Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Purpose: To study, analyse and compare telecom ombudsman functioning in Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), in context of proposed telecom ombudsman in India. Methods: The study is both explanatory and analytical. Here, Qualitative Analysis is used for analysing primary and secondary data from last four years till 2019-20. Findings: There are rooted norms for how an Ombudsman’s functioning runs and how it fits the regulatory/judicial framework. This research study highlights the functioning of an ombudsman in different countries. It also analyses primary data collected through an online questionnaire from Australia, the USA, and India. Also, it examines that the customer satisfaction is higher in markets where there is telecom ombudsman/alternate dispute resolution mechanism. Primary data analysis stresses that countries with telecom ombudsmen prove to be particularly useful in customer experience; however, India, despite being the second-largest telecom market, lacks customer satisfaction in telecom, and highlights the need to revisit some regulatory changes. Only around 8% of telecom consumers who made a complaint were satisfied with the overall experience. Scope of the Study: This study will be useful for regulators and policymakers of different countries, telecom consumers, public policymakers and think tanks. Novelty: This study proves importance of telecom ombudsman for having transparent grievance handling systems and higher customer satisfaction.