Telstra is going all in with AI to transform the entire enterprise as well as reinventing its approach to customer experience. This may encourage other Aussie execs to place their organisations at the forefront of the AI revolutions taking place in customer experience.
Telstra CEO Vicki Brady stated at the company’s annual investor day on Tuesday that artificial intelligence “will be a significant unlock when it comes to enabling our workforce.” She added, “We will embrace AI, as every business will need to, and we expect the pace of change over the next five years to be extraordinary,” indicating a likely reduction in the telco’s headcount.
Telstra anticipates a workforce reduction by 2030, driven by AI efficiencies in areas like customer service, software development, and the deployment of autonomous AI agents.
Most Australian execs, however, show a reluctance to be on the front foot in leveraging AI. A new report released by Qualtrics today, highlights that using AI to improve customer experience has the potential to yield $2 trillion AUD in business value. Disappointedly, only 7% of executives in Australia aspire to be in the vanguard compared to 15% globally.
Telstra is demonstrating a substantial commitment to AI through its joint venture with Accenture, which was announced in January. This isn’t a small pilot; it’s a deep, whole-of-business transformation. Such a significant investment from a well-known Australian enterprise may signal to other executives that AI is a fast train into the future that they can’t afford to miss.
Many Australian executives are stuck in “pilot purgatory” with AI, lacking a clear, organisation-wide strategy. Telstra’s comprehensive, top-down approach to AI integration, as well as its focus on “data and AI fluency” across the workforce, provides a blueprint that other companies can learn from and potentially emulate.
Customer experience is a critical area where AI’s impact will be most profoundly felt. While Australian executives have shown a reluctance to lead this charge, Telstra’s proactive stance could be a turning point.
Reinventing customer experience with AI, Australian execs reluctant to lead
AI will be critical, according to the Qualtrics study, in reinventing customer experience. 63% of executives say it will completely change the way their organisation approaches customer experiences. For Australia to truly capitalise on this monumental shift, however, more leaders must embrace AI not as a distant opportunity, but as the critical path to winning customer loyalty and market share in the era of generative and agentic AI.
Brad Anderson, Qualtrics President, says, “Today’s market leaders make great customer experience a business priority – and they are being rewarded with loyaltyand higher market share. The best organisations use AI to effortlessly understand their entire customer experience across every channel – in-store, online and in the contact centre – and to close the loop with customers to make every connection count. These omnichannel capabilities give businesses the insights they need to win today and in the era of agentic AI.”
Telstra’s unequivocal embrace of AI, underscored by its significant investment, strategic partnerships, and candid acknowledgment of workforce transformation, sets a powerful precedent for Australian businesses. While the Qualtrics report reveals a current hesitancy among many Australian executives to lead the AI charge, Telstra’s large-scale commitment to AI-driven efficiencies and customer experience reinvention may offer a compelling blueprint.
