Telstra Exceed: transforming customer conversations at scale
Telstra launched the Exceed program to transform its retail stores and contact centres from an internally and operationally focused model to one centred on customers and their needs. The organisation wanted to improve customer engagement, increase sales performance, build leader capability and create lasting behavioural and cultural change across both onshore and offshore operations. The challenge was not simply delivering a program to 6,000 people, but creating a practical leadership and management approach that would sustain results well beyond the initial rollout.
The challenge
Telstra wanted to transform its retail stores and contact centres from an internally and operationally focused model to one centred on customers and their needs. This required a sustained shift in frontline behaviour, sales and service performance, leadership capability and organisational culture across onshore and offshore operations.
Program design
- Duration: 18 months
- Channels: Retail stores and contact centres
- Participants: 6,000 people across frontline teams, frontline leaders, senior leaders and the executive team
- Locations: Onshore and offshore
The program approach focused on
- Establishing practical sales and service leadership routines that Telstra could continue using to drive performance.
- Creating a clear behaviour-change methodology for frontline employees and leaders.
- Tailoring the program content to Telstra’s business needs, building frontline understanding, buy-in and positive expectations.
- Assessing the existing culture and operating environment, then adapting the change process to support the required long-term shift.
The results
- $196 million additional improvement in Telstra’s internal sales metric from the starting baseline.
- 9% increase in the sales metric per person.
- Conversion rates, measured as calls answered to sales made, doubled.
What this shows
Large-scale frontline transformation can deliver measurable commercial outcomes when new customer behaviours are reinforced by consistent leadership routines and a practical methodology that the organisation can sustain.
Client perspective
"YakTrak has the internal courage to hold to their view and push back on internal management when they believe this is the right thing to do. This they did for us on several occasions with powerful impact.” - Gary Hermann, Head of Sales Excellence, Telstra
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