Utility Call Centre for Australian Energy Companies
Fault lines, outage calls and customer service for networks and energy retailers - 24/7 and onshore
The contact centre built for power
Telnet is an outsourced utility call centre for Australian electricity networks, gas distributors and energy retailers. We run 24/7 fault lines, outage call handling and customer service with onshore agents in Australia and New Zealand, backed by AI that answered 33% of inbound calls during Cyclone Tam.
Utility work is what we know best. Telnet has run fault lines for Vector, New Zealand's largest electricity and gas distributor, since 1999, and today answers the fault lines that serve around 75% of New Zealand households. When a storm hits, most of those callers are already talking to one of our agents - they just don't know it.
We bring the same team, platform and playbooks to Australian utilities, with Australian-based agents, our New Zealand team, or a blend of both.
Talk to UsOf NZ households
Covered by fault lines we answer
Vector partner since
Continuous fault line service
Fault line coverage
Nights, weekends and holidays
Of calls handled by AI
During Cyclone Tam
Energy retailer and network customer service, outsourced
Fault & outage call handling
24/7 fault reporting and triage by agents trained in utility operations, treating every call as a potential emergency.
After-hours fault reporting
A dedicated after hours answering service for faults, so 2am on Christmas Day is handled as reliably as 9am on a Monday.
Field dispatch
We log, triage and dispatch fault jobs to your field teams, with visibility of outage status, job queues and crew availability.
Retail customer service
Billing, moves, connections and account enquiries for energy retailers through our inbound call centre.
When the storm hits,
Tulip scales instantly
During Cyclone Tam, Tulip, our AI voice assistant, handled 33% of all inbound calls - detecting the caller's area, playing real-time outage announcements and routing urgent calls to agents automatically.
Area-specific outage messages reach callers before the queue, and our shared resourcing model brings extra agents online within minutes. Read more about our emergency and surge call centre.
Learn About TulipOf inbound calls handled by AI
Full-time agents deployed instantly
Hold time for callers in a crisis
Australian agents, New Zealand depth
Australian utilities can choose Australian-based agents working remotely on ContactSuite, our New Zealand utilities team, or a blended model that uses both for 24/7 cover and storm surge. Infrastructure is hosted on AWS in Australia and every agent is onshore.
See how we work in New Zealand on our utilities and energy contact centre page, or read our customer stories. For the full picture of our Australian options, visit our call centre outsourcing Australia page.
Utility call centre questions
What does a utility call centre do?
A utility call centre answers fault and outage calls, logs and triages faults, passes jobs to field crews and keeps customers updated - often 24/7. Many also handle billing, connections and general customer service for energy retailers and networks.
How does Telnet handle storm and outage call surges?
We combine AI and people. Tulip, our AI voice assistant, plays area-specific outage updates and answers routine calls instantly, while urgent and complex calls go straight to an agent. During Cyclone Tam, Tulip handled 33% of all inbound calls with zero hold time.
Can Telnet run our after-hours fault line?
Yes. Telnet runs 24/7 fault lines, including nights, weekends and public holidays. Agents trained in utility operations log, triage and dispatch faults to your field teams, so after-hours fault reporting is handled with the same urgency as business hours.
Is Telnet's contact centre onshore?
Yes. Telnet is 100% onshore. Australian utilities can be served by Australian-based agents, by our New Zealand team, or by a blend of both - and we never offshore work to third countries.
Can Telnet's agents work for Australian companies?
Yes. Telnet hires Australian-based agents who work remotely on our ContactSuite platform, and you can blend them with our New Zealand team for extended hours and overflow cover.
Is customer data kept in Australia or New Zealand?
Yes. Telnet’s contact centre infrastructure is hosted on AWS in Australia, and customer data is only handled by our onshore teams in Australia and New Zealand, within the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and your own requirements.
How much does it cost to outsource a utility call centre in Australia?
It depends on call volumes, hours of cover, how often you see outage spikes and which channels you need. Telnet’s shared, pay-per-interaction resourcing model means you pay for calls handled rather than idle seats, while keeping surge capacity on hand. Ask us for a quote.
Ready to talk?
Let's discuss how Telnet can support your fault lines and customer service - from everyday operations to major outage events. Call +64 9 303 5303 or send us a message.
Get in Touch