Virgin-Media-O2-Support-Agent-at-Desk
Broadband ISP, phone, TV and mobile operator Virgin Media (O2) has today announced that they’ve established a new UK team of over 500 “highly skilled” customer service agents, which will be dedicated to resolving the most “complicated and sensitive issues“, including bereavements, complex complaints and supporting telecare and vulnerable customers.
The new Manchester-based team, which could also be seen as a response to previous gripes about the provider’s support quality (example) – something they recently committed to improve, is still expressed as being in the “early stages” of its development. But they’re already said to have “achieved high satisfaction scores“, with particularly positive feedback from vulnerable customers.
NOTE: The specialist team will be available 8am-8pm Monday-Friday, and 9am-6pm on weekends, via all contact methods (phone and digital channels).
The team itself comprised of around 250 new hires and 280 existing care agents who have received additional training. This new team – backed with unspecified new technology to help them provide customers with “seamless, bespoke assistance” – is tasked with delivering better customer support while handling some of the most sensitive issues (e.g. helping the next of kin manage an account following a bereavement, or where a customer is known to be vulnerable or a telecare device user).
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According to VMO2, the new team is already answering calls in under a minute on average and will also be tasked with testing and overseeing trials of new products and services, providing feedback before they’re rolled out more widely (we assume this will be done with a focus on vulnerable users).
Alan Stott, VMO2’s Director of Customer Contact, said:
“We’ve been clear that we’re committed to improving customer service, and while the vast majority of our customers are satisfied, we won’t be satisfied until we’re delivering consistently exceptional, market-leading customer service.
The strategy kickstarted last year, focused on investment, simplifying systems and processes, upskilling agents and removing persistent pain points, is already delivering green shoots and shows that our plans are getting us closer to where we want to be.
The launch of this new dedicated team is a key milestone for us, with more than 500 multi-skilled and fully converged agents – backed by the latest technology – delivering seamless and tailored customer service in some of the most challenging cases. The team will act as a blueprint for customer support across the company in the months and years ahead as we continue to deliver improvements for our customers.”
The team is currently based in VMO2’s Wythenshawe office, however its agents will also be among the 1,500 employees moving to the company’s new multi-million-pound central Manchester office space, Island, in late 2025. The “state-of-the-art, net-zero carbon workspace” will become their future North West HQ.
In recent months, we have seen signs of a gradual improvement in VMO2’s service and support quality (e.g. Ofcom’s latest complaints’ data), which may be at least partly attributable to the new support team.