Virgin Media O2 halved its complaints last year – and the secret weapon is an AI called Lumi
Virgin Media O2 complaints fell by almost 50% last year as the operator rolled out a new training programme for contact centre agents.
The drop, recorded in the latest Ofcom data, follows an 18-month overhaul of the operator’s customer service operation, which now resolves 70% of complaints within 24 hours.
Virgin Media O2 has partnered with the Institute of Customer Service, the professional body for service standards, on a certified training programme for frontline staff.
The first cohort has completed an intensive course covering customer relationship building, emotional intelligence, empathy and handling challenging interactions. Virgin Media O2 is now extending the programme to additional frontline teams and partners.
“Investing in our people is one of the most important ways we can improve the experience we deliver to our customers,” said Alan Stott, Director of Customer Contact at Virgin Media O2.
“This certified training programme gives our colleagues practical skills to better understand and support customers, resolve issues more effectively, and build stronger relationships.”
Virgin Media O2 launched its own AI tool Lumi AI, last year, giving agents real-time prompts and insights pulled from millions of past customer interactions. The operator has also deployed tools that automatically summarise calls, cutting agent admin and customer wait times.
A specialist team in Manchester now handles complex and sensitive cases, and Virgin Media O2 has signed a partnership with Money Wellness, a free debt advice service, to support customers in financial difficulty.
The operator is also investing around £2 billion a year in its networks and services, alongside simplifying internal systems and processes.
“Investing in frontline capability is one of the most direct ways organisations can improve the experience they deliver, and Virgin Media O2’s commitment to a structured, certified training programme is a clear sign of intent,” said Jo Causon, CEO of the Institute of Customer Service.
“We look forward to working with Virgin Media O2 further to help their teams combine the right skills, behaviours and culture to raise the bar for customer service.”
