#contactcenterworld, @EE

Plymouth, UK, Feb 11, 2021 -- The EE call centre in Plymouth is set for a refurbishment as BT Group commits its long-term future to the city safeguarding 1,000 jobs.

The communication provider's wider location improvement programme will see the company go from 300 bases to only about 30, but it has designated Plymouth as a future key location.

The centre in Langage Business Park, Plympton, is one of the largest employers in the area and will now undergo a full refurbishment to modernise it and create an improved workspace for about 900 workers.

While the majority of contact centre staff in Plymouth – and at the firm’s other locations across the country – are still working from home during the pandemic, the company is continuing to invest in new and modern workspaces as part of its Better Workplace programme.

At the start of the coronavirus outbreak, the company introduced new systems to equip contact centre personell, who wanted to work from home temporarily, with the technology, security and equipment to do so.

BT Group said "inspiring office environments", combined with a more flexible approach to home working, will play a vital role in its future.

Contact centre staff were designated key workers by Government and EE and BT centres have seen an increase in call volumes during the pandemic, with customers looking to improve or change their connectivity to help them work from home and stay in touch with friends and family.

BT’s consumer contact centres now handle all customer calls in the UK, including at EE’s contact centre in Plymouth. 

Work on the Plymouth centre refurbishment is due to start in the summer of 2021 and will be phased to make sure there is no impact on customers or employees.

The project is expected to last around 12 months and will involve local contractors and suppliers, where possible.

EE, part of BT Group, opened the Plymouth contact centre in 2000 and the company said the investment highlights its future commitment to the location and the wider region.

Nick Lane, managing director for consumer customer services at BT, said: "We’re excited about the plans to refurbish our Plymouth contact centre. It’s an important location for the company and will be the first EE contact centre in the country to benefit from one of our new future-fit workplaces.

"While most colleagues are still working from home due to the pandemic, we’ll be working with them to help create a modern, innovative workspace we can all be proud of. The buildings in which we work play a huge part in how we feel.

"Colleagues in our contact centres have played a really important role during the Covid-19 pandemic. They’ve done a fantastic job making sure our customers have been able to stay connected with family, friends and work during this difficult time."

Cllr Tudor Evans, leader of Plymouth City Council, said: "This is great news. The contact centre is going to be redeveloped and that the company is investing in the long-term future of the site, which means they are investing in Plymouth and in Plymouth’s workforce. We're delighted to see a large company like BT Group invest here and modernising its office space for staff.

"The centre makes a vital contribution to our local economy and community in Plymouth, and I look forward to seeing the results of the refit, once it's completed."

Jonathan Warne, head of the contact centre in Plymouth, said: "My team have worked so hard to keep customers happy as we’ve adapted to working from home, but we’ve missed the team camaraderie in Plympton and we want to get back to our community.

"We’re all involved with the new designs for the building and we’ll have the latest technology and spaces created to give us the best environment to continue to support each other and our customers."

#contactcenterworld, @EE

Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: https://www.business-live.co.uk