Telkom meeting: your suggestions needed!

rpm

rpm

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Hi folks

I am glad to inform you that we have set up a meeting with Telkom to discuss their forum participation and possible problem resolution through the forum. Can you please give your views on what we need from a Telkom forum representative? I will then take these requests to the meeting tomorrow.

Regards,

RPM
 
There would need to be heavy moderation if you ask me ;) - but I think someone who can help with tech stuff, explain telkom policies (including infinicall and local capping etc.) and confirm rumours.

oh - and also someone who will listen to users, understand the problems and report back to Telkom

my thoughts ;)
 
To avoid a slanging fest I think the mods should compile a list of questions from members and run a closed thread, only allowing the Telkom Rep and the mods to post. The Telkom Rep would have to be technically au fait with broadband issues and not some marketing drone. He/She would also need to hold a senior postion so as not to have to revert to higher authority for every question posed.
 
Hi RPM,

I think we need to define what the role of a Telkom forum participant should be. For example, it would be unrealistic to expect them to log support issues that should be done through Telkom's existing support infrastructure, but realistic to contact them as a point of last resort if all other avenues have been exhausted. This forum would probably also need to be moderated, as some forum members may take this opportunity to take out vitriol against the participant or just general whining / moaning, instead of constructive discussion. The last thing we need is to drive away Telkom from participation.

Some suggestions:
1. Up to date technical advisories concerning issues with ADSL connectivity / local / international connectivity (anticipated or ongoing), and expected date of resolution.

2. Discussion of Telkom's current and future ADSL strategy, to the extent permitted by Telkom management, of course. For example, right now we're all in a stew about hard capping, etc. but if this is an interim measure, with more flexible ADSL policies envisaged, then it would be easier to comprehend.

3. Advisories of upcoming maintenance to the ADSL infrastructure, so that we can plan around it.

4. Suggestions for improving the ADSL experience that can be taken up to Telkom management for consideration. As an example, if Telkom is really concerned about abuse of bandwidth, why not introduce capping on accounts of heavy downloaders, instead of punishing the entire ADSL user base? Or, introduce soft capping on a daily basis? That way heavy downloaders will be restricted to, say, 1Gb international cap per day, but be allowed to download again the next day. Voila, 30Gb max transfer per month. The story of that ADSL user who managed to download 296 Gb is due to a failure in proper account management.

5. Request comments for submission to the Telkom rep, and send 10 of the highest moderated comments (a la Slashdot style).

I can think of more, but that'll do for now.

Cheers
 
(1) We need a Telkrapper to provide definite responses to this forum concerning the ICASA findings and recommendations, as a first step.

(2) Let's quickly setup a trouble ticket system attached to the forum - allocate a number to each problem and leave open till resolved by them to the satisfaction of the original poster. This way, public evidence of their commitment to addressing consumer concerns exists. Haven't considered the mechanics/logistics of doing this, but would be interesting to hear their reaction.

(3) Telkrappers must register in such a way that they are known to be telkrappers by the rest of the forum.

(4) Can't think of any more right now, my head hurts...
 
If we're going to moderate/filter out the questions (which isn't a bad idea), we still need to show the rep how many people are out there trying to tell them or ask them something.

Maybe even add a section where you can stick a "Hello Peter" style face on your question?

So for example, if Telkom suddenly raise their ADSL prices to R1000 a gig, our friendly little rep needs to know that 6 000+ MyADSL members would like to have a chat and even if 5999 of them were moderated out, he'd still know they were all unhappy...
 
Definately heavily moderated, maybe a forum where only the mods and the Telkom minion have rights to post on. Users can then channel questions through another 'pose your questions here' forum where they will then be relayed in a responsible and unemotional way through the assigned mods in the dedicated QnA section.

I have my doubts as to what will be achieved, as Telkom speak with forked tongue when it comes to price and bandwidth issues, even at ICASA hearings, so dunno what chance we have of getting any straight answers on this type of forum.
I firmly believe if you want to make this worthwhile get a rep from the SNO in the same forum, that will at least make it very interesting!
Price, rollout, speeds, contention ratio's, hardcapping, ignoring ICASA findings whether they are law or not, none of these things will be answered which are at the root of problem.
 
Stats

Since Telkom distinguishes between business and residential customers, I would like to know how many business and how many residential ADSL users they have. Also how many people are on the different ADSL offerings 1024, 512, 356, 192K.

Other stats about ADSL uptake would also be nice such as number of ADSL users per province, new ADSL connections for each month, some SAIX or TelkomInternet stats on bandwidth usage etc.

If they refuse to share stats then they are trying to hide something!
 
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Tell the Telkom rep to bring virtual Kevlar if its on an open forum because there will be some serious bitching...

Other than that, I just want the Telkom rep to actually be a part of the forum and actually listen to us and our suggestions, not just someone to keep us quiet.

Good luck RPM and thanks again for what you're doing.
 
I think we need a level of transparency that Telkom are not willing to provide.

What's the point of having a Telkom rep here (I'm not saying it's a bad idea) when they can't even give us a ball park figure of contention ratios?! Will they be able/allowed to give us any straight answers? I know these questions aren't all that helpful, just some concerns I have.

I think it would be a good idea to have an open forum, where anyone can post and discuss issues with the Telkom rep, but the moderators can remove a user's permission to post there at the click of a button. That way we can all engage in meaningful discussion, and the mods can quickly root out people getting...er over-emotional or whatever :)
 
Not to be pessimistic, relating to comments from R Dahll and others this seems to be a smokescreen for self interest. Forgive me if I am wrong, but we will see. I am all for it as long as clear and concise answers are given.

1) Why was this new change neccesary
2) TELKOM IS MAKING SO MUCH MONEY, Why must we now pay more
3) Other questions is already asked in this thread.

Answers to this should be the basis of the opening thread statements of the Telkom rep. If he waffles a lot of cr@p we would know that it is a waste of time and effort
 
First thing is first... Telkom need to realize that they are probaly South Africa's number 1 hated company. So there are going to be alot of issues, rants, raves, moaning, bitching, etc...

Telkom are going to require more then 1 representative if they intend on pulling their image out of the mud. There is going to be a huge influx of issues/questions/vents/etc.. that is going to be directed at Telkom. IMO everyone has a right to make known their issue whether its small or big.

I think that this kind of exercise needs to be thought out quite well with meticulous planning to achieve the best results, for both Telkom and consumers (MyADSL). Yet at the same time protecting consumers from a legal perspective. In that I mean that MyADSL should have non-disclosure agreements with Telkom, so that Telkom MAY-NOT use any of the information gathered within the MyADSL realm for any media related campaigns whatsoever (E.G. THEY TAKE THINGS OUT OF CONTEXT!!). Yet MyADSL has the right to use this information for its own Media campaigning and also has the right to sell/give stats away to other Media organisations. I think this is a pivotal point and should sort after proper legal advice. Remember that Telkom are coming to you, so you make the rules, and you make them damn well!!! (Thats my personal opinion).

With regards to content, the objective should be to make known every single issue out there, and should be categorised correctly.
-> Complaint
-> Suggestions
-> Technical Issues
-> Accounting Issues
-> Misc.
-> etc... [You guys list here]

These I will now label [ISSUES] should be available to everyone to add. The tricky bit will be to validate user input, and also to preserve the quality of data captured (make sure its in the right categories). The available forum that is setup is not geared to something of this nature. I would urge that the mods do in-depth investigation as to defining a flexible policy/application.

1 Such way to monitor the flow of issues into the right categories and make sure that the issues content is worthy is that all issues captured should go through an "approval process". (There should be a panel of trustworthy and honest people to sift through issues and allow them to be passed into the "Telkom Issue Bin" under the correct category).

Basic flow:
1) Submit Issue
2) Issue is either [Approved/Declined]
3) If approved then pass to Telkom Representative
4) If declined then "valid" reasoning should be justified.

These [Issues] should also carry a certain level of data.
-> Time stamped
-> Issue Status [Resolved, Currently in Que, Awaiting Approval, Suspended, etcc]
-> Time taken to resolve
-> Level of Competency
-> Effectiveness
-> Notes

It may seem like alot of work to do, from setting up, maintaining and appointing approvers and handling approvals, BUT this system if used correctly will produce immense amount of benefits for both telkom and consumer alike. After 1 month of usage we should be able to see whether Telkom are either jerking our chain or are actually valiantly trying to make a difference. This system will allow for many levels of Reporting Metrics.

I personally believe that if we focus all our efforts into "Issue Resolution" then we definately will achieve a good level of transparency. We should also be able to see if there are benefits from such a exercise. Whether telkom is playing according to tune. We also wont allow Telkom to "bullshhhit" us and make sure they stick to the task at hand.

A system like this will definately make Telkom think twice, especially if their intention is to just "Keep the masses quiet" while nothing happens in the background. We will have hard evidence as to the effectiveness of this system. If there are no benefits, then Telkom's image will just get worse and they know they cannot afford for their image to get worse.

What u guys think???
 
They have to have authority.
They have to HONEST.
Strict No Bull policy.
Oh, and they have to have some modicum of intelligence.

I disagree with the basic support thing- if the normal channels aren't working as they often are they should at least be able to give people the right telephone numbers.
 
Hi guys

Thanks for the feedback so far. Here are some of my personal opinions.

I agree that strong moderation is needed in a forum with Telkom representation. I think it will be raised in the meeting, but I do not think they will agree to participate (justifiably) in a specific forum if the rep is insulted or derogatory terms are used.

I think we must address maximum response time and other measurable deliverables as we have suggested in our meeting with Papi.

I think a separate forum will be of value where all the Telkom Q&A and problem resolution takes place…your feelings?

I think we should focus on ADSL and ADSL related issues. We are after all broadband focused.

I agree that an individual with authority must handle the complaints/issues (I think this will be the case).

If you guys can think of any additional issues please post it here. At this stage we will only discuss how Telkom will form part of the forum and not address any specific questions.

Regards,

RPM
 
The problem is: how do you address long running contenteous issues, like high prices? The guy/girl is not going to go "Oh, you know you're right! Here we'll drop them 50% overnight"
 
I think that Telkom needs to understand that in an open forum like this, it needs to respond to all posts requiring an answer, even the most stupid and abusive, in a responsible, articulate way.

If they start ducking the hard issues the forum will become even more abusive and non productive.

This is a great opportuniy for Telkom to provide a really useful service and probably earn a bunch of brownie points in the process. Or it can just confirm its current perceived position.
 
rpm said:
. Can you please give your views on what we need from a Telkom forum representative?
Click to expand...

Balls of steel. Although I think his/her participation would be welcomed by some, other may use it to abuse him/her. So definately... balls... of... steel
 
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