Optus has announced its policy for Customers Experiencing Vulnerability, reiterating the telco’s dedication to offering enhanced support for customers when they need it most.
The policy introduces a dedicated support team, Specialist Care, who can help if a customer is impacted by domestic or family abuse, homelessness, disability, bereavement or is facing other vulnerable circumstances.
Optus recognises that numerous factors can lead to vulnerability such as major life changes, the loss of loved ones, health issues, and natural disasters, and these can be temporary, span several years or even become a constant in someone’s life.
Optus Managing Director Customer Success, Maurice McCarthy said it is important customers know that we’re always ready to assist, no matter the cause.
“Our new policy reaffirms our longstanding commitment to supporting all customers, including those who may be at risk of experiencing vulnerability,” Mr McCarthy said.
“Keeping customers safe and empowering them to stay connected is our priority, which is why we’ve invested in a number of support measures for our customers.”
Many Optus Retail employees have undertaken training to ensure they can assist anyone wearing a hidden disabilities sunflower pin or lanyard, emphasising our commitment to ensuring Optus store customers can access appropriate support.
Acknowledging the diverse backgrounds of our customers, we have made our policy accessible in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Vietnamese and Tagalog. The policy will also be made available in Easy English.
Shelley, an Optus Retail Store Manager, said Specialist Care has provided new ways for Optus to offer support in a meaningful and practical way and recounted how she had recently helped a victim of domestic violence engage with Specialist Care to regain control of her account.
“The customer was emotional as we were speaking and it became clear we had a serious situation at hand,” Shelley said.
Shelley identified that the customer had been cut off from her telecommunications service by an abusive partner who was an authorised representative on her account and engaged Specialist Care to support the customer.
“I comforted the customer and assured her Optus has procedures in place to quickly restore the service and keep her connected,” Shelley said.
The dedicated team helped the customer regain control of her service without causing additional distress.
Specialist Care is equipped with the relevant expertise and resources to effectively assist those who are experiencing significant challenges in accessing and managing their communication services.
