MATE delivers efficient and proactive telco customer service with Slack

Growing a trusted telco on Slack

MATE, a Sydney-born telco founded in 2016, has always aimed to simplify broadband and mobile services with a no-nonsense, customer-first approach. From its early days as a startup, up-to-date communication was key to scaling from an idea into a trusted brand.

Initially relying on tools like Google Docs and OneNote, MATE quickly realised they didn’t offer the visibility or integrations a growing team needed to stay connected. In 2017, a year after its founding, MATE turned to Slack — a platform where communication could flow seamlessly as the business grew.

“Slack was the immediate and central communication tool for our business and all the work that we do today,” says Mark Fazio, Co-CEO at MATE. 

Syncing everything in one place, making it mobile-friendly, and keeping communication organised are all vital to MATE’s operations. Slack integrates with its tools and apps, providing instant alerts and updates so teams can respond faster.

With Slack as its go-to platform, MATE has a simple rule: “No internal emails.”

Reducing call times and boosting service efficiency

Customer calls are a critical part of MATE’s operations, and fast resolution times are key to maintaining trust and keeping customers satisfied. With Slack, MATE has streamlined how teams access and share information, so customer representatives can resolve issues more efficiently.

“We want customers to feel comfortable choosing MATE for their internet service. That comes down to exceptional customer service and transparency, which Slack helps us deliver,” says Fazio. 

Slack brings everything into one place. With dedicated channels consolidating the information representatives need to resolve customer issues, service call times have decreased by 11%. 

“Slack allows us to put all the information that may affect a particular customer in one spot, in a specific channel, ready to go,” Fazio explains.

By integrating its outage detection tool with Slack, MATE automatically pulls real-time updates on network problems or maintenance into relevant Slack channels. 

Representatives no longer need to log into multiple systems or navigate accounts to find answers. Instead, they can check Slack for real-time updates, confirm any issues in the customer’s area, and provide immediate answers — no back-and-forth, no delays.

Additionally, its interactive voice response (IVR) system integrates with Slack to automatically alert customers about outages and expected resolution times when they call. 33% of inbound calls related to outages are now solved by this integration with Slack, reducing the load on service representatives.

Turning problems into proactive service insights

MATE doesn’t just resolve customer issues — it learns from them. Slack has become a hub for capturing call data, identifying trends, and improving customer service proactively.

Using wrap codes to tag and categorise customer queries, MATE conducts automated Slack surveys where staff vote on recurring issues. This data informs training, messaging, and proactive communication efforts.

“Slack gives us a real-time pulse on customer pain points. We can act quickly to improve service experiences and prevent issues before they arise — saving time and resources,” explains Fazio. 

For example, pro-rata billing adjustments were once a common reason for customer calls. By analysing survey data in Slack, MATE created a video explaining pro-rata billing and integrated it into customer communications. The result? Fewer calls and a better customer experience.

This process has contributed to a 2% month-on-month reduction in calls, ensuring smoother operations and freeing up resources for the team.

Getting campaigns to market faster

MATE’s marketing campaigns involve collaboration between multiple external partners — including digital, creative, media, and IT agencies. Previously, launching a campaign often meant long email threads, delayed updates, and wasted time connecting teams.

With Slack Connect, MATE has brought all its agencies into shared channels, enabling real-time collaboration and faster campaign rollouts.

“Slack Connect is a game-changer for how we work with our agencies. It cuts out unnecessary steps and gets campaigns live faster than ever,” says Fazio. 

Now, agencies can coordinate directly on campaigns without relying on MATE’s marketing team as intermediaries. Slack threads keep a clear history of conversations, ensuring nothing is lost and saving time for everyone involved. 

By eliminating back-and-forth phone calls, Slack Connect saves around 45 minutes a day for MATE — time that would otherwise be spent finalising actions or chasing answers from partners.

“Slack helps us do more with less. It gives you time back in the day,” says Fazio.