Australian Internet Retailers Q4 2024 Call Centre Rankings

1. Overall CX Scores

Retail Internet Sector Trends

The Overall CX Score provides a comprehensive measure of customer experience, incorporating key metrics such as Accessibility, Agent Mastery, Average Wait Times, and Calls Answered. These scores offer a holistic view of how well Internet retailers are meeting customer expectations, particularly for new connection and plan inquiries.

Key Findings for Q4 2024:

• The sector-wide Overall CX Score was 59.5%, marking the second-lowest recorded result for the retail internet sector. This represents a moderate decline from 63.6% in Q3 2024 (-4.1%).

• Both Accessibility and Agent Mastery saw declines, with Agent Mastery dropping for the third consecutive quarter, reflecting ongoing deterioration in agent soft skills across the sector.

• Overall CX scores varied significantly across providers, with Telstra recording the lowest score (43.7%), while TPG Internet led the sector at 70.9%, underscoring the disparity in customer experience among retailers.

• The Retail Internet sector ranked third out of the seven industries assessed, behind Education Providers (60.5%) and Energy Retailers (60.1%). While this position reflects relative strength, it also highlights opportunities for improvement in meeting customer expectations.

Internet Retailer Performance Rankings

• TPG Internet led the sector for the second time in 2024, achieving 70.9%, narrowly ahead of iiNet (70.3%), which had topped the rankings in the previous quarter.

• Aussie Broadband was the only provider to improve on Q3 results, increasing 4.2% to 68.6%, securing third place.

• Telstra experienced the sharpest decline (-15.4%), falling to 43.7%, after making strong gains in Q3 2024.

Key Takeaways

The Overall CX score of 59.5% is rated as ‘Below Standard’ against the Australian Call Centre Quality standards, indicating room for significant improvement across the sector.

Internet retailers that effectively enhance their contact centre strategy—focusing on accessibility, agent training, and response efficiency—stand to gain a competitive advantage in customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction.

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2. Accessibility Rankings

Internet Retailers Sector Trends

The Accessibility Ranking measures how easy it is for customers to connect with a live contact centre agent, accounting for factors like queue times, IVR efficiency, and system clarity. This metric is critical as it directly impacts the customer experience, particularly for time-sensitive enquiries such as new connection enquiries where customers might be shopping around different retailers.

• The Retail Internet sector recorded an Accessibility Ranking of 81.2%, a slight decline from its all-time high of 84.5% in Q3 2024 (-3.3%).

• Despite the drop, the sector maintained its #2 ranking out of 7 industries, trailing only Education Providers (90.4%). The highly competitive nature of the industry reflects a strong focus on fast, easy access to live agents.

• However, customer experiences varied significantly, with Accessibility Rankings ranging from a high of 93.1% (iiNet) to a low of 43.8% (Telstra Internet). This stark contrast highlights major inconsistencies in how some retailers capitalise on new business opportunities.

Internet Retailer-Specific Results

Best Performer – iiNet

• iiNet led the sector for a fourth consecutive quarter, achieving an Accessibility Ranking of 93.1%, slightly down from 95.8% in Q3 2024.

• Their consistent top performance reflects a strong commitment to minimising barriers to live assistance, setting a benchmark for the industry.

Worst Performer – Telstra Internet

• Telstra Internet recorded the lowest Accessibility Ranking at 43.8%, a significant drop from 61.0% in Q3 2024 (-16.2%).

• Telstra has now ranked last for six consecutive quarters, raising serious concerns about their ability to connect with new customers efficiently.

Most Improved – Aussie Broadband

• Aussie Broadband was the only Internet retailer to improve their Accessibility Ranking from Q3 to Q4 ranking 2nd with 92.3%, marginally behind sector leader iINet (93.1%).

Why This Matters

The gap between top and bottom performers is too big to ignore. For underperforming retailers, the ability to connect customers with a live agent quickly is essential for winning new business.

Long wait times, complex IVRs, or inefficient routing don’t just frustrate customers—they create a bad first impression that could drive potential revenue to competitors.

🚀 Retailers looking to capture more business must prioritise:

✅ Streamlining IVR systems

✅ Reducing queue times

✅ Increasing agent availability

With fast, easy access now a competitive battleground, those who fail to improve may find themselves losing out to competitors who make customer connection a priority.

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3. Agent Mastery Scores

Agent Mastery measures the soft skills and effectiveness of contact centre agents across five core competencies: ENGAGE, DISCOVER, EDUCATE, CLOSE, and ENERGY.

These skills are fundamental to delivering a high-quality customer experience, especially in securing new business opportunities by establishing trust, understanding customer needs, and providing clear, actionable advice.

Key findings for Q4 2024:

• The average Agent Mastery Score was 52.6%, marking the third consecutive quarter of decline and the lowest score on record for the retail internet sector. Despite this, internet retailers ranked equal third among all sectors, alongside banks, trailing energy retailers (54.3%) and councils (52.8%). While these scores remain low, they present a significant opportunity for internet retailers that can optimise their agent performance.

• Performance disparities were stark, with scores ranging from 36.2% (Dodo Internet) to 62.8% (TPG Internet), highlighting an urgent need for lower-performing providers to prioritise targeted training in communication, discovery, and closing skills to drive better customer engagement and conversions.

Competency-Specific Insights

Among the five Agent Mastery competencies:

• DISCOVER was the only competency to improve from Q3 to Q4 2024, rising by 0.9% to 61.7%. This highlights modest gains in agents’ ability to uncover customer needs through effective questioning and active listening.

• ENERGY experienced the sharpest decline, falling 8.8% to 51.6%, indicating agent struggles in maintaining an engaging, empathetic tone while managing conversations efficiently.

• Delivery, a key behaviour of ENERGY, dropped to a record-low 30.6% (-15.7%), reflecting deficiencies in agents’ ability to use clear language and appropriate pacing to ensure customer comprehension.

• EDUCATE remained the strongest-performing competency for the third consecutive quarter, reinforcing the importance of providing relevant, targeted information that builds customer confidence and drives decision-making.

Internet Retailer Performance Rankings

• TPG Internet maintained its sector leadership with a score of 62.8%, marking its third consecutive quarter at the top.

• iiNet ranked second at 60.6%, also holding its position for a second consecutive quarter.

• Dodo Internet ranked last for the fifth consecutive quarter, scoring 36.2%, suggesting persistent training and coaching gaps that could hinder their ability to convert new sales opportunities.

Key Takeaways

• The widening gap between top and bottom performers, coupled with an overall sector decline, poses a major concern for internet retailers. The ability to convert new business opportunities is directly linked to agent effectiveness.

• Underperforming providers must act urgently to improve agent competency, particularly in engagement, discovery, and delivery. Investing in targeted coaching and quality assurance strategies will not only boost conversions but also enhance customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty.

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4. Calls Answered

Retail Internet Sector Trends

Calls Answered measures the percentage of calls answered by a live agent within 10 minutes of being placed into the queue. All our mystery shopping calls focus on new connection/plan opportunities, meaning delays in answering represent missed opportunities and create a poor first impression for potential new customers.

In Q4 2024, the Retail Internet sector achieved 94.4%, a drop from 98.1% in Q3 2024.

• With the exception of Telstra, all Internet Retailers have answered 100% of calls for the past two consecutive quarters. 

• For comparison, three sectors achieved a perfect 100%: Energy Retailers, Councils, and Education Providers and Banks recorded the lowest result, answering only 84.0% of calls.

Internet Retailer-Specific Results

Dodo Internet & iiNet: The Consistent Leaders

• Dodo Internet and iiNet have answered 100% of calls in every quarter since measurements began in Q3 2023, demonstrating exceptional consistency in customer responsiveness.

Telstra’s Decline

• After achieving their first-ever perfect result (100%) in Q3 2024, Telstra’s performance dropped sharply to 66.7%, meaning one-third of calls were not answered within 10 minutes.

• With all other Internet retailers answering 100% of calls, Telstra stands out for the wrong reasons.

Why It Matters

For potential new customers, call response time is a critical first impression. If Telstra struggles to answer sales inquiries promptly, it raises concerns about their ability to support existing customers, particularly for technical support issues.

With competitors delivering a perfect 100% result, delays at Telstra could cost them valuable new business.

5. Average Wait Times

Retail Internet Sector Trends

Average Wait Time measures the time customers spend in the queue after being placed there, excluding delays caused by IVR navigation, forced messaging, or system menus. This means the actual total time it takes customers to connect to a live agent is longer than the figures reported here. (Detailed data on pre-queue delays is available to ACXPA Members.)

• The Retail Internet sector recorded an average wait time of 1:00 minute in Q4 2024, increasing from 0:37 minutes in Q3 2024 (+0:23 minutes).

• Despite this increase, wait times have significantly improved year-over-year, down from 2:10 minutes in Q4 2023 (-1:10 minutes).

• With many internet retailers emphasising fast, responsive support in their marketing, it’s clear that competition in this area is driving improved wait times across the sector.

• After leading all sectors last quarter, the Internet sector dropped to third place, now trailing Energy Retailers (0:50 minutes) and Education Providers (0:51 minutes).  By comparison, Banks recorded the longest sector average at 2:21 minutes.

• Wait times within the Internet sector ranged from a low of 0:02 minutes (DODO INTERNET) to a high of 3:43 minutes (TELSTRA INTERNET), highlighting significant disparities in customer experiences depending on the retailer.

Internet Retailer-Specific Results

Best Performer: DODO INTERNET

DODO INTERNET has led the sector in every quarter of 2024, with an average wait time of just 0:03 minutes (3 seconds) across the entire 2024 – a remarkable achievement.

• Biggest Improvement: Aussie Broadband

Aussie Broadband was the only Internet retailer to reduce wait times from Q3 to Q4, improving to 0:21 minutes (-0:29 minutes from Q3 2024).

Longest Wait Time: TELSTRA INTERNET

• Telstra recorded the highest wait time at 3:43 minutes, increasing by 1:08 minutes from Q3 2024.

• Telstra has now recorded the longest wait times of all Internet retailers for six consecutive quarters.

OPTUS INTERNET Reversal

After achieving their best-ever result of 0:03 minutes in Q3 2024, Optus Internet’s wait time increased by 39 seconds, reaching 0:42 minutes in Q4.

Final Thoughts

The Retail Internet sector continues to improve year-over-year, with increasing competition leading to shorter wait times for many retailers.

However, some providers still experience significant delays, creating a gap in customer experience that could impact retention and new business opportunities.