Discussing the new contact solution in agency documents, the ACCC said its contact volumes at its Infocentre had risen from 89,000 to 155,000 per year during the last three years, a rise of 75 per cent.
Additionally, contact volumes were expected to increase to about 210,000 per year, a rise of between 30 to 40 per cent, within the next 12 months with the introduction of carbon tax and the launch of the Australian Energy Regulator's Retailer of Last Resort scheme.
The Retailer of Last Resort scheme seeks to ensure that customers maintain continuity of supply in the event their electricity or gas retailer fails by establishing immediate arrangements to transfer the customers to another retailer.
Commenting on the growing contact volumes, the ACCC said the primary driver of the growth was scam reports received by the agency's online education initiative, SCAMwatch.