Telstra boosts support for Victoria's Central West Victoria

Ararat Rural City Council mayor Jo Armstrong joined Telstra's group executive consumer and small business Michael Ackland on Tuesday May 30 to unveil the new Telstra store on Barkly Street.

Cr Jo Armstrong said it was "most pleasing" to have a member of Telstra's national senior leadership team in Ararat to hear from us first-hand about the connectivity needs in the Ararat community.

"While Telstra have had a store in Ararat for a long time, the new store is now being run directly by Telstra and offers the latest tech and products," she said.

"They are also employing additional staff with the Ararat team growing from five to eight.

"This will benefit our community with an increased focus on service, with more staff ready to offer people one-on-one support with devices and connectivity.

"Telstra's new Ararat store and our major projects demonstrate that not only is the importance of the relationship recognised, but it has been strengthened in ways that could be a game-changer in the way major corporations and rural communities work together."

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The Ararat Rural City Council and Telstra have been working together over the past two years to develop several key projects that improve connectivity and enhance the Ararat economy.

"Reliable mobile coverage and digital connectivity is vital to the growth of our rural towns and communities," Cr Armstrong said.

"This includes the rollout of 4G and 5G mid-band in Ararat, our partnership to deliver an advanced public WiFi network in Ararat and Lake Bolac, and the announcement that Telstra are building a new $1.1 million mobile base station in Maroona.

Telstra group executive consumer and small business Michael Ackland said with Telstra buying back all of their stores, there will be more consistency across the board.

"We have had a lot more of our business interactions go digital and connectivity has become more essential to people in the way that they work, are educated and run their businesses," he said.

"I think it was really a sense of recognition for us about how important retail face to face is for those complex experiences.

"You will now see a more consistent range of accessories and ranges in Telstra stores across the country, you will see a more consistent approach to the stores service as it is just as important as sales."

Michael Ackland revealed Telstra would be bringing all call centres back to Australia by the end of June.

"We have realised the things people are calling for help these days require more context and we think having on shore call centres is really going to help.

"The one thing I would say to anyone calling up is be easy on them, they are all new.

"They may be in Australia but they are all new and super passionate."

As a result of the investment in local jobs, Telstra is open to hiring Ararat residents to their call centres.

"At the moment we are hiring all over Australia, including in regional Victoria and areas like Ararat," Michael Ackland said.

"We have fully enabled our call staff to be able to work from home, so it is definitely possible."

Telstra's Connected Communities initiative along with or customer experience improvements will deliver new and expanded support for regional Australia, including:

For more information visit: https://exchange.telstra.com.au/more-boots-on-the-ground-in-regional-australia-and-more-support-for-customers/

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