First, some sympathy. Those in charge of these big businesses carry a heavy load on their shoulders. Almost every Australian – customer or not – has a view on their performance. This is particularly the case for legacy businesses like Telstra that have a long history and a future that is troubled by disruption in a fast-changing world. But, quite rightly, we expect profitable businesses with well-paid chief executives and management teams to understand us and work hard to deliver a quality offer at reasonable prices. Rocket science it most decidedly is not. Loading On Wednesday, the brains trust of Telstra had what can only be described as a shocker. And what it showed was a business that has disconnected with us. Literally and metaphorically. You don’t need to look further than the media release they put out on the day.

The essence of the announcement was straightforward: in order to remain competitive, they needed to change the way they do business – and that, unfortunately, meant job losses and tackling some difficult customer service issues. Yet what the market and customers received instead was an impenetrable wall of management speak. Telstra, we were told, was planning to “radically simplify [its] product offerings, eliminate customer pain points and create all digital experiences”. Telstra has a long history but a future troubled by disruption. Credit:Fairfax Media - Joe Armao "Telstra2022", the company explained, “leverages the significant capabilities already being built through Telstra’s up to $3 billion strategic investment announced in August 2016 in creating the Networks for the Future and digitising the business." But it was the blame shifting to the strategy - not management - for the pain that was the clincher. “A consequence of the plan is an expected net reduction in employee and contractor numbers of 8,000."

As consumers of media, we as a society have never been more sophisticated or discerning. And the inescapable truth is that indecipherable corporate-ese only serves as a crutch for businesses that are facing real challenges and finding it hard to map a course through. In not being able to explain itself simply, clearly and directly, all Telstra did was demonstrate the distance between it and the people it relies on – its investors, staff and customers. All things considered, it wasn’t a great week for our major telcos. Optus went from World Cup heroes to "Floptus" from the moment the first whistle blew to start one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Looking back, it seems complaints started streaming in (unlike its coverage) from the get go. So why did it take days of mounting anger and a call from the Prime Minister to chief executive Allen Lew to find a solution? It was a case of not listening to the people who’d paid good money for an important service that wasn’t being delivered.

And finally, a comment made this week by David Jones chief executive David Thomas was eye-catching, to say the least. Our iconic but digitally challenged department store is spending $200 million to renovate its Elizabeth Street store. “How we fight back [against the big online stores] is by getting the customer experience right,” he said. Yes, we want nicer stores to shop in. But fighting back against the internet? Good luck! All that will do is drive shoppers, even those who would prefer to shop with David Jones, to its competitors. David Jones chief executive David Thomas on the site of the new shoe department on Wednesday. Credit:Janie Barrett All three examples would have seen these businesses – and their customers - better served if their positions were subjected to the classic "pub test". A visit to the local watering hole by these corporate warriors would not only deliver some liquid courage to face their challenges, it would put them back in touch with what’s important.

You only have to look at our recent corporate history to see that winning strategies are hard to come by. Silver bullets that quickly and effectively solve complex organisational and market problems are hard to find. But the best place to start isn’t a room full of management consultants. Its listening to the people they serve, trying to understanding their needs, and talking to them in a straightforward way. Claire Kimball is the founder of The Squiz, a free weekday news email. She was formerly press secretary to Tony Abbott and communications director for Woolworths Group.