BT phone home – customer service calls now answered in UK

All calls to BT’s helplines are now being answered by staff in the UK and Ireland, as the telecoms giant tries to boost its customer service reputation.

The company met its pledge to answer 100% of customer service calls locally almost a year ahead of schedule, becoming the only major broadband provider to do so, it said.

Customers will be automatically patched through to their closest BT help-centre when dialling in.

“We know our customers value speaking to someone who understands their issue down to the regional differences that make us so great as a country, whether that’s expert help with tech or chat about the local football team,” said Marc Allera, the head of the company’s consumer division.

The company pledged in 2015 that it would answer all customer service calls in the UK or Ireland by the end of 2020. It has already been offering customers the chance to pay for UK and Ireland support through its BT Plus package.

The move came after customers complained about the level of service offered by call centres in India and the Philippines.

Since the pledge was made, BT said it has created around 2,000 customer service jobs in the British Isles.

Mr Allera had previously been tipped to take over as chief executive of BT when Gavin Patterson left the role. But he but lost out to Worldpay’s Philip Jansen early last year.

He said: “We know how important providing a personal, and local, service is to our customers. Today we’re delivering on our commitment to answer all of our customer service calls in the UK and Ireland.”

He added: “This is our latest move in creating the UK’s best customer service network to provide our customers with outstanding help and support. We’ve brought BT back to the high street, we’ve brought help and support into people’s homes with our Home Tech Experts, and to ensure we provide the best customer service we’re now answering 100% of our customers’ calls in the UK and Ireland.”