What’s going on at British Telecom (BT)? The brand isn’t what it used to be – and that’s great news for us and them.
I’ve been working and writing on brand for a long time, including about BT. The transformation I see (and feel) taking place at BT is a great example of how when a company delivers its core promise to consumers, people are better able to hear what you have to say about social purpose. My recent experience with BT’s customer service team hammered home the impressive journey they’ve been on the past few years.
To understand how far BT have progressed, let’s go back in time four years to a focus group facility in Manchester and a roomful of consumers. I was there that evening to learn how BT could recapture its status as a national treasure by highlighting its social contribution with projects such as teaching coding to young people around the country.
But that night, and in other similar groups, consumers weren't interested in hearing about BT’s social contribution. Rather, conversation about the quality of BT's products and services dominated the discussion. These consumers wanted BT to deliver on what they saw as the basics: reliable products and services at a fair price. Without doing that, people weren’t ready to hear how BT was delivering its social purpose – even if the images used featured cute kids sitting eagerly in front of computers.
The insight for me was clear: Purpose matters, but without delivering what they pay you for, conversations about social purpose will annoy rather than engage consumers.
I think BT got the message. Why? Because of Kevin and Natasha. Kevin and Natasha are two customer service team members at BT. Kevin, Natasha and I have been texting each other regularly the past few weeks as they have helped me fix my truly horrible broadband and WIFI. My office is my home and I depend on a decent internet connection to the outside world. Until Kevin and Natasha came into my life, my own relationship with BT was far from what I expected from a service provider.
If my experience is typical, BT is taking a highly personalised approach to managing customer issues that feels human but, thanks to the technology, can be delivered at scale. Natasha would send me reassuring texts about when to expect the engineer to check on the line to the house and would follow up with a call to see how it went. Kevin handled WIFI issues inside the house and, no matter the day or time, would check in with text messages that felt concerned, helpful and - I’ll say it again - human.
Today, I am one happy BT customer.I honestly never thought I would type those words.I have an internet connection that zooms (for London) and two personal connections at BT that continue to ask, “How is it going?”.