Australian Education Providers Q1 2024 Call Centre Rankings
Introduction
In August 2023, we commenced conducting mystery shopping calls to a minimum of six different Australian TAFEs and Education Providers across Australia to provide Voice of Customer (VoC) insights into the performance of the call centre channel for students and add additional value for ACXPA Members who are seeking regular, independent industry benchmarking data based on real calls, not self-reported information.
Each month we conduct Mystery Shopping calls posing as prospective students to assess the accessibility (how easy it was to connect to a live agent) and the customer service/quality of the interaction with the live agent using over 80 different performance metrics as defined in the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards.
All the mystery shopping scenarios we tested were posing as new students enquiring about a new course, campus enquiry, registration, etc,. which would all be considered new business opportunities for the Australian TAFEs.
For clarity, existing students with course or payment enquiries may have different experiences, as they are often treated with a different priority and handled by completely different teams.
Summary sector average data for the Australian TAFE & Education sector is published monthly for ACXPA Members, and we publicly release a quarterly report (like this) containing average sector data and a small sample of the results for three random individual Australian TAFEs/Education Providers for the general public.
Australian TAFEs & Education Providers that purchase our Contact Centre CX Benchmarking reports receive the data for all 80 metrics for their contact centre each month, call recordings, assessors notes, trend data and benchmarking data for any five Education Providers/TAFEs they nominate. Learn more >
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Lifetime Averages (ACXPA Members only)
Download Summary Report (ACXPA Members only)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Q1 2024
Of the six industry sectors we currently assess each month (Banks, Car Insurance, Councils, Energy Retailers, Internet Retailers, and TAFEs), the Australian TAFEs/Education Providers were ranked third in Overall Rankings in Q1 2024 with a score of 56.8%.
- The Overall ranking score for Australian TAFEs in Q1 2024 was 56.8%, rated as ‘Below Standard’. Scores for each Australian TAFE in Q1 2024 ranged from 46.0% (TAFE QLD) to 81.1% (Holmesglen TAFE, Vic). For comparison, Internet Retailers were the top-ranked industry sector with 61.9%, and Banks were the lowest-ranked industry sector with 43.0%.
- Access rankings for Australian TAFEs was 76.5%, second out of the six industry sectors we assess, with scores ranging from 58.3% (TAFE QLD) to 84.8% (TasTAFE). For comparison, Banks were the lowest-rated industry sector for Q1 2024 with 44.2% and Internet retailers with the highest with 81.8%.
- The Quality score for Australian TAFEs in Q1 2024 was 53.1%, last of the six industry sectors we assess, ranging from 41.7% (TAFE WA) to 79.8% (Holmesglen TAFE, Vic). Councils were the highest-rated industry sector for Quality (64.2%).
ACCESS RESULTS Q1 2024
Accessibility scores reflect how easy it was to get through to a live person to discuss your education needs. For Australian TAFEs, the sector was rated as ‘ Exceeds Standard’ at 76.5%, coming in second of six industry sectors we assessed for Q1 2024 (Banks were the worst at 44.2% and Internet Retailers the best with 81.8%).
The data suggests that it was relatively easy for current or prospective students to reach a live call centre agent at one of the Tafes or Education Providers.
- For Q1 2024, TAFE QLD was the most difficult to get through a live agent with a ranking of 58.3%, with TasTAFE the easiest at 84.8%, only marginally ahead of TAFE WA (84.7%).
- TAFE SA, TAFE WA and Tas TAFE all recorded their highest-ever result in March 2024 since we commenced in August 2023.
- Across the Australian TAFE and education sector, 9.3% of calls we made in Q1 2024 were not answered within our 10-minute threshold. TAFE QLD failed to answer 33.3% of our calls in Q1 2024, with wait times exceeding 10 minutes, the point at which we disconnect. TAFE SA failed to answer 22.2% of calls in Q1 2024.
- Average wait times across all Australian TAFEs decreased from Q4 2023 by 00:23 minutes, decreasing from 02:16 to 01:53 in Q1 2024.
- The quickest wait time average for Q1 2024 was TAFE WA with an average wait time of 00:14 minutes.
- The longest average wait time average for Q1 2024 was 05:35 minutes at TAFE QLD, with TAFE SA recording the longest average wait time in any month with 09:45 minutes in January 2024 (and just 00:27 minutes in March 2024, their best-ever result).
- Only one TAFE, tasTAFE, had no IVR menu (press one for this, two for that) with TAFE NSW & TAFE QLD having the most menu layers of 3.0.
- In addition to making menu selections, customers were forced to listen to 00:20 minutes of recorded messages, the second shortest of all industry sectors measured, ranging from 00:05 minutes (TAFE WA) to 00:54 minutes (TAFE QLD).
- Talk times decreased across the sector by 01:02 minutes from 05:55 minutes in Q4 2023 to 04:53 minutes in Q1 2024, ranging from 03:35 minutes (TAFE WA) to 07:46 minutes (Holmesglen TAFE, Vic).
QUALITY RESULTS Q1 2024
The Quality of customer service across the Australian TAFE sector was rated ‘Below Standard’ with a score of 53.1%, the lowest of all industry sectors. The scores ranged from 41.7% (TAFE WA) to 79.8% (Holmesglen TAFE, Vic).
- Of the five Quality Competencies we assessed using the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards, the ‘Engage’ competency was the lowest rated at 27.3%, with Australian TAFEs failing to build rapport with customers, take ownership, and provide a personalised experience. Scores ranged from 8.3% (TAFE WA), the lowest score of call centres we assessed Nationally, to 66.7% (Holmesglen TAFE, Vic).
- Holmesglen TAFE, Vic scored 100% in March 2024, the first time any TAFE/Education Provider has scored 100% in the Engage competency at any point and the only call centre in Australia to achieve 100% in March 2024.
- One of the four ‘Engage’ behaviours we assess, asking for and using the customer’s name during the conversation, was ranked at just 25.9% for Australian TAFEs, with three TAFEs scoring 0% for q1 2024. The top score was Holmesglen TAFE, Vic, with 77.8%.
- The ‘Energy’ competency was the highest-rated of the five Quality Competencies, with a score of 73.1%, ranging from 63.9% (TAFE NSW) to 83.3% (TAFE QLD and Holmesglen TAFE, Vic).
- The ‘Discover’ competency was rated at 45.7% in Q1 2024, the lowest result of all industry sectors, and is used to assess that the conversation explores and confirms both what the customer needs from the call and what they wish to achieve through the available products and services. Scores ranged from 37.0% (TAFE SA, WA and TasTAFE) through to 70.4% (Holmesglen TAFE, Vic).
- One Major audio issue was observed in February 2024 with TAFE QLD, and Audio Distractions were observed on calls in February 2024 for TAFE SA and TasTAFE.
Call Centre Rankings Key:
POOR
BELOW STANDARD
MEETS STANDARDS
EXCEEDS STANDARD
OUTSTANDING
OVERALL RANKINGS – Q1 2024, Australian TAFEs
*The Overall Rankings are determined by the Access Score and Quality Score, with a higher weighting applied to the quality of the call. Deductions/penalties are applied for metrics that impact the customer’s experience, such as technical glitches, audio quality, and a failure to answer calls within our 10-minute threshold.
ACCESS SCORES – Q1 2024, Australian TAFEs
The Call Centre Access Rankings rate how easy it was for customers wanting to speak to a live person to discuss their education requirements.
59 individual elements are assessed, capturing the entire experience before interacting with a live agent including queue wait times, how easy it was to find the phone number, the number of menu options (i.e. press 1 for this, 2 for that), messaging times, hold music, audio quality and lots more.
Mystery Shopping calls to Australian TAFEs are terminated if wait times exceed 10:00 minutes.
QUALITY SCORES – Q1 2024, Australian TAFEs
While most customers can quickly reach a live call centre agent when making contact with a TAFE/Education Provider, it’s what happens during the call can greatly influence the customer’s satisfaction.
Recent CX Statistics continue to highlight the importance of interacting live with a customer service employee and the preference to speak to a live agent rather than an automated chatbot/AI, etc.
The Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards have been developed and refined over 30 years, and when businesses consistently achieve high ratings in these core competencies, there is a direct correlation to improved business metrics however you measure them – Sales Conversions, NPS, Customer Effort Score, improved efficiency, reduced AHT etc.
The Quality Standards are assessed across five core competencies and 18 call-handling behaviours that directly correlate to better customer and business outcomes: Engage, Discover, Educate, Close and Energy.
Learn more about the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards >
DEDUCTIONS – Q1 2024, AUSTRALIAN TAFES
Deductions are applied to the overall scores if there are moments that can negatively impact the customer experience, including excessive queue messages, technical glitches, menu navigation challenges, audio distractions, etc.
A low score (i.e. 0.0%) means there were no deductions applied.
LIFETIME AVERAGES – Australian TAFEs
The lifetime averages for six metrics, displaying the top three Australian TAFEs, the Australian TAFE with the lowest score, and the lifetime sector average (since reporting commenced in August 2023).
ACXPA MEMBERS QUARTERLY REPORT DOWNLOAD ⬇️
Download a quarterly report that contains Australian TAFE sector averages for 40 metrics plus 23 individual metrics for three random Australian TAFEs each quarter.
What type of scenarios do we use to conduct the Mystery Shopping calls?
The scenarios we use are typically based on new sales opportunities (i.e. course enrollment), however, we may also just have general enquiries about courses, campuses, timetables etc.
How does the scoring work?
You can learn more about the framework we use here >
How many calls are assessed?
For the public monthly report, we include at least three calls per TAFE.
When you purchase our CX Contact Centre Benchmarking service, you will receive at least six calls for your TAFE included in the report.
Please refer to our customised Benchmarking service >
Why aren’t all the TAFEs included?
We’d love to have all the TAFEs included; however, conducting independent Mystery Shopping is expensive!
We randomly chose TAFEs to commence our program with and as (or if) other TAFEs purchase our CX Contact Centre Benchmarking program, they’ll be included in our monthly report.
How can we improve our score?
Our Mystery Shopping program has been designed to provide TAFEs with the insights they need to improve performance!
When you purchase the CX Contact Centre Benchmarking service, you’ll receive detailed information on your performance against over 48 individual elements, so you know exactly where to focus, and we also include a quarterly report that provides you with personalised key recommendations on areas to focus on.
We also offer a range of training courses that can help teach your frontline employees the skills they need to deliver great customer service or improve sales:
- Customer Service Phone ‘Essentials‘ & ‘Professional‘
- Inbound Phone Sales ‘Essentials‘ and ‘Professional‘),
- Training courses for your Team Leaders/Managers so they know how to coach effectively using the Quality Standards to improve your performance (and scores!).
How do I get my contact centre included?
We have a fixed-price service starting from $1,297 per month that will provide you with information on your contact centre, as well as a benchmark of your performance against a minimum of five other TAFEs that you can nominate. Learn more >
How do I order the service?
We have an online ordering form that makes it easy to order the service, nominate the TAFEs you’d like to benchmark against, who you’d like the reports to be sent to etc. View the online order form >
How do I access the full data for the TAFEs?
ACXPA Business Members get full access to the summary monthly data for TAFEs (and other sectors) along with a host of other benefits.
An ACXPA Business Membership starts from just $497 per year and includes five individual memberships you can allocate to key employees who could benefit from gaining access to leading industry insights for contact centres, customer experience (CX), digital service, and in-person customer service.
Is there someone I can speak to to learn more?
Absolutely! If you’d like to speak to someone further about the Benchmarking Service, please get in touch with our General Manager of Quality Insights, Simon Blair – 0407 002 113 or simon@acxpa.com.au or call us on 03 9492 2871.
What type of scenarios do we use to conduct the Mystery Shopping calls?
Most of our mystery shopping scenarios involve new course enquiries, timetable questions, etc, where we don’t need to disclose account numbers or personal information.
Why do you hang up at either 10 or 15 minutes?
All our Mystery Shopping calls are conducted live by our accredited Mystery Shoppers who are all based in Australia. We cut off the calls at either 10 minutes (sales scenarios) or 15 minutes (service scenarios) for two key reasons:
- Research has shown that these are at the end of typical times customers will wait before they hang up.
- It’s expensive! As we use real human beings to conduct the Mystery Shopping call, it’s simply not practical to pay them often for hours (hello Centrelink!) whilst waiting for the call to be answered. So unless we get a very generous sponsor that enables us to wait the full time, we thought this was a reasonable decision.
Why don’t your results align with my experience?
Despite the perception, call centres are complex operations involving lots of people, processes, technology and the random nature of call arrival as we don’t know when people are going to call!
Even with the best planning, this can result in a varying level of performance depending on a wide range of factors, including the time of day, whether everyone who was rostered attended work, whether the number of calls forecasted is accurate, and much more.
In addition, calls for service can be treated very differently than sales, and many call centres have the technology to alter the priority of calls answered depending on their nature, previous history, status within the organisation, and so on.
All of these factors can result in a much different experience every single time you call a contact centre.
As we’ve mentioned though, most customers don’t really care about any of that and will make their decision based on their phone call only – and our mystery shopping is designed to capture that – a snapshot of what customers are experiencing.
Finally, we are also unable to test the experience for existing customers. To maintain the anonymity of mystery shopping, we cannot provide account details, etc., which many call centres now require before being placed into the queue.
And frustratingly, its often the existing customers who receive the worst experience 😱
Do Education Providers/TAFEs really care about the service they provide?
Whilst TAFEs are government-owned, it doesn’t mean they don’t care about the customer experience!
But sometimes, whether it’s through a lack of resources or skills, the customer experience is well below expectations.
When TAFEs focus on delivering a better customer experience, not only is it good for you, it actually makes them more efficient meaning they need less resources in the contact centre, which can then be better directed to improve services in other areas.
Why does ACXPA publish results each month?
Our mission is to improve the level of customer experience in Australia so by publishing the results monthly, we’ll continue to ensure that TAFEs are accountable for the level of customer service they are providing and to enable consumers to make an informed choice.
What type of services does ACXPA offer?
In addition to the Mystery Shopping CX Benchmarking, we offer a range of services and resources for people working in contact centres, customer experience (CX), digital service and in-person customer service/retail. You can learn more about us here >
Purchase exclusive Voice of Customer Insights for your Business
If you’d like to gain Voice of Customer (Voc) insights specifically for your contact centre and benchmark your results against other Australian TAFEs and education institutions, we offer a cost-effective, fixed-price benchmarking service that makes it easy!
Starting from just $1,297 per month, by purchasing our Contact Centre CX Benchmarking Service, you’ll receive the following:
- Mystery Shopping insights into your call centre with results from over 80 metrics, our quality assessor’s notes, the employee’s name (where provided) and the full call recordings.
- Benchmarking data for any five Australian TAFEs or education institutions you nominate, so you can benchmark your performance specifically against other Education providers that matter the most to you.
- Average Education Providers sector data so you can compare your results to the entire sector.
- A monthly email with data to track your performance along with the call recordings.
- A quarterly report containing insights and trends that are easy to understand, along with actionable recommendations to help improve your performance.
- An optional Quarterly Insights workshop for your team (conducted live via Zoom) that can provide additional insights, coaching and guidance.
- Access to training to help you improve results.
Upcoming ACXPA Member Bites Sessions
Short, sharp interviews and presentations on specific topics to fast-track your knowledge!
The ACXPA Member Bites are only available to ACXPA Members!
ACXPA Members can watch all the ACXPA Member Bites at any time in their Video Library. Discover which membership is right for you >
IVR Best Practice
Over 90% of contact centres are using an IVR (Press 1 for this, press 2 for that), and we've encountered many contact centres with over four layers of options for customers to select from. In this session, Nadine will be sharing some best practice tips on IVR design for 2024.
Presented by Nadine Power, Client Success Manager, VERSA Connects (and ACXPA National Advisory Board Member)
More sessions announced soon!
(If you're interested in speaking at one of our events, click here to learn more >)
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ACXPA connects contact centres, customer experience, digital experience, customer service and employee experience professionals in Australia to create better customer, business, career and industry outcomes.
By joining, you’ll gain access to global best practices, leading industry insights, world-class training and an unrivalled community of industry professionals.
