18
November
2020
|
14:44
Europe/London

At an extraordinary time, Ofcom results show we’re Connecting for Good

BT and EE customer satisfaction levels are higher than ever, despite the pandemic, according to the regulator’s latest reporting

Ofcom has published its Q2 complaints data for April to June, a period that covers the first three full months of a dramatic change in the way we live our lives.

The first UK-wide lockdown because of the Coronavirus pandemic led to a huge surge of people calling on BT’s Consumer brands to improve their connectivity in the most extraordinary of circumstances. And yet this period has also seen BT and EE achieve some of their best ever service results. We have worked super hard to keep waiting times down. And our complaint levels continue to fall well below the industry average.

  • EE leads the way with the fewest landline and broadband complaints across the industry, and had the second-fewest complaints for mobile.

  • BT achieved its best ever results, coming in third best for complaints on broadband and landline, and has also seen significant reductions on BT Mobile. BT also came in a strong second place on TV.

  • Plusnet did very well, achieving fourth place over all on broadband and landline complaints.

I couldn’t be prouder of how my colleagues have risen to this challenge, and their efforts are underlined by Ofcom’s results. And our own numbers show this has been no mean feat at a time when our customers needed us most.

On our EE network, we saw a 45 per cent increase in traffic for communication apps and voice calls in the first three months of lockdown. Daytime usage on our fixed network doubled (we have, however, built it to handle up 10 times the daily peak). My amazing colleagues in our contact centres are used to handling more than 800,000 calls every week for customers getting connected, needing service, tech support, and even just some advice. Back in April, we saw that leap to 20 per cent more calls.

We have been able to deliver the most resilient customer service throughout the pandemic because 100 per cent of our contact centres – from Dundee to Plymouth, Sheffield to Glasgow, and Merthyr to Enniskillen – are based in the UK and Ireland. That has meant we have been able to provide more than 8,000 of our customer service colleagues across our Consumer brands with the technology, the security and equipment so that they can work from home.

Giving such a large number of our people the option of home working has come with its own technical, logistical, and regulatory challenges. But again, our teams have adapted brilliantly.

We also know this is a stressful time for customers who are having to adapt to new circumstances. Those worried about their finances has been one of the biggest drivers of customer service calls over the past few months. We know this is a difficult time for so many people across the UK, and we’re committed to supporting customers who need extra help with their bills. We’re connecting for good.

Across our Consumer brands – BT, EE and Plusnet – we have consistently reduced Ofcom complaints over the past 18 months as we strive to give our customers the most personal and local service. We are on a mission to be the best in the industry, with the highest satisfaction and lowest complaints. We are making great progress on that journey, and our customers are noticing the difference.

We are also doing more than any operator for those most in need, which, with the power of our fixed and mobile networks, sets us apart. Our nationwide team of Home Tech experts enable us to go even further for our customers by offering personal support in their homes to set up their equipment and help them get the most out of their connections.

Every day I hear so many stories of how my colleagues are helping people stay connected. Thank you to every one of them as they continue to work so hard to keep our customers connected throughout this challenging time.

Tania Caporaso, Director of BT Customer Care