Enhancing customer experience

In FY15, we consolidated our first level call centre operations for Australian customers and have achieved improvements in customer service levels as a result of this change. First call resolution rates are currently at 95% and quality results are high and are outlined in the table below.

Customer satisfaction scorecard

Each of our retail brands are required to meet high service standards set out by the customer charters of each brand. These standards ensure we respond to customers efficiently and include measures on response time to calls and complaints. In our call centres, Team Leaders and dedicated Quality Specialists conduct monthly quality audits on calls to ensure we meet our high service standards.

A summary of our retail brands’ performance is shown below.

* System limitations impacted First Call Resolution (FCR) for Roam Express. FCR is within target     ** Data from April – June 2015

We currently operate Customer Call Centre and Customer Care operations in Manila, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Virginia. Transurban customer service managers are present in all sites to ensure a consistent approach. We continue to review our call centre operations, and a recent review of more than 1,000 customer calls, gave us a number of useful insights. These insights have been used to develop best practice procedures that will be rolled out across our call centre operations and it is expected that improved service delivery and an enhanced customer experience will result.

Customer engagement and research

We undertake a range of customer engagement and research projects across our markets. This engagement provides insights into customers’ travel preferences, how we can improve their experience in managing their tolls and accounts, and how we can communicate the benefits of using our roads to demonstrate good value.

In one example from the US, the opening of the 495 Express Lanes and 95 Express Lanes over the past two years involved significant customer communication and research. As a result of intensive educational marketing campaigns, the 495 and 95 Express Lanes had safe and smooth openings and drivers in the Northern Virginia region continue to benefit from the Lanes.

According to a February 2015 online survey of 1,266 area drivers in the Washington, D.C. Metro area by KRC Research, the 495 Express Lanes continue to demonstrate excellence and serve a range of customers:

• Eighty-four percent of Express Lanes users – toll paying customers who have used the Lanes at least once – and 74 percent of non-users find that the 495 Express Lanes benefit the region
• The majority of 495 Express Lanes users say traffic on the regular lanes has been better since the Express Lanes opened
• More than eight in ten (81 percent) of car-poolers rate the 495 Express Lanes positively
• One in four car-poolers (25 percent) say they rideshare more on the 495 Express Lanes; no car-poolers said they rideshare less
• Fifty-two percent of drivers who use the 495 Express Lanes also use the 95 Express Lanes
• Customers come from all income levels;76% of Express Lanes customers drive a non-luxury brand vehicle

Digital services and new locations

Our customers are increasingly using digital channels to interact with us and manage their tolling accounts. We have enhanced our digital presence to provide customers with alternatives to phone contact.

We aim to provide a self-service option where our customers can use our websites to manage their accounts, questions or queries. We continue to update all of our retail websites to improve the digital experience for customers. Use of these channels continues to steadily increase. A significant investment is being made in our digital channels in FY16 to further improve these services for our customers.

In FY15, we closed our stand alone in-house customer centres at Lorimer Street in Melbourne, and Gateway and Heathwood customer service centres in Brisbane. The closure of these centres reflects the expansion of our digital services and the significant increase in the number of other face-to-face retail outlets for our customers.

We have partnered with the Australian Federation of Newsagents, Puma Energy and a range of petrol stations and convenience stores to give our customers the ability to carry out a range of transactions over the counter at an additional 978 locations Australia-wide in FY15. These outlets offer extended operating hours (some are open 24/7) and customers can take care of a range of transactions such as account top-ups, toll invoice payments and pre-paid pass purchases. Around 30 per cent of the transactions at these outlets occur out of normal business hours, providing a more convenient payment channel for our customers.

Combined with our existing retail partners, this means customers have the option of over 3,500 outlets across Australia to undertake transactions.

Tolling and billing

Transurban aims to provide excellent customer service when resolving tolling and transaction issues. Many customer enquiries relate to toll pricing and unpaid tolls and we seek to work with customers to find solutions.

When the 95 Express Lanes opened in December 2014, we offered a toll-free period for the first two weeks to allowcustomers to familiarise themselves with the new facility, while the majority of motorists using the newly opened Legacy Way in Brisbane will receive a 40% discount for the first several months of operation.

Our focus is on demonstrating to customers that our roads offer a good travel experience and provide value for the toll cost.

Customer education on avoiding missed tolls and fees

Transurban launched a major education campaign in the US to ensure Express Lanes customers were aware of multiple opportunities to pay unpaid tolls before fees escalate. This program has already helped more than 24,000 drivers avoid fees and civil penalties.

Additionally, we continue to work with Virginia Department of Transport (VDOT) on educational and operational opportunities to help drivers avoid receiving an unpaid toll invoice. As part of this effort we developed an educational video ‘Mount it, Fund it, Link it’ focused on educating customers on how to ensure their transponder is functioning properly and their E-ZPass account are funded to avoid missed tolls.

On our platforms including the expresslanes.com website and social media platforms, Transurban enhanced its information about the tolling and payment process to provide customers with information on how to use E-ZPass on the Express Lanes, and how Express Lanes enforcement works in the event of unpaid tolls.

The ultimate goal of the educational campaign is to encourage more customers to take quicker action to pay unpaid tolls, which is in the best interest of the customer who can avoid additional fees, and of Transurban to reduce enforcement costs to obtain payments.

The vast majority of our more than 1.5 million customers of the 495 Express Lanes have had no issues, with 96% of Express Lanes trips paid or exempt at the time of travel, and less than 0.1% of trips having resulted in a court summons following unpaid tolls.

As the road operator, Transurban does not and cannot, by law, profit from administrative fees and civil penalties related to enforcement. Any administrative fees assessed for unpaid tolls are outlined by Virginia law, and judges enforce the Virginia code and impose civil penalties for violations.

At the time of this Sustainability Report, a small group of drivers impacted by the enforcement program has challenged the process in the Virginia courts. We will seek to resolve these disputes, continue to listen to our customers and use their feedback to make improvements to our customer service and enforcement program.