Vodafone promises better customer service for all New Zealanders

Vodafone is promising enhanced customer focus and better service experience for all customers, off the back of the Commerce Commission's Consumer Issues 2016 paper.

The paper detailed information about consumer complaints against Vodafone in 2015, and the company says it's taking all complaints very seriously.

"What our customers have to say about us is important, and we value the opportunity to hear their concerns and act on this information," says Vodafone Legal and External Affairs Director Liesbeth Koomen.

The company has more than 2.5 million customers. Of these, 133 customers raised a complaint with the Commerce Commission. Issues raised were areas such as charges, invoicing and mobile plan confusion, the company states.

"With a significant share of New Zealand's phone and internet customers, we always aim to provide a great service experience. Unfortunately, we sometimes fall short and receive complaints. When we receive any complaint, we always place a high priority on resolving the matter. Information provided by the Commission allows us to further review and understand the nature of customer concerns," Koomen says.

The company is aiming to improve its customer service as a result. The company has already invested in billing process and invoice improvement.

"We also continue to invest in our people with comprehensive product training as we aim for first call resolution to incoming customer enquiries," Koomen says.

Vodafone says it remains committed to delivering 'best value mobile, fixed, and wireless broadband services to all New Zealanders'.

The company is also a finalist for 'In-house team of the Year' in the 2016 New Zealand Law Awards.

""The New Zealand Law Awards are a prestigious event in the legal fraternity, and to be named a finalist is fantastic recognition of all the hard work the team have put in over the last 12 months. I'm brimming with pride and anticipation," Koomen says. The awards will be held in November.

The Consumer Issues 2016 paper points out that complaints againsts telcos in regards to the Fair Trading Act have jumped 20% since 2014, with 79 complaints. Fellow competitor Spark received the most complaints, with a total of 140 in 2015.