Do external stakeholder pressures influence customer service and complaints handling practices in the Australian Internet Service Provider industry?

Poor customer service (CS) and complaints handling (CH) performance of the Australian Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry has been the subject of intense scrutiny over the past few years. Internet industry stakeholders such as the ombudsman, consumer association, regulator and government authorities have considered tighter regulation as a response to address the industry's poor CS track record. This paper explores the role of external stakeholder pressures on the very large ISP (vlISP) industry that resulted in significant revisions to the CS/CH sections of Telecommunication Consumer Protection (TCP) Code. Qualitative research using eleven in - depth interviews with senior vlISP industry executives was conducted. Data analysis found that three key pressures (regulatory, customer, competition) influenced the revision s to the TCP code. Very few studies in the Australian context examine personal viewpoints of vlISP industry stakeholders to understand how and why vlISPs respond to such pressures. This is the first study that examines such viewpoints using an institutional theory lens. The study findings are: encourage vlISPs to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to manage expectations regarding CS/CH performance; provide valuable information for regulatory agencies, the consumer association and the complaints authority to develop an understanding of what pressures drive the changes required to enhance service improvements in areas where vlISPs under - perform; and assist external stakeholders to understand the types of pressures to which vlISP managers respond. The study findings will inform future quantitative studies to examine the influence of such pressures on the actual CS/CH performance of vlISPs.