Telstra Order Tracker - nbn

Supporting customers with their broadband connection orders

Order Tracker was launched in 2017, to help Telstra customers track their nbn (National Broadband Network) orders from initiation through to connection. In 2018 I worked on refining the existing tracker, providing more targeted support for users when things don’t go to plan, and better handling the many error scenarios across Web and App.

hypothesis

We believe that customers aren’t always sure what to do next when something doesn’t go to plan,

So if we communicate what’s needed clearly and consistently,

We will see a decrease in customers calling to find out about their orders.

Preparing customer for NBN installation

The existing order tracker provided a timeline detailing the steps of the order. Feedback indicated that not all customers were sure how to prepare for upcoming appointments, were failing to prepare, or missing appointments altogether. This was a clear pain point for customers and company alike.

There is a wealth of information, FAQs and videos in Telstra’s help pages that could help plug the gaps if surfaced in context. Rather than rely on customers to search for these assets themselves, we decided to include appointment explainer videos in order timelines where relevant, and tailor the content to each order. We also added an ‘add to calendar’ CTA for future appointments to support customers to attend.

‘Unhealthy’ orders

Not all orders go to plan. Sometimes there can be delays or a mismatch with the technology available, other times customers themselves can miss appointments, or plans can change. One pain point identified in NPS surveys was that customers weren’t always sure about the cause of a problem with their order, or what they should do about it. They wanted more detailed information and would call up to get it.

I worked with the Product Owner, technical and logistics teams to pinpoint the 35 possible reasons an order can become ‘unhealthy’ or on hold, and capture what action is necessary in each case.

From this list of 35 scenarios, we sorted them by severity, frequency, and by whether action was required by the customer. From here I created 3 flexible templates to systematically handle the 35 ‘unhealthy’ order states: from complete but not connected; to on hold due to logistics; all the way to order cancelled.

Standardising error handling

By creating a system of templates, this standardises when and where to highlight different components of the tracker, and prevents the treatment of error states becoming ad hoc. Rather than presenting an unexplained dead end, it also provides an opportunity to present the next best action in context to users, specific to their situation.

For example, if a customer has missed their nbn installation appointment, the appointment module in the timeline is highlighted and an alert prompts the user to choose a new appointment time. The user can then update the appointment in page to continue with their order. Previously users were taken to a separate appointments site, where they would need to re-authenticate or would call up to complete this process.

The result

Presenting the next best action in context makes it easy for customers to know where their order is up to, and what to do if their order has any issue. Customers are kept up to date, every step of the way, and can also update their order if their circumstances change.

Prominent in page alerts, colour, icons, copy, and troubleshooting tools are surfaced to inform and guide users according to customer needs at that point in time, or to the severity of the issue at hand. This replaces a one-size-fits-all approach to error messaging that would either alarm customers unnecessarily, or equally result in inaction.

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