6. TRS User Issues
The TRS provider will also be required to provide or support the provision of the following services and functions.
6.1 TRS Textphone User Issues
The TRS provider will be required to work with any parties contracted by MED to supply textphones.
6.1.1 Co-ordination with Textphone Providers
MED will establish a textphone "rental pool" to assist in ensuring the availability of affordable textphones in New Zealand. This will require a contract for the supply and administration of textphones in the pool.
The TRS provider will be required to work with the pool administrator and other textphone suppliers to ensure that textphones include an introduction to the TRS and other useful documents21. For example, the TRS provider will be required to work with MED, and the textphone administrator to ensure that simple customer documentation is provided with textphones. Such documentation should guide the user through the steps necessary to unpack, setup and connect the textphone (to the line), dial-up and make a range of calls using the TRS including accessing the TRS Help number.
The requirements for the textphone administrator will be defined in a separate service description. It is possible that there would be economies and increased efficiency for a single supplier to provide both the TRS and to distribute textphones.
6.2 TRS and Textphone User Guides
The TRS provider will be required to produce an easily understood user guide on how to use the TRS to make calls, and to make the user guide freely available. The TRS user guide must be designed to enable the majority of prospective users to easily call the TRS to make basic telephone calls including inquiry calls (basic TRS telephone calls include local, national, international, cellular, emergency service, directory inquiry and help-desk calls). In this respect, there will be a need to incorporate easy to read and pictorial format components into the guide.
The textphone pool administrator will be required to make available suitable user guides that clearly explain how to use any textphones they supply.
The TRS provider will be required to work with the textphone pool administrator and any textphone supplier/s who wants to participate, to ensure that good quality TRS and textphone user guides are provided with all textphones.
An introductory video explaining the purpose of the TRS and how to access it to make basic calls shall be freely available from the TRS provider on an as required basis. The introductory video is to include captioning and NZ sign language. The TRS provider may need to periodically update the video to accurately reflect any TRS developments.
User guides and videos on how to use the TRS should be made available through a range of channels. For example, a TRS user guide should be available with all textphones supplied by the textphone pool administrator and other textphone supplier/s who want to participate, and from other channels as appropriate, such as via the TRS web-site.
The TRS provider will be responsible for providing the necessary resources including finance to ensure that TRS user guides meet user needs. Proposals must clearly demonstrate how they intend to meet these requirements.
6.3 TRS Help Desk Service
A help-desk service is to be provided by the TRS provider to provide users with access to expert assistance in order to explain any of the functions and features of the TRS.
A TRS textphone user or an able bodied user shall be able to readily access the help desk facility. Help-desk assistants are to be capable of providing immediate, easily accessible advice or assistance in explaining or using any of the functions and features of the TRS.
Proposals must clearly demonstrate how they intend to meet these requirements and include a detailed list of the functions and features of the TRS that they consider would need to be supported via the help desk feature.
6.4 Provision of Special Assistance
A plain language user guide will not be sufficient for some first-time TRS users (an example could be a prospective deafblind TRS user). Special assistance for potential TRS users who are unable to use the standard user guide to access or connect to the TRS, is to be made available by the TRS provider on an on request basis. To meet special assistance needs the TRS provider must describe how it proposes to provide special support to help in assisting TRS users who cannot read and follow the standard TRS user guide.
A possible approach to providing special assistance could be to enlist the assistance of local community organisations who have an interest in providing support to Deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired people, to help in assisting first-time TRS users who cannot read and follow the user guides22. For example such assistance could comprise hands on guidance on connecting the textphone to the telephone line, making a textphone call to the TRS, answering a call to the textphone, and reading and responding to the textphone display.
The TRS provider will be responsible for negotiating adequate special support provision arrangements, providing the necessary finance to support such assistance, and handling the request for special assistance.
Proposals must clearly demonstrate how they intend to meet these requirements.
6.5 Relay Assistant Training
The TRS Provider will be required to train TRS Relay Assistants to an adequate skill level in communication, language proficiency and disability issues in order to meet service quality measures in its TSO agreement. In particular developing proficient skills in understanding the language patterns of Deaf people will be important. To meet the requirements of the STS trial, some Relay Assistants will require adequate skill levels in understanding and supporting speech impaired people. In respect of these issues, it would be appropriate for representatives of TRS users to have input into the formulation of a suitable training program on disability issues for TRS communication assistants.
A suitable TRS service quality measure in this respect should be added to the TRS service quality measures in section 4 (Quality of Service requirements) of the TRS service description. The general form of this could be a requirement that the TRS should receive a low level of complaints about the language proficiency skills of communication assistants or some other suitable measure. Advice on a suitable service quality measure should be sought from the Advisory Committee.
Proposals must explain how they propose to ensure their Relay Assistants will be trained to a level that will ensure the TRS meets its service quality requirements. Proposals must include TRS user representative input into Relay Assistant training.
6.6 TRS Public Awareness Campaign
The TRS provider will be required to organise an effective public awareness campaign. The primary objective of the campaign will be to raise awareness and uptake of the service among the Deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired communities. The secondary objective will be to raise awareness of the service among standard telephone users who may be called through the TRS or who may need to use the TRS to call a Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired user. Appropriate communication channels and publicity mechanisms should be used to achieve cost effective coverage of the respective audiences.
One approach to raising awareness and uptake of the TRS service among the Deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired communities could be letter post delivery based. For example, this could work by the TRS provider producing a suitable TRS service pamphlet (designed in conjunction with TRS user input) that could be distributed by appropriate community organisations who have the mail addresses of prospective TRS users. Such a pamphlet could invite prospective users to obtain a more detailed information pack from the TRS provider. Such a campaign could also use electronic communication channels, such as e-mail, where practical.
Another effective communication channel could be by way of telecommunications companies bill post-outs. For example, the TRS provider could arrange for a suitable pamphlet (or a message in an existing news mail-out) on the TRS service to be included in the mail-out. This could be very effective in raising general awareness among standard telephone users, as per the secondary objective.
After the initial community and public awareness campaign, there will be a requirement for ongoing maintenance of public awareness. In this respect, the TRS should have TRS introductory material available on its web-site or on request. Other measures may be necessary to maintain public awareness. Should awareness of the TRS be a concern in future, the Advisory Committee's advice should be sought.
Local disability sector organisations may also have a role in raising awareness amongst their members and advising on appropriate communication and publicity channels. This may be particularly important for some groups such as Deafblind, who may not be able to be reached by standard media channels. Proposals must clearly demonstrate how they intend to meet these requirements.
6.7 TRS Monitoring, Advisory Committee and Reviews
6.7.1 Supply Agreement Monitoring
The TRS contract manager (MED) will monitor the TRS supply agreement to ensure that the TRS provider complies with its contractual obligations including service performance and service quality standard commitments.
6.7.2 TRS Complaint Resolution Monitoring
The TRS provider will be required to set up a complaint resolution and monitoring mechanism to assist in ensuring that it delivers a high quality service. Under this mechanism the TRS would promptly log and acknowledge all complaints about TRS service quality and move quickly to resolve complaints of substance. The complaint resolution mechanism will be required to:
- log and acknowledge all TRS user complaints;
- investigate and as appropriate decide whether the complaint has substance;
- make best endeavours to resolve the complaint within 5 working days of receipt;
- as appropriate inform the complainant of any action the TRS proposes to take to resolve an issue of substance; and
- publish summary details of complaints (at least every 6 months).
- The process will assist in ensuring that any problems with TRS service quality are quickly identified and addressed.
6.7.3 Advisory Committee
A TRS Advisory Committee will be established by the TRS provider who shall also provide support facilities to the Committee including, secretarial, meeting facilities, audio and video conferencing facilities as required, and other necessary meeting support such as sign language interpretation.
The terms of reference of the Advisory Committee shall be (but only in respect to services that are funded under the TSO):
- provide advice to the TRS contract manager (MED) on the service quality of the TRS operation;
- as the TRS will be a new service, the Advisory Committee will be invited to provide advice to the TRS contract manager and the TRS provider on any service quality measures that are to be set at a later date (i.e. on the basis of experience in operating a TRS). Possible examples could be the inclusion of service quality measures to assess: the accuracy of Relay Assistant's relaying of calls; speed of complaint resolution etc;
- provide advice on TRS user guides and associated textphone user guides;
- provide advice on TRS user public awareness issues;
- provide advice on TRS Relay Assistant training;
- provide advice on any proposal for a new TRS service that would be funded under a TSO;
- provide advice on any special assistance programs that the TRS provider is required to support; and
- assist in any review of the TRS services, TRS functions, or any TRS service trials.
Membership of the Advisory Committee will be voluntary, it will meet on an as required basis and determine its own agenda. In overseeing its activities and work program each membership interest group category will have equal weight in any voting and the Chair will have a casting vote on these issues only. Where the Advisory Committee provides its views or advice to the TRS contract manager, each member's view will be provided.
TRS users and telecommunications service providers who fund the TRS will be invited to nominate Advisory Committee member representatives. The committee will not be a legal entity. An Advisory Committee member will represent one and only one of the following interest groups:
- MED or nominated government agency alternative (Chair);
- users of TRS services funded by the TSO23;
- Telecommunications service providers who fund the TSO; and
- The TRS Provider.
The TRS provider will work with the contract manager (MED) to set up the Advisory Committee and hold the first meeting. There will be a need to ensure that the Advisory Committee TRS users representation fairly reflects the range of TRS user interests in the community.
In general each interest group that nominates a member of the Advisory Committee shall bear their own costs of participation on the Advisory Committee except in the following cases:
- The TRS provider will pay a meeting attendance fee for each member of the Advisory Committee who is representing a sector of the disability communities interests in the TRS and who is not being paid a full time salary for that representation, up to a maximum of 3 representatives per meeting24. The Advisory Committee shall decide on the meeting attendance fee;
- The TRS provider will reimburse the actual travel costs for each member of the Advisory Committee who is representing a sector of the disability communities interests in the TRS, up to a maximum of 3 representatives per meeting. A qualifying member's travel costs shall also include the cost of travel of up to one other person whose assistance is essential to that member's ability to participate in the meeting.
Members of the Advisory Committee shall not have any conflict of interest.
The Advisory Committee shall be free to organise its meetings in any way it sees fit including participation by audio or video conferencing.
6.7.4 User Representation on TRS Provider Board
The TRS provider's owner may establish a board, committee or equivalent, to oversee the TRS operation. Should such a board be established, tenderers must satisfactorily demonstrate their commitment to include two TRS user representatives on the board on the same basis of participation as any other board member; recognising that such user representatives must have the necessary skills to fulfil their role as a director and have sufficient experience in TRS related disability issues to be able to represent TRS users.
The cost of participation at any such board meetings by a TRS user representative will be at least on the same basis as the arrangements for Advisory Committee members.
6.7.5 Review After One Year of Operation and Trials
The Advisory Committee will be invited to provide input into the review of the TRS operation after one year of operation. The TRS contract manager (MED) will co-ordinate this review.
The Advisory Committee will be invited to provide input into and report to the contract manager about the outcome of the speech-to-speech trial.
The TRS contract manager will report to the government on the outcome of the one year review and the speech-to-speech trial. The review will also incorporate consideration of the need for TRS relay services in Maori, and the TRS report regarding access to the TRS from public places (see 6.8).
6.7.6 Yearly Summary Report by TRS Provider
Within three months of the end of its financial year the TRS provider is to make publicly available a summary report of the TRS operation. The report must include:
- summary statistics of the TRS services provided during the year and where available previous years, including telephone traffic call statistics, numbers of users, actual service quality performance, statistical information on the usage of the service including usage patterns across days and weeks, duration of call type and quantity of calls by call type. Any such details should be broken down, to the extent practical, by caller type etc. Tenderers are to separately identify the cost of this level of statistical reporting;
- summary financial performance;
- summary statistics of user complaints;
- a management commentary on the year's performance;
- any Advisory Committee members summary comments on the TRS service operation;
- comments from an independent expert on the actual TRS service performance relative to the TRS service performance specified in the TSO supply contract.
Note: the independent expert must be suitably qualified and must also be acceptable to (a majority of) the Advisory Committee.
6.8 Text Based Access to the TRS from Public Places
The TRS provider is required to investigate and facilitate a suitable cost effective technical solution in New Zealand to provide access to the TRS from public places, such as airports, hospitals and malls. A report on the outcome of facilitating an appropriate solution must be provided to the contract manager within 12 months of TRS start-up. The implementation and uptake of the technical solution will be monitored by the TRS provider and reported to MED.
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