Te Paepoto raises the bar in customer service excellence

Conducted by Customer Service Benchmarking Australia (CSBA), the rankings were based on 11,575 assessments testing 208 businesses on the quality of customer service being offered.

Te Paepoto, known as ‘the threshold of the university’ as they are often the first point of contact for student enquiries, moved up one place in the overall top 10, from sixth place to fifth. The team also secured fourth place in the education sector rankings out of 41 organisations.

Te Paepoto Manager Amanda Mackrow says the centre regularly participates in benchmarking programmes to ensure they are meeting the needs of their customers.

“These programmes serve as a compass to guide us towards a higher standard of service excellence. They offer insights into industry best practices and allow us the space to assess and elevate our performance, identify areas of improvement and stay attuned to evolving customer expectations. It’s our commitment to ensuring we are providing the best experience possible. Every interaction is a chapter in someone’s journey with Massey, and our team strives to make it as easy and enjoyable as we can.”

Since 2020, Te Paepoto have made leaps in the ATEM rankings, starting out in the 27th spot, before rising to 14th in 2021 and eighth position in 2022. With the 2023 results being the centre’s best results yet, Mrs Mackrow says she’s proud of her team’s continuous strive towards excellence.

“To witness our consistent and improving success over the last few years is fantastic as it reflects our hard work, our dedication and passion and all the extra hours we put in. It’s a great accolade to have and is a testament to the collective efforts of our team. This achievement reinforces our commitment to providing quality service and inspires us to continue to elevate our own standards.”

Established in 1999, Te Paepoto was the first Aotearoa university contact centre and is currently made up of 32 industry-qualified, experienced professionals. The team handle an average of 300,000 enquiries a year across multiple channels. Enquiries range from enrolment advice to fees, graduation, welfare and technical support, with the top questions relating to admission and courses, passwords, financial support and records.

In 2019, the centre, originally known as the National Contact Centre, was gifted the name ‘Te Paepoto’ by Associate Professor Hone Morris on behalf of the Māori Language Advisory Group. The title refers to the threshold of a whare tīpuna (ancestral house) and befits the role of the centre of being a portal into Massey. The gifting of the name also speaks to the prioritised commitment of the team to ensure a Te Ao Māori world view is embedded in their mahi and making a conscious effort to normalise the speaking of te reo Māori in their workspace.

You can contact Te Paepoto through the following channels: