Telstra unveils major revamp for small businesses

Telstra today announced a major revamp of its support for Australian small businesses, including a new mobile and tablet plan with no lock-in contract and no excess data charges in Australia, a new 24/7 tech support service and thousands more dedicated small business specialists across the country.

The announcement is the next stage in the rollout of Telstra’s T22 strategy, which has already delivered simpler products by removing domestic excess data charges on consumer mobile plans and provided more choice for customers creating a home or mobile package.

Speaking at an Illawarra Chamber Business Forum in Wollongong today, Telstra CEO Andrew Penn said the T22 milestone for small business was perfectly timed as many more businesses look to technology to drive productivity, access new markets and improve customer experience.

“Our new approach for small business is built around three things – flexibility to enable businesses to scale and choose what is right for them, greater cost certainty and value, and expert service and advice – all critical elements for success in today’s fast-paced business environment.

“We know every small business is different – our job is to make sure we have leading solutions and services that are fit for purpose and what we’ve announced today does that,” Mr Penn said.

Telstra’s new suite of solutions and services for small business includes:

Business Choice mobile plan – small business customers can now get a new mobile or tablet plan with a no lock-in contract and no excess data charges in 

Unlimited data – as standard on Business Bundle plans starting from $100.

Telstra Platinum® for Business – a new 24/7 tech advice and support service for business owners to take the pressure off having to employ, or in most cases, be their own IT experts.

More dedicated service and support for small businesses:

• Telstra has tripled the number of small business specialists in its 350 retail stores around the country to 3,000.
• In early 2019, Telstra will launch a new national premium ICT channel for small business customers with more complex technology needs.
• Telstra has also introduced a Concierge Tech Support™ service that provides small business customers calling with an nbn or fixed line service issue with one dedicated expert to help solve their problem fast.

Mr Penn said the new solutions were about ensuring Telstra was not only providing advanced technology solutions to small businesses, but also the essential support to go with it.

“This is a significant increase to the level of dedicated service and support we provide small businesses, to help take away complexity and give them peace of mind with their technology usage and support,” Mr Penn said.

Telstra confirmed the next key milestone under its T22 strategy would be the introduction of a new market leading loyalty program in March 2019.

Media contact: Steve Carey, General Manager Media

Mobile: +61 413 988 640

Email: media@team.telstra.com

Reference number: 163/2018

More information about the offers:

New flexible solutions for businesses to scale and have greater cost certainty

Business Choice mobile plan

For the first time, Telstra small business customers can get a new mobile or tablet plan with a no lock-in contract.

This means small businesses can scale their mobile needs up and down from month-to-month, in line with the growth of their business or peak demands.

The new plan also removes excess data charges in Australia for going over a monthly data allocation – a major pain point for customers. This means businesses can now know and accurately forecast what their monthly spend will be.

Telstra is also providing more choice to add-on a range of business features – such as the latest business devices like the new Microsoft Surface Go, which will be available from Telstra as the exclusive telco in Australia at launch on 26 December.

Telstra’s Business Choice plan is $69 per month (mobile plan) and $29 per month (tablet plan).

Unlimited data broadband plans from $100 per month

To add more cost certainty, Telstra has launched unlimited broadband data as standard on its Business Bundle plans starting from $100 per month for 24 months (min cost $2,499 includes self-install and $99 activation fee), recognising the critical role large volumes of data play in businesses today.

Telstra’s Business Bundle plans have the added reliability of mobile back up on Australia’s best 4G network via the Telstra Business Smart Modem™, as well as a wide range of add-on features such as extra devices, SIMs and solutions such as Telstra Air Merchant®.

Telstra Platinum® for Business

Telstra has introduced a new 24/7 tech advice and support service called Telstra Platinum for Business, a way for business owners to take the pressure off having to employ, or in most cases, be their own IT experts.

The service provides an on-call IT team that can help advise on, install and set-up new technology as well as support and troubleshoot a wide range of tech and ICT services such as hardware, software, apps, cloud or payment services, whether they be from Telstra or other providers. Platinum for Business is a phone and online service available on a monthly subscription.

From 26 December, Platinum® for Business Security Service will also be available to small business customers, providing three security assessments, an annual health check report and updates on the latest threats to help keep businesses up to date about their security.

A Telstra Platinum® for Business subscription is $40 per month or $60 per month for Platinum® for Business Security Service.

More dedicated service and support for small businesses

3,000 small business specialists in Telstra stores

Telstra has tripled the number of small business specialists in its 350 retail stores around the country to 3,000, putting more experts on the ground where small business customers need them.

At the same time, it has also increased the number of small business specialists in its contact centres and for the first time, now has small business specialists available on Live Chat at telstra.com.

Telstra Business Technology Centres

In early 2019, Telstra will officially launch a new national premium ICT channel for small business customers with more complex technology needs.

Called Telstra Business Technology Centres, they will operate across a national footprint of 28 regions and be run by expert teams from Telstra’s existing group of channel partners.

The teams in each centre will provide personal and virtual account management to local business customers, helping them make the most of technology to do things such as be found and sell online, operate virtual teams across geographies and keep their operations and their customers’ data safe and secure.

Concierge fault service for small business

After an extensive trial and positive feedback from customers, Telstra has introduced a Concierge Tech Support™ service that provides small business customers calling with an nbn or fixed line service issue with one dedicated expert to help solve their problem fast.

Concierge Tech Support™ comes included with all Telstra broadband bundles.