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• RFP: TRS Service Description
• 4. Quality of Service Needs

• Telecommunications

• Telecoms Relay Service

• Archive

• Requests for Proposals

• 4.1 General Service Quality Measures
• 4.2 Specific Service Quality Measures
  • i. Voice Quality:
  • ii. Speed of Answer:
  • iii. Outward Dialing Response:
  • iv. Other Service Quality Measures:

4.1 General Service Quality Measures

In general, the user experience of the TRS should be similar in quality to the applicable Local residential telephone service quality measures defined by the Telecommunications Service Obligations (TSO) Deed for Local Residential Telephone Service (2001, pp 20-25). For the purposes of assessing the TRS' performance against these measures, the additional network elements that are involved in a TRS call will be taken into account.

4.2 Specific Service Quality Measures

Specific service quality standards that shall apply are:

i. Voice Quality:

Voice quality for hearing users of the TRS shall be equivalent to that a voice caller would experience when making a standard call via the public telephone network taking into account any limitations imposed by the additional systems involved in providing the TRS.

ii. Speed of Answer:

The TRS shall be adequately resourced, so that the TRS will typically answer calls within 15 seconds.

The base specific measure is that 85% of calls are to be answered within 15 seconds, computed on a yearly basis for each year ended on the anniversary of the commencement date. A variation to this measure of 80% of calls within 20 seconds will also be considered.

iii. Outward Dialing Response:

The TRS should typically dial the number of the destination party within 15 seconds of receiving, from the originating party, the number to be called (including receiving any additional information the calling party wishes to provide to the operator that needs to be provided before the call is dialled).

The specific measure is 85% of calls dialled within 15 seconds, computed on a yearly basis for each year ended on the anniversary of the commencement date.¹⁵

iv. Other Service Quality Measures:

The TRS provider will be required to agree to work with the contract manager to include in the TRS service provision contract a number of service quality measures that are likely to be set after obtaining experience in operating a TRS. Possible examples are: the inclusion of service quality measures to assess the accuracy of Relay Assistant's relaying of calls, speed of complaint resolution etc. The Advisory Committee will provide advice to assist in setting any such service quality measures.

Notes: The time measures are in line with current requirements for New Zealand's 111 National Service Centre (TSO Deed, 2001, p.24). The benefits or otherwise of varying these quality measures will be considered during the tender process¹⁶.

For the purposes of assessing the TRS' performance against these measures, any failures to meet a measure as a result of the effects of:

1. an event of force majeure or a specified matter beyond the TRS' reasonable control; or
2. an outage in an access network;

are to be disregarded.

¹⁵This description does not prescribe the manner in which this service measure is to be achieved; for example, whether calls are queued or not before answer, which may depend on the technology employed and procedures used to differentiate between differing call types, e.g. text or voice.

¹⁶For example, if a potential TRS provider is able to demonstrate significant quality or cost effectiveness improvements by altering one or more of the measures, this will be considered on its merits.