The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications’ National Relay Service (NRS) is satisfying 80 per cent of its users according to a new survey report.
The Department said the Service helped people who were deaf and/or found it hard to hear to use the phone.
It said NRS Relay Officers assisted with every call and, depending on the type of call, could change voice to text or text to voice and AUSLAN to English or English to AUSLAN.
In its report, User Experience Research Learnings, the Department said it sought to understand what was currently working well with the NRS and what wasn’t.
“This will establish a starting point to enable ongoing monitoring and historic comparison as well as help inform areas for enhancement and continuous improvement of the service,” the Department said.
“Conducted in February, 2021, the research gathered views from a range of stakeholders, including users, community advocates and organisations which receive calls from the service,” it said.
The Department said a range of improvement initiatives from the feedback provided were being considered, such as enhanced user resources which would include enhanced FAQ sheets; user guides; and a resource library in AUSLAN and text formats.
It said feedback also highlighted the need for continuous research to measure NRS user experience more frequently and to explore alternative methods of meeting those needs, including research on the needs of different groups, service providers and advocacy groups.
“Users can also expect to see ongoing surveys and feedback opportunities in the coming year,” it said.
“Improve chat and app functionality and features for enhanced experience and navigation.”
The Department said it would look at streamlining Relay Officer call handling and Helpdesk support for consistency and better alignment to users’ needs.
It said feedback also recommended increased engagement with service providers and advocacy groups, as well as the provision of educational material to support programs such as mental health initiatives.
The nine-page User Experience Research Learnings report can be accessed at this PS News link.
