Energy companies with Australian and overseas call centres

Contacting your energy provider can sometimes be frustrating, especially if the call centre hours don’t line up with your schedule. Some electricity call centres may even be outsourced overseas and operate in a different time zone.  But is an Australian call centre a guarantee of superior customer service, and which energy call centres are based here versus overseas? Canstar Blue finds out in this guide.

Are Australian call centres actually better?

Companies establish their call centres overseas for many reasons, with the most lucrative being reduced labour costs. On a global scale, call centres in India and the Philippines are often ranked number one due to their comprehensive education and training, and similar time zones to Australia. 

Trends show however, that Australian companies are opting to move back to local call centres because of the stigma surrounding overseas call centres. Telstra and Comm Bank are two major companies that each decided to make the switch after listening to feedback from Australians. 

What does having an Australian call centre actually mean?

It’s important to remember that just because an energy company has an Australian-based call centre, that doesn’t mean you will always speak with someone in Australia.  Most large companies will have at least a few employees taking calls from customers in Australia, but they may also have  a larger overflow call centre in another country. This could be to manage peak call times, or to answer customer calls overnight and on weekends and public holidays.

Some companies will use terms such as ‘100% Australian-based customer support’ to make it clear that all of their call centres operate in Australia. Keep in mind that despite the overall positive perception of companies that use Australian customer service teams exclusively, your experience will still depend on the expertise and professionalism of the service representative you speak with, which isn’t guaranteed just because they’re based locally. 

Which electricity companies have Australian-based call centres?

We asked a variety of  energy companies about the location of their call centre/s. Please note, not all retailers got back to us and some may have call centres overseas in addition to those based here. The following retailers told us they have an Australian call centre:

• 1st Energy 
• AGL
• Alinta Energy
• Amber Electric 
• Aurora Energy
• EnergyAustralia
• Ergon 
• Momentum Energy
• Origin Energy 
• OVO Energy 
• Powershop
• Red Energy
• Sumo 
• Tango Energy and Pacific Blue 

Which energy companies only have an Australian call centre?

The following energy retailers told us they only have an Australian-based call centre or centres:

• 1st Energy
• Amber Electric
• Aurora
• Energy Locals 
• Ergon Energy
• GloBird Energy
• Momentum Energy
• Origin Energy 
• OVO Energy
• Red Energy
• Sumo

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About electricity call centres

1st Energy call centres

A 1st Energy representative told Canstar Blue that the company’s call centres are located in Brisbane and Melbourne. 

AGL call centres

AGL’s main call centres are located in Adelaide and Melbourne, with additional support based in India and the Philippines.

Alinta Energy call centres

A spokesperson told Canstar Blue:

“Alinta Energy  have call centres located across Australia in Melbourne, Morwell and Perth . We also have a centre in the Philippines, however, our staff are generally internal. Ultimately, we’re determined to drive down the cost of energy for our customers, and this model is allowing us to continue to offer competitive energy deals. The bottom line is, when we save our customers save.”

Electricity in a Box call centres

Electricity in a Box has call centres in Melbourne and the Philippines.

EnergyAustralia call centres

An EnergyAustralia spokesperson confirmed to Canstar Blue that the company offers phone support in Melbourne, Geelong and Manila, along with chat in Manila and India.

Energy Locals call centres

A spokesperson told Canstar Blue:

“Customers contacting Energy Locals call centres will always speak to someone here in Australia. Our call centres are located in Melbourne and Sydney. There are two reasons for this: firstly, we find that customers really welcome it. Secondly, having all conversations take place right here in the office helps us to cut out a dozen layers between a customer providing feedback and us being able to act on it. “

Ergon call centres

Ergon Energy Retail has call centres in Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton and Maryborough.

GloBird Energy call centres

A spokesperson told Canstar Blue:

“To give customers a good customer experience you need to be on their wavelength, and there’s nothing like a local call centre for that. It does cost more, but our customers find it easier to talk to someone who is local.  Our GloBird call centre is proudly based in Melbourne.”

Momentum Energy call centres

Momentum Energy’s fully owned and operated call centre is based in Hobart, Tasmania. 

Origin Energy call centres

A spokesperson told Canstar Blue:

“Origin has Energy Specialists based in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Where possible, these Energy Specialists service customers in the same regions where they are based. The way that we service our customers is unique within the energy industry in Australia, as we have small teams of agents that provide end to end service for a group of their own customers that they have responsibility and accountability for.”

Ovo Energy call centre

OVO Energy’s customer service call centre is located in Melbourne.

Red Energy call centre

A spokesperson told Canstar Blue:

“Red Energy is 100% Australian owned and operated with a call  centre based in Richmond, Melbourne. From humble beginnings Red Energy is now one of the largest employers in Richmond with over 1,000 staff.”

Sumo call centre

Sumo has one call centre in Melbourne’s south.

Tango Energy and Pacific Blue call centre

A spokesperson told Canstar Blue:

“For both brands our call centre is located in Geelong, VIC. We also have extended teams overseas which allows us to provide our customers with extended hours and fewer wait times.”

Does it matter if your electricity provider has an overseas call centre?

There is a certain amount of personal opinion at play here, but ultimately,  it may be best to think about the level of customer service you receive, rather than where it’s coming from. Having an overseas call centre could allow energy companies to provide a more comprehensive level of customer support. 

From the retailers we heard from, there emerged several themes:

• Sales teams tend to be based overseas
• Challenging calls are most often handled locally
• More customers  are using online chat services, reducing the need for call centres

Some of the energy companies we heard from with Australian-only call centres mentioned local jobs as one of their reasons for keeping their call centres close to home. Other companies with overseas call centres mentioned their desire to keep costs down as a reason for their business decision, with consumers benefiting in the end through cheaper bills. 

Evidently, there are benefits and challenges to both Australian and overseas-based electricity call centres. While offshore call centres are often rated the highest by industry experts, Australian consumers tend to prefer customer service that is locally based. And with companies listening to consumers and making the switch, we could see an increase in energy call centres returning to Australia.