For many years, phone communication with your customers who were deaf or had a hearing or speech impairment was only possible using a special textphone called a TTY. The customer would use their TTY to call a dedicated phone number at your organisation. One of your staff would communicate with the customer by reading their words on the screen of the TTY in your office and typing in a response.

If you still:

• have a TTY in your contact centre or reception area, and
• advertise this TTY number on your website or publications

you should consider whether it is still serving your customers' needs.

There is an alternative

Instead of the dedicated TTY, you can now rely on the National Relay Service (NRS) for all calls to and from customers who are deaf or have hearing or speech impairments. You will most likely already be receiving calls through the NRS whether or not you are maintaining a TTY.

The NRS is an Australian Government initiative that uses relay officers as the central link in every phone call, relaying exactly what is said or typed. It is not restricted to text alone and is more flexible than dedicated TTY-to-TTY calls because at least one party to the call can use an ordinary phone.

Is your dedicated TTY functional?

You should consider whether you are offering a truly functional TTY service for customers with hearing or speech impairments if:

• your TTY is not always answered
• the conversation is not always handled well because few staff are trained to take calls on the TTY
• your advertised TTY line is no longer connected
• the TTY is located in an area where the staff member answering it cannot provide all the information being requested, or deliver the whole range of services required.

Incoming calls to your dedicated TTY line have to be dealt with by an employee who knows how to use a TTY and can't be easily transferred to the staff member with the appropriate knowledge or expertise. For example, a customer might want to discuss the details of a building permit, but the staff member with the particular expertise in that area is not on the same floor as your TTY.

Your organisation has two options:

• retain your dedicated TTY as well as receive calls through the NRS
• make a transition to using the NRS alone.

Option 1: Retain your TTY

Some TTY users - in particular in the deaf community - may prefer to communicate directly through a dedicated TTY at your organisation. These customers may feel that having access to a direct TTY line without using a relay officer as an intermediary serves them best.

However, choosing to retain your TTY requires a commitment to a functional TTY service. This includes having trained staff to operate the TTY and ensuring customers contacting you by TTY are able to access the same information, people and services as those calling you by ordinary phone. It is also important to advertise your TTY number across all your printed materials and on your website.

If you do decide to retain your TTY number, it is very likely you will also receive calls through the NRS. This means you will also need to ensure you are prepared for NRS calls - that is, ensure your organisation is Relay Service friendly.

Option 2: Make the transition to the NRS alone

Choosing to use the NRS for all calls to and from customers with hearing or speech impairments has these benefits:

• you don't need a separate TTY line - all calls from deaf, hearing-impaired and speech-impaired customers will be relayed to you through the NRS on your regular landline or mobile phone.
• you don't need TTY-trained staff - your staff will use their regular phone to take calls from or make calls to NRS users
• the extra NRS service doesn't cost you anything - inbound calls are free and outbound calls are charged at about the cost of a local call
• it provides more options than text-only TTY-to-TTY calls for your customers to communicate with you by phone. Some NRS users, for example, will speak to you directly even though they can't hear and therefore need to read your responses which are typed to them by the relay officer.

Checklist of benefits for each option

Benefit	Dedicated TTY line	Receiving and making calls through the NRS alone
No need for separate phone line	You will need to maintain a separate line	You won't need a separate line
Customer can easily talk with person in your organisation who has content knowledge to answer the query or provide best service	No	Yes
No need for special staff training on using a TTY	You will need to train staff to use the TTY	You won't need to train staff to use a TTY However your contact staff will still need training on how to receive and make relay calls using their standard phone
Your organisation needs to keep one option only	Calls will still be received through the NRS whether or not you have the TTY line. Therefore you will need to service both options	Yes
Can be used for direct conversation (by text) without a relay officer	Yes	No
Can be used by any hearing-impaired or speech-impaired customer who uses internet relay	Yes	Yes
Can be used by speech-impaired customers who use an ordinary phone	No	Yes

 

Making the change to the NRS

If you choose option 2 and make the transition from a dedicated TTY to using the National Relay Service you will need to carry out two main tasks. These should occur at the same time.

TASK A: Phase out your TTY line

You will need to determine your own internal process for phasing out your TTY line in a seamless manner. You should consider the following:

1          Allocate a timeframe

It is important to allocate a reasonable timeframe to the process of removing your TTY line. Any customers who still use TTYs can be made aware of the date from which the TTY line will no longer be operating and give them an opportunity to adjust to the changes. You may have a small number of TTY-using customers who may not have used the National Relay Service before and may need time to become familiar with it. By allowing adequate time to this process, you ensure no customer is left behind.

2          Communicate the changes internally

Phasing out your TTY line may have impacts on a wide range of staff in the organisation. Consider who needs to know about the changes and arrange a process of internal communication to ensure all relevant staff are informed.

3          Organise your auto-answer message

When customers call the TTY line that will cease on a given date, set the TTY to deliver an ‘auto-answer message'. This is a feature of the TTY in which a text message can be transmitted from your TTY to the TTY of the caller, advising them of the changes to your phone system. A sample auto-answer message might be:

Hello and thank you for calling [your business name]. Please note that this TTY will not be available after [date line is to be disconnected]. Instead, we ask that you call us via the National Relay Service by dialling 133 677 and asking for [your call centre or switchboard number]. More information on the National Relay Service can be found at http://www.relayservice.com.au/. We look forward to taking your call.

Please do not re-direct calls from your TTY directly to the NRS. For further assistance in setting up your auto-answer message, please contact the NRS Helpdesk on 1800 555 660 or email helpdesk@relayservice.com.au.

4          Update your print materials

It is vital to ensure all your advertising, stationery and other publications are updated in line with your new contact information. Time the process to fit in with your scheduled print-runs. Where possible, include the NRS website address http://www.relayservice.com.au/ to ensure your customers have all the information they need to contact you. See samples of text for your publications.

5          Update your online information

Bringing your website up to date with the new information is a vital part of ensuring any deaf, hearing-impaired and speech-impaired customers are able to contact your organisation. See samples of text for your website and website tips for access and clarity.

6          Disconnect the TTY

For instructions on disconnecting and disposing of your TTY, please contact the TTY distributor Printacall direct on 02 9809 2392 or visit their website.

7          Disconnect the number  

Contact your phone-line provider to have the specific TTY number disconnected or reallocated.

8          Give us a call  

Let us know what service you choose to provide to your deaf, hearing-impaired and speech-impaired customers - whether keeping your TTY or making the transition to using the NRS only. Together we can ensure your customers get the best service possible.

TASK B: Ensure you are Relay Service friendly

If you want to make sure people who have a hearing or speech impairment can phone you - you need to let them know they can call you through the National Relay Service. you need to become Relay Service Friendly