Glossary of terms: telco complaints-handling rankings

Term	Definition
Average complaints per 10,000 services	Calculated by the sum of complaints reported by all telcos for that quarter, divided by the corresponding number of services reported by all telcos for that quarter, multiplied by 10,000 and rounded to the nearest whole number.
Average days to resolve a complaint	Each telco reports the average number of days to resolve a complaint during each quarter, rounded to the nearest whole number.
Complaint	An expression of dissatisfaction made to a telco about its telecommunications products or the complaints-handling process itself, where a response or resolution is expected by the consumer. It does not include an initial call to request information or support, or to report a fault or service difficulty, unless a consumer advises that they want that call treated as a complaint, and it does not include an issue that is the subject of legal action. Each telco reports the number of complaints received by service type each quarter. Complaints by service type are complaints made by consumers who are supplied with those services, and not necessarily about the service itself. For example, a complaint may be about customer service or billing practices. Calculated by the sum of complaints reported by all telcos for a period.
Complaints per 10,000 services	Calculated by the sum of complaints reported by that telco for that quarter, divided by the corresponding number of services reported by that telco for that quarter, multiplied by 10,000 and rounded to the nearest whole number.
Fixed-line/landline services	Services provided over a fixed connection, exclusive of the NBN. Includes voice services supplied over a fixed-line connection, and broadband services supplied over a fixed-line connection. Excluding NBN broadband services, and voice services delivered over the NBN.
Industry average TIO referral %	Calculated by the sum of each telco's referral rates for a period, divided by the number of telcos with 500 or more complaints for that period, rounded to one decimal place.
Mobile services	Services supplied over a mobile network connection.
NBN broadband services	Broadband services supplied over the NBN. Includes FTTB, FTTC, FTTN, FTTP, fixed wireless, HFC and satellite services.
NBN voice-only services	Voice services supplied over the NBN, where that service is not bundled with an NBN broadband service.
Other services	All other services excluding mobile, fixed-line broadband, fixed-line voice, NBN broadband, and NBN voice- only services. For example, services such as non-NBN satellite, email, web hosting, and internet protocol television services.
Referred complaint	A complaint that has been escalated by the consumer to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, which is then referred back to the telco for resolution. Each telco reports the number of referred complaints received each quarter.
Service	An active telecommunications service, which can be prepaid or postpaid. It can be the subject of a contract of fixed duration, or can be a service without a minimum term. Each telco reports the number of supplied services by service type each quarter.
Telco	A retail telecommunications service provider supplying 30,000 or more services in a quarter.
Weighted average days to resolve	A value which shows the average number of days for a complaint be resolved across all telcos, factoring each telco's reported days to resolve and number of complaints. Each telco's days to resolve for the quarter is multiplied by a weight, based on its corresponding number of complaints reported for that quarter in relation to the sum of complaints reported by all telcos for that quarter. The weighted average days to resolve equals the sum of these values, rounded to one decimal place.