Monthly billing update: Members to receive TIO Transition Invoice in July

July’s invoice is the final quarterly invoice to be issued by the TIO. This will be a one off “transitional invoice” arriving prior to the introduction of Monthly Billing in August.

The Transition Invoice, issued in July 2010, will compare the April to June quarter’s estimated volume fees and operating costs with the actual fees incurred by the member; and as a result calculate any adjustments.

There will not be any forward estimates charged on the July invoice.

A feature of the new monthly invoices is that there are no longer forward estimates.  Members will now be charged in-arrears and only for actual volume-related and operating costs.

Please click here to see an example and explanation of the Transition.

Members who have recorded their first charges between April and June 2010, will also receive a Transition invoice in July. However, this will only relate to the actual volume related fees and operating costs applicable to that member for that period. Thereafter members will receive a monthly invoice in a simpler format.

The TIO’s move to monthly billing in 2010 will bring greater efficiency, transparency and timeliness of information provided to TIO Members. The TIO is committed to monthly billing as a better system for Members managing cash-flow and budgets. The TIO’s Board approved a move from quarterly billing in-advance to monthly billing in-arrears for Members from 1 July 2010.

In the next few weeks we will provide more information about these changes on an updated TIO website.

If you have questions about how the new look invoices will affect you, give TIO Receivables a call on 03 8680 8609 or a Member Communications Adviser a call on 03 8680 8424.

Changes to the Level 1 Process

The TIO will permanently change its Level 1 process, following the success of a trial, which saw two members make outbound calls to respond to Level 1 complaints.

In July 2010, the TIO will begin to transition members to this new process of contacting complainants after receiving the Level 1 email notification. The TIO will no longer ask the complainant to contact the member organization.

This new Level 1 process will improve complaint handling and assist TIO members with their customer relationships.

Members will be contacted over the coming months to confirm transition arrangements.

The TIO is aware that these changes may have operational implications for TIO members and will work with you to ensure that the implementation is smooth and considered.

Please contact Member Communications on 03 8680 8424 if you would like to discuss the process change or to make arrangements for your complaint handling team to transition to this new process.

The TIO trials changes to the Level 2 Process

The TIO will shortly begin trialling a new level 2 process. Two members will participate in this three month trial, which will have the following objectives:

• To reduce the number of complaints escalated to Level 3,
• To convey the TIO’s position on the complaint during the Level 2 classification,
• To provide the participating member with an opportunity to reconsider their proposed resolution before escalating the complaint to Level 3,
• To reduce the formalities of the process by having the TIO phone the member to discuss the complaint with less reliance on written responses, and,
• To reduce ‘complainant fatigue’ by reducing the time taken to resolve disputes.

These objectives were formulated after receiving feedback from the members that deal most frequently with the TIO.

The TIO will communicate any permanent changes to the Level 2 process that result from the trial, after the evaluation has been completed.

If you have any questions about this trial, please contact Member Communications on 03 8680 8424.