	65.9%	▲ 3.4 pts	83.6%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Close	63.3%	▲ 1.9 pts	72.2%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒
Impact	78.3%	▲ 10.6 pts	89.2%	🔒 Free sign-up	🔒

Measure	Sector avg	vs Q2	Best in sector	Weakest in sector	Your bank
Headline scores
Overall CX	52.3%	▲ 8.4 pts	73.5%	14.9%	🔒
Accessibility	52.1%	▲ 9.7 pts	84.6%	7.7%	🔒
Agent Mastery	57.7%	▲ 3.1 pts	68.8%	47.7%	🔒
Getting through
Calls answered within 10 minutes	83.8%	▲ 8.5 pts	4 banks tied ▾100.0%	24.4%	🔒
Average wait	1:58	▼ 1:26	0:36	3:24	🔒
Time in phone menu	1:55	▼ 0:01	1:01	3:05	🔒
Time to reach a person	3:53	▼ 1:27	2:31	5:24	🔒
Menu layers	3.1	– no change	1.1	4.4	🔒
The conversation
Engage	30.7%	▼ 3.6 pts	60.6%	10.0%	🔒
Discover	50.9%	▲ 4.2 pts	58.5%	40.7%	🔒
Educate	65.9%	▲ 3.4 pts	83.6%	48.3%	🔒
Close	63.3%	▲ 1.9 pts	72.2%	51.1%	🔒
Impact	78.3%	▲ 10.6 pts	89.2%	62.5%	🔒

Q3 2026 is the average of July, August and September. Hover over or tap a measure to see what it covers. Average wait and time to reach a person include unanswered calls, counted up to the time limit. Green is better, red is worse.

Where would your bank sit in this table? Banking Benchmarking scores your own sales line on every one of these measures, alongside the competitors you choose. Plans start from $397 a month.

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🏦 Bank by Bank – Q3 2026

The stories behind the numbers

🏦 Bank by Bank – What Moved in Q3

The top three, and the lowest

73.5%Overall CX · #1

Leads the sector for a second consecutive quarter, topping Overall CX, Accessibility (84.6%) and Agent Mastery (68.8%, a best-ever).

Every assessed call was answered, and callers reached a person in 2:37. NAB is now just 1.8 points behind on Agent Mastery.

▲ 35.0 ptsOverall CX · now 2nd

Its best-ever result. It answered every assessed call within ten minutes for the first time, up from 27.8% in Q2.

Its average wait fell from 8:03 to 2:55, and total experience time from 13:14 to 7:56.

▲ 11.2 ptsOverall CX · now 3rd

A third consecutive quarterly gain. Accessibility rose 19.6 points to 73.2%, with every call answered and a 0:48 wait.

It used the fewest menu layers in the sector (1.1) and had the shortest total experience time of any bank (6:37).

24.4%Calls answered · lowest

Overall CX fell 12.4 points to 14.9%, its lowest since its first quarter of benchmarking in Q3 2023, held back by the deepest phone menu in the sector (4.4 layers).

Callers who got through had the sector’s best Close score (72.2%). But 75.6% of assessed calls weren’t answered within ten minutes.

🔒 Want to see how other banks performed? ACXPA Members see the stories for a selection of the banks we benchmark, plus provider-level results in the Banking Rankings Dashboard.

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Stories for a selection of the banks we benchmark this quarter.

Leading and climbing

73.5%Overall CX · #1

Leads the sector for a second consecutive quarter, topping Overall CX, Accessibility (84.6%) and Agent Mastery (68.8%, a best-ever).

Every assessed call was answered, and callers reached a person in 2:37. NAB is now just 1.8 points behind on Agent Mastery.

▲ 35.0 ptsOverall CX · now 2nd

Its best-ever result. It answered every assessed call within ten minutes for the first time, up from 27.8% in Q2.

Its average wait fell from 8:03 to 2:55, and total experience time from 13:14 to 7:56.

▲ 11.2 ptsOverall CX · now 3rd

A third consecutive quarterly gain. Accessibility rose 19.6 points to 73.2%, with every call answered and a 0:48 wait.

It used the fewest menu layers in the sector (1.1) and had the shortest total experience time of any bank (6:37).

▲ 34.9 ptsOverall CX

The second-largest single-quarter gain we have measured for any bank, just behind Bendigo Bank this quarter. Calls answered rose from 38.9% to 82.2%.

Its average wait fell from 7:37 to 3:08, and Agent Mastery rose 12.5 points to 53.0%, with Impact up 41.9 points.

Mixed results

67.0%Agent Mastery · best-ever

Agent Mastery rose 6.4 points, and NAB led the sector on both Engage (60.6%) and Discover (58.5%).

Access is the gap. 24.4% of assessed calls weren’t answered within ten minutes, and callers worked through 3.8 menu layers against a sector average of 3.1.

0:36Average wait · fastest

The fastest queue in banking, with every assessed call answered within ten minutes.

But Agent Mastery fell 6.5 points to 47.7%, the lowest in the sector, with the lowest Discover, Educate and Impact scores.

3:05Time in menu · longest

The longest phone menu in banking for a fourth consecutive quarter, with an Ease score of 30.8% against a sector average of 81.5%.

Its Accessibility of 32.3% is the second-lowest in the sector. Agent Mastery rose 4.9 points to 57.9%.

Slipping

3:24Average wait · longest

A second consecutive decline in Overall CX. Its average wait has risen for three consecutive quarters, from 0:27 in Q4 2025.

Calls answered within ten minutes fell 11.1 points to 83.3%. The conversation held up: Agent Mastery rose 2.9 points to 61.3%.

24.4%Calls answered · lowest

Overall CX fell 12.4 points to 14.9%, its lowest since its first quarter of benchmarking in Q3 2023, held back by the deepest phone menu in the sector (4.4 layers).

Callers who got through had the sector’s best Close score (72.2%). But 75.6% of assessed calls weren’t answered within ten minutes.

🚪 Where Callers Are Lost – Q3 2026

Where the sector is losing ground

🚪 Where Banks Still Lose the Caller

The conversation, when it happens, is capable. The route to it is not.

How long it takes to reach a person, split into navigating the phone menu, listening to recorded messages, and waiting for an agent:

Fastest · 2:31Bank Australia

1:26

0:48

0:17 menu · 1:26 messages · 0:48 waiting

Sector average · 3:53Australian banks

0:53

1:02

1:58

0:53 menu · 1:02 messages · 1:58 waiting

Slowest · 5:24ANZ

0:42

1:17

3:24

0:42 menu · 1:17 messages · 3:24 waiting

Navigating the menuRecorded messagesWaiting for an agent

Includes unanswered calls, counted up to the time limit. Totals can differ from the parts by a second because each figure is averaged separately.

Recorded messages take longer than the menu itself. On the average call, callers spent 1:02 listening to messages and 0:53 choosing options. Bank Australia, the fastest to a person, still played 1:26 of messages.

16.2%of assessed calls weren’t answered within ten minutes, down from 24.7% in Q2.

3.1menu layers on average, unchanged for a third consecutive quarter.

46.8%for menu design, a third consecutive decline and the lowest since Q4 2023.

The opening of the call is slipping too. Engage fell 3.6 points to 30.7%, the only competency to decline and more than 20 points behind the next lowest.

It is the moment a shopper decides whether this bank is listening, and the cheapest part of the call to get right. See Inbound Phone Sales Training for training on the conversation itself.

💰 Cost of Unanswered Calls

Interactive · try your own numbers

💰 What Are Unanswered Sales Calls Costing Your Bank?

16.2% of assessed sales calls to Australian banks weren’t answered within ten minutes this quarter. Put in your own numbers to see what that rate would cost you over a year.

Your answer rate on sales calls (%)

Sales enquiry calls per monthNew home loan, credit card and account enquiries Callers who don't try again (%)Of those who don't get through, how many go elsewhere Answered enquiries that become customers (%) Lifetime value of a new customer ($)Use your own figure. Not sure? See Customer Lifetime Value

Estimated value lost each year

Callers not answered each month0

Who go elsewhere each year0

New customers lost each year0

Indicative only. The answer rates shown are from ACXPA mystery shopping calls in Q3 2026 (answered within ten minutes). Your own call volumes and conversion will differ.

Do you know your real answer rate for sales calls, as a customer experiences it? Your phone system counts the calls it answered. It can't tell you what the caller went through first, or how the conversation went. Benchmarking measures both, from $397 a month.

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📈 Sector Trends – Q3 2026

Sector Trends – Australian Banks (12-Month View)

How the sector’s three headline scores have moved over the last four quarters. Each bar is the average for Australian banks in that quarter.

ℹ️ How This Report Works

What the Three Scores Measure

How the Overall CX Score Is Calculated

How We Select and Score the Banks We Benchmark

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