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The phone is an important channel for making information accessible to your audience.
- Information provided only in a digital format will exclude sections of your audience. By not providing a telephone number this prevents some people from using your service or accessing your information.
- Many people do not have access to the internet or may have difficulties using it. This includes people with disability, older people and people living in remote locations.
Steps to take
- Provide a helpline or hotline to support your communications campaign. Telephone operators should have training in communicating with a wide range of people.
- Keep background noise to a minimum.
- Make sure you speak clearly and at a pace which suits the individual.
- Use a mix of communications channels in your communications planning. Telephone communications are not accessible for everyone.
National Relay Service
A call through the National Relay Service (NRS) lets you communicate with a person who is using a telephone. Even if you can't hear them or they don't use their voice.
- The NRS has specially trained staff called Relay Officers who help with every call.
- Depending on the type of call, a Relay Officer will change voice to text or text to voice and AUSLAN to English or English to AUSLAN.
- Relay officers stay on the line throughout each call to help it go smoothly. But they don't change or get in the way of what is being said.
- Except for calls made through Video Relay, the NRS is available 24 Hours a day, every day.
- People can choose from one or more relay call types. This is depending on their hearing and speech, and equipment.
Page last updated: 22 June 2021