As well as the Call Centre Ranking results below, ACXPA Members also have access to a range of additional insights, including all the monthly reports, trend data, additional performance metrics, a downloadable spreadsheet and lots more!
Australian Councils November 2023 Call Centre Rankings
This is the fourth consecutive month of assessing the performance of call centres for Australian Councils, which first commenced in August 2023.
Each month, we conduct mystery shopping calls to a minimum of six different councils across Australia to assess their performance posing as real customers and assess both accessibility (how easy it was to connect) and the customer service/quality of the interaction when speaking to a live agent across 48 different performance metrics.
You can read more about the assessment criteria and methodology here >
Just scroll below for additional insights, or use the links below to jump directly to a section.
Call Centre Rankings Key:
POOR
BELOW STANDARD
MEETS STANDARDS
EXCEEDS STANDARD
OUTSTANDING
Councils Overall Rankings (November 2023)
The Overall Score Rankings provide insights into the Contact Centres we assessed as the best for Australian Councils.
Each mystery shopping call we make is assessed against 48 different criteria. Our local (Australian-based) trained assessors make the calls at random times and days throughout the month.
The Overall Score is determined by combining the two primary component scores below and applying some proprietary weightings that place a higher emphasis on the quality of the interaction:
- Accessibility Score – measures the experience of connecting to a live contact centre agent.
- Quality Score – measures the experience of the interaction with a contact centre agent.
Key Findings – Overall Scores, Councils November 2023
Following the August, September and October results, the Australian Councils we assessed collectively achieved their best-ever result in November 2023 as assessed against the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards with an overall score of 76.5% (rated as Exceeds Standard), an increase of 11.7% from the previous month.
For context, the mystery shopping scenarios we used in November 2023 were general enquiries such as rubbish, rates, etc.
- The overall scores for each Council ranged from 55.0% (City of Stirling, WA) to 85.4% (City of Onkaparinga, SA).
- The City of Onkaparinga (South Australia) has led all councils for two of the four months since we commenced reporting in August 2023.
- Accessibility scores (how easy it was to get through to a live person) across all Australian Councils was rated as ‘Exceeds Standards’ with a score of 77.5% with scores ranging from 53.7% (city of Casey, Vic) to 100% (City of Onkaparinga, SA).
- Across the Councils Sector, 95.2% of our Mystery Shopping calls were answered within a 15-minute wait time, with the only Council not to achieve 100% being the City of Stirling, WA.
- Whilst Accessibility results have consistently been strong, the Quality of customer service has been an ongoing concern; however, in November 2023, the Councils achieved their best result to date of 76.1% (rated ‘Exceeds Standard’ against the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards) for the first time.
- Quality scores for each Council ranged from the lowest of 66.0% (Launceston, Tas) to the highest of 84.2% (City of Casey, Vic).
- In November 2023, the average wait time across all Councils was consistent with the October 2023 results (03:18 minutes), ranging from 00:05 minutes (City of Onkaparinga, SA) to 08:27 minutes (City of Stirling, WA).
- The City of Stirling, WA, has had the longest wait times of all Councils for three of the four months we have been assessing data.
- Of the five Quality Competencies we assess using the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards, the ‘Engage’ competency was the lowest rated at 42.9% for the fourth consecutive month, albeit this is their best score to date. Councils continually fail to build rapport with customers, take ownership of the call and provide a personalised experience.
- ‘Engage’ Quality Competency scores ranged from 25.0% (City of Monash, Vic) to 50.0% (Brisbane City, QLD & City of Stirling, WA).
- 42% of Councils had no IVR layer (press one for this, two for that) with calls answered by a live agent.
- Of the Councils with an IVR, the City of Stirling had the most options (an average of 1.3). Across all Councils with an IVR, it added an additional 00:09 minutes for customers to navigate (-00:05 minutes from November 2023).
- In addition to the menu navigation time, some Councils forced customers to listen to pre and post-IVR recorded messages before speaking to a live agent, adding an additional 00:18 minutes to each call, with City of Casey’s the longest at 00:47 minutes (almost double the next closest of 00:25 minutes).
- Talk time averaged 03:33 minutes across all Councils, ranging from 02:22 minutes to 05:10 minutes.
Councils Accessibility Rankings (November 2023)
The Call Centre Accessibility Rankings are designed to assess the ease of the phone experience for customers who want to speak to a live person at their local council.
The Call Centre Accessibility Score measures the experience before interacting with a live agent, with our assessment including 30 individual elements grouped into five core components: Search, Design, Ease, Audio and Timing (along with deductions for calls not being answered within thresholds, technical glitches, etc).
Elements included are queue wait times, how easy it was to find the phone number, ease of menu options (i.e. press 1 for this, 2 for that), hold music, audio quality, etc.
Mystery Shopping calls to Councils are terminated if wait times exceed 15:00 minutes. If any call wait time exceeds 15 minutes, the maximum threshold time of 15 minutes is applied to calculate average wait times (meaning actual wait times would be higher than reported).
ACXPA Members can access the number of calls exceeding the 15-minute threshold in their summary download report.
Key Findings – Accessibility & Average Wait Times, Councils (November 2023)
Overall, the Accessibility of Councils in November 2023 was rated as ‘Exceeds Standards’ for the second time with a score of 77.5%, an increase of 3.9% from the Australian Council’s October 2023 results.
- Three Councils were rated as ‘Outstanding’ – City of Onkaparinga (SA), Monash (Vic) and Brisbane (QLD).
- The City of Onkapringa was the only Council to achieve 100%, having achieved the perfect score in two of the four months we have published reports.
- The lowest Accessibility score in November 2023 was 53.7% for the City of Casey, rated the lowest in two of the four months we have published reports.
- The average Wait Time across all Councils was the same as the October 2023 results, at 03:18 minutes.
- Across the Councils we assessed, the sector answered 95.2% of the mystery shopping calls we made within 15 minutes, with only one Council, the City of Stirling, failing to achieve 100%.
- Four Councils have answered 100% of calls since we commenced reporting in August 2023: Brisbane City Council (QLD), Launceston (Tas), City of Monash (Vic) and City of Onkaparinga (SA).
- The City of Onkaparinga (SA) achieved the quickest average wait time with a 00:05 minute average wait time in November 2023, the third time (of four months) they have had the quickest wait time.
- The City of Stirling (WA) had the longest wait time in November 2023, at 08:27 minutes. Of the four months we have been reporting, the City of Stirling (WA) has had the longest wait time for three of the four months.
- On average, across all the Councils, the time required to navigate the IVR menu options decreased by 00:03 minutes from October 2023 to 00:09 minutes in November 2023. City of Stirling’s (WA) took the longest at 00:25 minutes.
- 42% of Councils had no IVR at all.
- In addition to the time it requires customers to navigate the menu and wait for the call to be answered, Councils also add time to each call with pre-recorded messaging that customers are forced to listen to, adding an additional 00:18 minutes to each call (-00:12 minutes from October 2023).
- City of Casey (Vic) had the longest recorded messages at 00:47 minutes, considerably higher than the next 00:25 minutes (City of Stirling, WA). The quickest was the City of Monash (Vic), the only Council with no recorded messaging.
- Talk time across all Councils averaged 03:33 minutes (down from 04:35 minutes in October 2023), ranging from 02:22 minutes (City of Monash, Vic) to 05:10 minutes (Frankston City Council, Vic).
Councils Quality Rankings (November 2023)
Whilst average wait times for calls to Councils are quicker compared to other industry sectors, it’s still what happens during the call that can have a large influence on the satisfaction of the customer.
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 – Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Sales Conversions, NPS, Customer Effort Score, improved efficiency, reduced AHT etc.
The standards apply to all contact centres and are adapted to customer service or sales calls.
Quality is assessed across five core competencies and 18 call-handling behaviours that directly correlate to better customer and business outcomes: Engage, Discover, Educate, Close, Energy.
Learn more about the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards >
Key Findings – Quality Scores, Councils (November 2023)
When assessed against the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards, the Council sector was again assessed as ‘Exceeds Standard’ for Quality for the first time with a score of 76.1% their highest recorded score to date.
- Despite consistently being ranked as the lowest for Accessibility, the City of Casey was the top-ranked Council for Quality in November 2023, scoring 84.2%. So, put simply, it isn’t easy to connect to someone at the City of Casey, but when you do, the quality of service is good!
- The Quality score of 84.2% for the City of Casey (Vic) is the highest ever score for any Council since we commenced reporting in August 2023 – just fractionally ahead of of Willighouby City Council (NSW) who achieved 84.0% in October 2023.
- The lowest Quality score for Councils in November 2023 was 66.0% for Launceston, Tas.
- For the first time since we commenced reporting in August 2023, all Councils achieved at least a ‘Met Standard’ rating assessed against the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards.
- All Councils had an improved Quality score in November 2023 (compared to October 2023), with the City of Monash, Vic, registering the largest increase of 18.1%.
- Collectively, of the five quality competencies we assessed, Councils were rated ‘Below Standard’ for ‘Engage’ and Close’. ‘Exceeds Standard’ for ‘Educate’ and ‘Outstanding’ for ‘Discovery’ and ‘Energy’.
- ‘Educate’ was the best-rated competency in November 2023, with a score of 97.6%.
- The lowest-rated quality competency was again ‘Engage’, with a score of 42.9%, albeit the best score for Engage since we commenced reporting in August 2023.
- Of the four elements we assessed within the ‘Engage’ competency, ‘Name’ was rated the lowest, with most agents failing to obtain and use the customer’s name in the conversation. The City of Casey, Frankston City Council, Launceston City Council, Monash City Council and the City of Onkaparinga all scored 0%.
- The City of Casey achieved 100% for the ‘Close’ Quality Competency, the only Council to achieve the perfect score, with the City of Stirling (WA) achieving the lowest score of 16.7%.
- Training is available for all Councils to improve quality results (View: frontline employees courses and Team Leader courses).
Additional information on the quality competency scores is available below this section (or you can click here to jump to the section).
Exclusive Video Interview!
Available for all ACXPA Members, watch the Contact Centre Managers Roundtable as we interview the City of Onkaparinga (SA) Contact Centre leaders.
Gain insights into how they achieve consistently high results, along with a few tips!
Australian Councils Quality Competencies Summary (November 2023)
Breaking quality performance into five core competencies (and 18 individual metrics) enables you to hone in on specific strengths and weaknesses that can be used for coaching to improve the agent’s performance.
We have training courses to help Team Leaders and frontline employees improve performance!
Download the ACXPA Members Summary Report (Councils November 2023)
The ACXPA Members Summary Report for Australian Councils November 2023 contains additional data exclusive for ACXPA Members, including the results for three random Councils monthly.
Councils who purchase the Contact Centre CX Benchmarking service will see the FULL data for ALL Councils we assess plus any five councils you’d like to benchmark your performance against.
What type of scenarios do we use to conduct the Mystery Shopping calls?
We use enquiries that are general in nature that don’t require us to disclose personal information.
How does the scoring work?
Over the past 30 years, we’ve developed standards based on consumer preferences and the metrics that matter – the ones that can influence the customer experience. 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 council – as more councils sign up for the service, more calls will be included.
When you sign up for the Contact Centre CX Benchmarking service, you will receive a minimum of six calls assessed for every council included. If you’d rather have a larger sample size, please refer to our customised Benchmarking service >
How can we improve our score?
Our Mystery Shopping program has been designed to provide Councils with the insights they need to improve performance! 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 (Customer Service Phone ‘Essentials‘ & ‘Professional‘), as well as training courses for your Team Leaders/Managers so they know how to coach effectively using the Quality Framework 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 councils and a benchmark of your performance against a minimum of five other councils 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 councils 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 data for councils?
ACXPA Business Members get full access to the summary monthly data for councils (and other sectors) along with a host of other benefits, which contains the data for five random councils each month.
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.
If you sign your council up to the Contact Centre CX Benchmarking Service, you will gain access to ALL data from ALL councils.
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 [email protected]
What type of scenarios do we use to conduct the Mystery Shopping calls?
We use general enquiries that don’t require us to disclose personal information. Questions about bins, upcoming events, rates etc.
Do councils really care about the service they provide?
We’d really like to say yes! But sometimes, due to a lack of resources or skills, the customer experience delivered falls well below expectations.
When Councils focus on delivering a better customer experience, it is not only good for you but also makes them more efficient, meaning they can invest in more services for you.
How do I get my Council included?
We encourage you to contact your local Mayor and ask them to include your Council. Just send them a link to this page!
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 councils are accountable for the level of customer service they provide to their ratepayers.
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 >
How to gain exclusive insights for your Council
If you’d like to gain insights specifically for your Council’s contact centre performance and benchmark your results against other councils in the same state or across Australia, we’ve got a new, cost-effective, fixed-price benchmarking service that makes it easy!
Starting from just $1,297 per month, by signing up for our Contact Centre CX Benchmarking Service, you’ll receive the following:
- Six Mystery Shopping calls into your call centre each month at random times and days where you’ll receive the full assessment against 48 metrics, our quality assessor’s notes, the employee’s name (where provided) and the full call recordings.
- Mystery Shopping calls to five other Councils that YOU nominate in the same state or nationally, allowing you to benchmark your performance against the Councils that matter most to you.
- We aggregate data from all the other Councils we assess, providing you with Council sector-wide results to compare your results to.
- 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 (conducted live via Zoom) that can provide additional insights, coaching and guidance.
CX Roundtables - Upcoming Guest
Live and interactive sessions for customer experience professionals in Australia.
Contact Centre Manager Roundtables - Upcoming Guest
Live and interactive sessions for contact centre professionals in Australia.
Next Members Symposium Livestream: Tuesday, 21st May, 2024, 13:30 AEST
The Members Symposium sessions are only available to ACXPA Members!
ACXPA Members can watch the symposium live, and, can watch any of the sessions at any time in their Video Library.
Preview of upcoming Symposium Sessions:
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, Chief Product Officer, Datagamz (and ACXPA National Advisory Board Member)
Tips to Boost Engagement on Calls
Of the five quality competencies we assess as part of the Australian Call Centre Rankings, the 'ENGAGE' competency from the Australian Contact Centre Quality Standards has consistently been at the bottom of the rankings throughout 2023 and into 2024.
In this session, Simon will provide some tips that can be shared with agents on how to increase engagement with customers at the start of calls.
Presented by Simon Blair, General Manager Quality Insights, ACXPA
More sessions announced soon!
(If you're interested in speaking at one of our events, click here to learn more >)
