Telstra made the most of their opportunities to connect with rural customers at this year’s Henty Machinery Field Days with as many as four points of presence.
As well as their marquee, which was a lot like a Tesltra store, they also had a presence at the NSW Farmers site (a Telstra partner), joined with Charles Sturt University (CSU) to hold coding workshops for primary school children, and also ran an NBN van next to their site.
They partnered with NSW Farmers for a VIP lunch where special guests AgriWebb spoke about how Telstra helped get them started and up and running.
Regional Australia senior specialist, Ann Jakle said the field days were an important vent for Telstra.
“We are always excited to be a part of Henty,” Mrs Jakle said.
“It is a great way for us to stay connected with people living in rural Australia.
“Our marquee was staffed by customer service specialists from the Wagga stores, allowing our rural customers to talk to someone face-to-face.
“Sometimes it is difficult for people living in remote areas to get a chance to do that.
“it is also a great opportunity for us to hear any of their concerns.
“The marquee was like a store experience with displays for mobile phones and coverage, extension devices to boost coverage and the Telstra Smart Home.
“The Smart Home display had everything from controlling lights, cameras and Telstra TV.
“The Thrive On area showcased some of the great work we are doing in rural Australia.”
While the marquee gave customers a mobile store experience, Mrs Jackle said the work they were doing outside the shop was just as, if not more important.
“We are particularly proud of our partnerships with NSW Farmers and CSU.
“As I am sure everyone is aware, the agricultural sector continues to develop technically and we are helping to do that.
“The lunch was a great way to showcase one of our success stories.
“AgriWebb used the Telstra muru-D start-up accelerator program to get up and running.
“Their success is a great example for other agri-businesses and to show what Telstra can do for them.
“As technology grows in agriculture, we will be there too.”
Another important aspect of Telstra’s presence at Henty was the coding workshops the Telstra Foundation Code Club and CSU ran for primary school kids on the Thursday of the field days.
“Hopefully we can encourage rural kids to understand and be enthusiastic about technology and use their knowledge to further develop agriculture.”
