Summary of the Report on the Evaluation of the National Relay Service 2003

Introduction

In late 2002, following a competitive tender process, the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) contracted the Allen Consulting Group (ACG) to undertake an evaluation of the National Relay Service (NRS). The evaluation involved consultation with NRS users and other stakeholders and an assessment of the performance of the current NRS provider, Australian Communication Exchange (ACE). To view the Terms of Reference for the Report go to the link at the bottom of this page.

The following summary of the findings of the consultant's report has been prepared by DCITA. A more detailed summary of the report can be found under the 'Detailed Summary' link at the bottom of this page.

Executive Summary

The National Relay Service (NRS) provides people who are deaf, or who have a hearing and/or speech impairment, with access to the standard telephone service. The NRS is funded by a quarterly levy on all eligible telecommunications carriers, provided for under Part 3 of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999.

The NRS allows communication between text and voice over the telephone using relay officers. The service is confidential and is provided at no additional cost to consumers. Australian Communication Exchange Limited (ACE), a not-for-profit organisation, entered into a five-year contract with the Commonwealth Government as the provider of the NRS from 1 July 1998.

Stakeholder Views

Stakeholders consulted were of the opinion that ACE has delivered a generally good service, with significant improvements in some areas. ACE has, on the whole, had a sound compliance record across the period from 1998-99 to 2001-02. There are however, specific areas where compliance could be improved, namely call blockage (the number of calls that receive a busy signal) and Outreach (a required program that promotes NRS services and provides information and training for current and potential users of the service).

Requirements for the Delivery of the NRS

To match current demand (and with current technology), any potential new provider of the NRS would need:

about 200 staff, including approximately 150 Relay Officers, located in more than one call centre
sophisticated telecommunications equipment and software, and trained technical staff
people in senior management with a strong understanding and appreciation of the NRS client base
a significant initial capital investment, and have capital to invest in upgrades as well as operating capital

Call Minute Rates

Under the five-year contract, a call-minute-rate formula forms the basis on which ACE has been paid for providing the NRS. This is the provider's unit price per minute spent relaying calls. The 106 emergency services have been separately charged, based on actual costs. The use of a call minute rate ensures that the NRS provider is being paid for the level of actual service delivered, and provides an incentive for it to increase call minutes.

Service Standards under the NRS Plan

Under the legislation and the NRS contract, the provider must develop a NRS Plan. The Plan is subject to annual review to ensure it is meeting the Commonwealth's objectives. The Plan must include timetables for the supply of the NRS and five Service Standards, to be met by the NRS provider.

These Service Standards relate to:

the number of calls to the service that did not get through (call blockage)
the call answer time of the service
the number of complaints about the service
emergency 106 call blockage
call answer time of the 106 text emergency service

The plan can be accessed at http://www.aceinfo.net.au/Resources/Downloads/index.html#nrsp.

The NRS provider is financially penalised for not meeting any of the non-emergency Service Standards, but can also receive a financial bonus if these Service Standards are met and two or more are exceeded.

During the current contract ACE has experienced consistent difficulties achieving the call blockage Service Standard, mostly due to difficulties in setting staffing levels to address varying levels of demand. There has also been significant daily variation in call blockage.

The call answer time Service Standard of 90 per cent of calls to be answered in within 10 seconds has been consistently met.

ACE has consistently complied with the Service Standard for complaints, which requires the number of complaints to be no greater than two per cent of total successful calls. In the most recent NRS Plan, a new performance indicator for complaints was added, which requires acknowledgment of complaints within one working day and formal response to the complaint within four working days. This new performance indicator is much more focused on the outcomes of complaints handling.

The text emergency call blockage Service Standard of no more than five calls per 1000 was met by ACE during 2001-02.

ACE has consistently met the text emergency call answer time Service Standard of at least 99 per cent of all emergency calls to be answered within 10 seconds.

More information on Service Standards is available from the 'Service Standard' link at the bottom of this page.

The NRS Plan

The reporting requirements associated with the NRS Plan have increased substantially during the current contract. There would be merit in clarifying the purpose of the NRS Plan to address concerns that it has gone beyond its original purpose.

Customer Satisfaction and Feedback

Performance auditing and appropriate feedback mechanisms are important factors in delivering the NRS. If the NRS is to be fully effective, it needs to not only be receptive to feedback from users, but also actively encourage feedback and be seen to be encouraging it.

Measurement by the NRS Provider of customer satisfaction with the Outreach Program would be better if monitored by an independent party. Further, survey design and analysis is an area where considerable expertise lies with independent evaluators. The Annual Forum has been discontinued and concerns have been raised by some NRS Consultative Committee (NRSCC) members that there is no formal process for ensuring that when issues are raised, they are addressed or resolved. Therefore, it would be worthwhile considering the development of a program of external audits to test the NRS Provider's performance.

Community Outreach Program

Of all aspects of the NRS examined in this evaluation, the Outreach Program has attracted the most comment from stakeholders. While most are generally satisfied with the quality of the Outreach activities undertaken by the NRS Provider, they think more could be done.

One way of improving outcomes may be for Outreach funds to be separated from the call minute rate funding used for other aspects of the service. This change may improve transparency and provide an opportunity for NRSCC members to be more fully engaged in advising and commenting on more effective ways to market the NRS more widely.

For more information about the objectives and outcomes of the Outreach Program see the 'Objectives and Outcomes of Outreach' link below.

Transition to a New NRS Provider

It is appropriate that arrangements for a future transition to a new NRS Provider be built into the contract. Sufficient time should be allowed for any potential new NRS Provider to provide a competitive bid and be in a position to supply the infrastructure required to deliver the service at the start of a new contract period. The NRS contract needs to anticipate the incumbent's cooperation in the event of a transition to a new NRS Provider.

'Spreading the Word'

There is scope for the NRS to be more prominently advertised in the Telstra White Pages®, on the Internet and elsewhere. The current White Pages® listing for the NRS refers the reader to the ACE listing. The relevant NRS telephone numbers and an NRS web address should attach to the NRS rather than to the NRS Provider.

Additional Documents

Document ID: 6540 |
Last modified: 6 February 2008, 1:38pm