Editing Telstra (section)

==== Telstra Digital ====
In February 2011, Telstra announced the formation of [[Telstra Digital]] under the leadership of [[Gerd Schenkel]] who was hired from [[National Australia Bank]]/[[UBank]].<ref name="=tmedia-expand">{{cite web|title=Telstra to expand online service and add more than 100 new stores|url=http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media-centre/announcements/telstra-to-expand-online-service-and-add-more-than-100-new-stores.xml|work=Telstra|access-date=5 October 2011|date=21 February 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928045020/http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media-centre/announcements/telstra-to-expand-online-service-and-add-more-than-100-new-stores.xml|archive-date=28 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Bettersby|first=Lucy|title=Telstra wants to get more customers online|url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/telstra-wants-to-get-more-customers-online-20110220-1b10v.html|access-date=5 October 2011|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=21 February 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825114437/http://www.smh.com.au/business/telstra-wants-to-get-more-customers-online-20110220-1b10v.html|archive-date=25 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Charis Palmer |url=http://technologyspectator.com.au/industry/internet/self-service-makes-sensis |title=Self-service makes Sensis |publisher=Technology Spectator |date=6 February 2012 |access-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015162331/http://technologyspectator.com.au/industry/internet/self-service-makes-sensis |archive-date=15 October 2012 }}</ref>  Gerd reported to [[Karsten Wildberger]] who was Group Managing Director of Telstra Consumer, and was ultimately appointed to be the new minister for digitization of Germany in 2025. <ref>{{Cite news |last=Gnirke |first=Kristina |last2=Rosenbach |first2=Marcel |date=2025-04-29 |title=Karsten Wildberger: Ein Technikfreak wird Digitalminister |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/karsten-wildberger-ein-technikfreak-wird-digitalminister-a-1185a6f9-5b81-4684-9974-a0e59ad46396 |access-date=2025-05-03 |work=Der Spiegel |language=de |issn=2195-1349}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Timmler |first=Vivien |date=2025-04-28 |title=Mediamarkt-Chef wird neuer Digitalminister: Wer ist Karsten Wildberger? |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/karsten-wildberger-digitalminister-mediamarkt-saturn-li.3243206?reduced=true |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Süddeutsche.de |language=de}}</ref>

Telstra Digital's initial purpose was to improve the use of digital channels for customer service. In April 2011, Telstra Digital relaunched its web homepage design.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schenkel|first=Gerd|title=The new face of t-t-t--telstra.com|url=http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2011/04/19/telstra-website-redesign/|work=Telstra Exchange|access-date=5 October 2011|date=19 April 2011|archive-date=11 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911111727/http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2011/04/19/telstra-website-redesign/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In July 2011, Telstra Digital launched "CrowdSupport", an online forum to crowd source customer service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://itechreport.com.au/2011/07/08/telstra-turns-to-crowd-sourced-support-launches-crowdsupport/ |title=Telstra turns to crowd-sourced support, launches CrowdSupport |publisher=Itechreport.com.au |access-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628173500/http://itechreport.com.au/2011/07/08/telstra-turns-to-crowd-sourced-support-launches-crowdsupport/ |archive-date=28 June 2012 }}</ref> As of July 2017, Telstra's "CrowdSupport" had 463,000 posts.<ref>[http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/ Telstra Crowdsupport – Telstra Crowdsupport] {{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20140415225852/http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/ |date=15 April 2014 }}. Crowdsupport.telstra.com.au. Retrieved 28 July 2017.</ref> It was also cited as an example of "scaling at the edge" by [[Deloitte]]'s Centre for the Edge.<ref>{{YouTube|5Vaq6GyAz4w|Telstra Crowdsupport}} (23 April 2013). Retrieved 20 August 2013.</ref>

In September 2011, Telstra Digital launched a new account services portal to help achieve its goal of managing 35% of Telstra's transactions.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.theage.com.au/business/telstra-aims-to-close-online-gap-with-rivals-20110930-1l179.html | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | title=Telstra aims to close online gap with rivals | date=30 September 2011 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101191728/http://www.theage.com.au/business/telstra-aims-to-close-online-gap-with-rivals-20110930-1l179.html | archive-date=1 January 2016 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> In October 2011, Telstra Digital announced a new mobile smartphone optimised version of its website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2011/10/28/say-hello-to-the-new-mobile-face-of-telstra-com/ |title=Say hello to the new mobile face of Telstra.com – Mobile, Website, Internet, Smartphone, Consumer &#124; Telstra Exchange |publisher=Exchange.telstra.com.au |access-date=10 February 2013 |archive-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015134556/http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2011/10/28/say-hello-to-the-new-mobile-face-of-telstra-com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In November 2011, Telstra Digital launched an iPhone app on a trial basis<ref>{{cite web|url=http://itechreport.com.au/2011/11/07/telstra-preps-my-telstra-iphone-app/ |title=Telstra preps My Telstra iPhone app |publisher=Itechreport.com.au |access-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105174028/http://itechreport.com.au/2011/11/07/telstra-preps-my-telstra-iphone-app/ |archive-date=5 November 2012 }}</ref> as well as a new online mobile phone shop.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2011/11/08/who-wants-to-shop-online/ |title=Who wants to shop online? – Consumer, Goods, Services, 24 hours, Delivery &#124; Telstra Exchange |publisher=Exchange.telstra.com.au |date=14 November 2011 |access-date=10 February 2013 |archive-date=6 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706235951/http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2011/11/08/who-wants-to-shop-online/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In July 2012, Telstra Digital launched smartphone and Facebook apps for customers to manage their Telstra accounts<ref name="telstra247">{{cite web |url=http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/432194/telstra_launches_24x7_app_facebook/#closeme |last=Gee |first=Mike |date=31 July 2012 |publisher=ARN |title=Telstra launches 24x7 App on Facebook |access-date=25 September 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809085413/http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/432194/telstra_launches_24x7_app_facebook/#closeme |archive-date=9 August 2012 }}</ref> and in November 2012, Telstra claimed that over 700,000 customers had downloaded those apps.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/Telstra24x7/posts/514186995267184 |title=Come, join over... |via=Facebook |access-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904025323/https://www.facebook.com/Telstra24x7/posts/514186995267184 |archive-date=4 September 2015 }}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=August 2020}} In August 2013, Telstra revealed that the apps reached 2.5&nbsp;million downloads.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/download/document/tls878-transcript-of-presentation-2013.pdf |title=Telstra – About us, investors, media, community & environment and our company |access-date=3 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005013048/http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/download/document/tls878-transcript-of-presentation-2013.pdf |archive-date=5 October 2013 }}</ref>

At a results announcement, CEO David Thodey remarked that "the group's new online strategy was delivering" in the context of a 28% reduction of inbound service calls.<ref>{{cite web |author=Charis Palmer |url=http://technologyspectator.com.au/emerging-tech/social-media/telstra-details-benefits-social-media-service-strategy |title=Telstra details benefits of social media service strategy |publisher=Technology Spectator |date=9 February 2012 |access-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213153915/http://technologyspectator.com.au/emerging-tech/social-media/telstra-details-benefits-social-media-service-strategy |archive-date=13 February 2012 }}</ref> Telstra estimated that its digital program will provide productivity benefits of $100&nbsp;million in the 2013 financial year from lower printing costs, decreasing commissions to third parties, and reduced dependence on call centre staff.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afr.com/p/technology/telstra_aims_for_more_digital_transactions_wPtHga50KKvG0dtA4Rl1TL|title=Telstra aims for more digital transactions|work=Financial Review|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116063011/http://www.afr.com/p/technology/telstra_aims_for_more_digital_transactions_wPtHga50KKvG0dtA4Rl1TL|archive-date=16 January 2014}}</ref>

In October 2012, Telstra's CEO [[David Thodey]] stated, "The rise of online and social media had 'fundamentally changed the way' which the company communicated with its customers".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cio.com.au/article/439170/telstra_reports_26_per_cent_drop_customer_complaints/ |title=Telstra reports 26 per cent drop in customer complaints |date=16 October 2012 |publisher=CIO |access-date=10 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512201202/http://www.cio.com.au/article/439170/telstra_reports_26_per_cent_drop_customer_complaints/ |archive-date=12 May 2013 }}</ref> In a 2015 [[Deloitte]] report, Telstra disclosed that its "CrowdSupport" service community had generated 200,000 pieces of user-generated content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://d2mtr37y39tpbu.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Tech-Trends-2015-FINAL_1.pdf |title=Tech Trends 2015 |date=2015 |access-date=2023-04-24 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206223500/http://d2mtr37y39tpbu.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Tech-Trends-2015-FINAL_1.pdf |archive-date=6 February 2015 }}</ref> In August 2016, Telstra disclosed that "more than 60%" of visitors to "CrowdSupport" manage to find an answer on the community.<ref name="slideshare.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.slideshare.net/capgemini/digital-transformation-review-9|title=Digital Transformation Review 9: The Digital Strategy Imperative #DTR9|last=Capgemini|date=20 July 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812124234/http://www.slideshare.net/capgemini/digital-transformation-review-9|archive-date=12 August 2016}}</ref>

In February 2013, Telstra introduced the ability to pay its bills via PayPal.<ref>[http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2013/02/28/telstra-partners-with-paypal-for-bill-payments/ Telstra partners with PayPal for bill payments | Telstra Exchange] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101191729/http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2013/02/28/telstra-partners-with-paypal-for-bill-payments/ |date=1 January 2016 }}. Exchange.telstra.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2013.</ref> And in June 2013, Telstra launched a new website, including the ability for customers to link their online accounts to their Facebook identity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2013/06/18/your-new-and-improved-telstra-com-has-landed/|title=Your new and improved telstra.com has landed|work=Telstra Exchange|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101191729/http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2013/06/18/your-new-and-improved-telstra-com-has-landed/|archive-date=1 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Announcements/Log-in-to-My-Account-with-Facebook-is-here/ba-p/168598|title=Log in to My Account with Facebook is here|work=CrowdSupport|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130710094428/http://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Announcements/Log-in-to-My-Account-with-Facebook-is-here/ba-p/168598|archive-date=10 July 2013}}</ref>

In March 2014, Telstra announced a new digital development program called "Digital First" with a stated aim to conduct 65 to 70 percent of its transactions online.<ref>{{cite news|title=Telstra in online push for sales, service |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/telecommunications/telstra-in-online-push-for-sales-service-20140304-ixnpe|access-date=30 March 2014|date=4 March 2014|author=James Hutchinson|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308104213/http://www.afr.com/p/technology/telstra_in_online_push_for_sales_4qNepudkR6yWgOMngIaG7K|archive-date=8 March 2014 |work=[[Australian Financial Review|The Australian Financial Review]]}}</ref> Telstra published a [[white paper]] sharing some key metrics of its digital program:<ref>{{cite web|title=Creating a Brilliant Digital Future|url=http://www.telstra.com.au/business-enterprise/download/document/digital_first_discussion_paper.pdf|type=Telstra white paper|work=Telstra|access-date=30 March 2014|author=Gerd Schenkel|year=2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520230334/http://www.telstra.com.au/business-enterprise/download/document/digital_first_discussion_paper.pdf|archive-date=20 May 2014}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#d8d8d8;"
! Metric || 2011 || 2013 || 2015 || June 2015 || June 2016 || August 2016
|-
| Digital service transactions share
| style="text-align:center;"| 26%
| style="text-align:center;"| 44%
| style="text-align:center;"| 50%
| style="text-align:center;"| 52%<ref name="telstra.com">{{Cite web |url=http://www.telstra.com.au/uberprod/groups/webcontent/@corporate/@about/documents/document/uberstaging_296462.pdf |title=Our Brilliant Connected Future |date=2015 |access-date=2023-04-24 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924114606/http://www.telstra.com.au/uberprod/groups/webcontent/@corporate/@about/documents/document/uberstaging_296462.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 56%<ref name="telstra.com" />
|
|-
| Digital customer contacts per month
| style="text-align:center;" | 10m
| style="text-align:center;" | 23m
| style="text-align:center;" | 33m (monthly average)
| style="text-align:center;" | Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;" | 48m (grossed up from weekly)<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web |url=https://www.telstra.com.au/community/digital-story |title=Telstra – Telstra's Digital Story |access-date=22 October 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007190102/https://www.telstra.com.au/community/digital-story |archive-date=7 October 2016 }}</ref>
|
|-
| MyAccount users
| style="text-align:center;" | 0.5m
| style="text-align:center;" | 2.6m
| style="text-align:center;" | Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;" | Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;" | 2.5m<ref name="ReferenceA" />
|
|-
| Regular 24x7 mobile app users
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.0m
| style="text-align:center;"| Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;"| 2.1m
| style="text-align:center;"| 2.3m<ref name="telstra.com" />
| style="text-align:center;"| 2.6m<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
| style="text-align:center;"| 2.9m<ref name="slideshare.net"/>
|-
| Digital payments transaction share
| style="text-align:center;"| Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;"| Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;"| 75%
|
|
|
|-
| Digital prepaid recharge share
| style="text-align:center;"| Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;"| Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;"| 50%
|
|
|
|-
| Monthly live chat sessions
| style="text-align:center;"| Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;"| Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;"| Not disclosed
| style="text-align:center;"| 350,000<ref name="telstra.com" />
|
|
|}

In September 2014, Telstra announced the opening of a "Digital Transformation Centre" in Sydney to design and built new digital tools for its service systems.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/telstra-takes-major-step-on-digital-first-path/|title=Telstra takes major step on Digital First path|author=Leon Spencer|publisher=ZDNet|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912114433/http://www.zdnet.com/telstra-takes-major-step-on-digital-first-path-7000033604/|archive-date=12 September 2014 |date=11 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2014/09/12/opening-of-the-telstra-digital-transformation-centre-in-sydney/|title=Opening of the Telstra Digital Transformation Centre in Sydney|work=Telstra Exchange|date=12 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915135010/http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2014/09/12/opening-of-the-telstra-digital-transformation-centre-in-sydney|archive-date=15 September 2014}}</ref>

In June 2014, Telstra disclosed that it had 3 million customers on "electronic billing" saving it $3&nbsp;million per month in costs.<ref name="cmo.com.au">{{cite web|url=http://www.cmo.com.au/article/547998/quick_wins_culture_technology_behind_telstra_digital_strategy/|title=Quick wins, culture and technology behind Telstra's digital strategy|work=cmo.com.au|date=19 June 2014 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619230353/http://www.cmo.com.au/article/547998/quick_wins_culture_technology_behind_telstra_digital_strategy/|archive-date=19 June 2014}}</ref> Telstra also mentioned that live chat accounted for 10% of total contact centre activity.<ref name="businessspectator.com.au">{{cite news|url=http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2014/6/20/technology/telstra-working-uber-system-improve-maintenance-calls|title=Telstra working on 'Uber-like' system to improve maintenance calls|date=20 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140622231521/http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2014/6/20/technology/telstra-working-uber-system-improve-maintenance-calls|archive-date=22 June 2014 |first=Harrison |last=Polites |work=Business Spectator |via=[[The Australian]] Business Review}}</ref>

In December 2015, Telstra Digital launched customer service on [[Periscope (app)|Periscope]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adnews.com.au/news/periscope-to-stream-live-in-twitter-ecosystem|title=Periscope to stream live in Twitter ecosystem – AdNews|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114061545/http://www.adnews.com.au/news/periscope-to-stream-live-in-twitter-ecosystem|archive-date=14 January 2016}}</ref>

In October 2016, the executive director of Telstra Digital Gerd Schenkel left Telstra<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/margin-call/its-not-you-its-us-rice-exits-nine/news-story/581748ee5ed16add5a779052179b77af |url-access=subscription |title=It's us, not you: Rice exits Nine|work=[[The Australian]]|access-date=14 January 2017|archive-date=1 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601035313/https://insight.adsrvr.org/track/up?adv=vrges6n&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fsubscribe%2Fnews%2F1%2F%3FsourceCode%3DTAWEB_WRE170_a%26dest%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%252Fbusiness%252Fmargin-call%252Fits-not-you-its-us-rice-exits-nine%252Fnews-story%252F581748ee5ed16add5a779052179b77af%26memtype%3Danonymous%26mode%3Dpremium%26v21suffix%3D414-b&upid=rjdl4pv&upv=1.1.0|url-status=live}}</ref> to become CEO of a fintech company.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.afr.com/technology/tyro-turns-to-gerd-schenkel-as-new-ceo-to-disrupt-the-banks-20161019-gs5rva|title=Tyro turns to Gerd Schenkel as new CEO to disrupt the banks|date=19 October 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022143511/http://www.afr.com/technology/tyro-turns-to-gerd-schenkel-as-new-ceo-to-disrupt-the-banks-20161019-gs5rva|archive-date=22 October 2016 |url-access=subscription |first=James |last=Eyres |work=[[Australian Financial Review|The Australian Financial Review]] |quote=Australia's newest bank, Tyro, has appointed the founder of National Australia Bank's UBank and Telstra Digital, Gerd Schenkel, as its new chief executive, in a sign the payments disrupter plans to ramp up its attack on the big banks' small business lending customers.}}</ref>