Virgin Media O2 Boost Support for UK Customers Suffering Financial Difficulties
Broadband and mobile operator Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) has today announced a new partnership with debt advice firm Money Wellness, which aims to improve the support they’re able to offer to “financially vulnerable customers” who many be experiencing financial difficulties.
The partnership will see the new service first being rolled out to the team that handles the most complex payment management-related issues. As part of this, Money Wellness will send advisors to spend the day with the O2 team on the first day, and the two companies will continue to work closely together ahead of a wider rollout, including for Virgin Media customers, over the weeks that follow.
The bespoke training that VMO2’s agents receive should enable them to better spot signs of potential vulnerability (aka – “Money MOT“). Customers who are identified as experiencing such issues may then be either transferred directly to a Money Wellness expert who can provide specialist help (at a time of their choosing) or will be sent a secure link to begin a support journey online.
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Through Money Wellness, VMO2 hopes that related customers will benefit from tailored advice and support that extends beyond their mobile or broadband contract – for example a comprehensive financial health check, support with maximising their income, or budgeting etc. The service is also designed to be used by those who suffer from speech, sight, language and hearing difficulties.
Alan Stott, Director of Customer Contact at VMO2, said:
“We know that many families have been struggling with the rising cost of living over recent years, and our agents can sometimes find themselves speaking with customers struggling to pay their bills.
We’re committed to helping and supporting all of our customers, including reviewing payment options and signposting customers to debt charities, but we know this still places the onus on the customer to seek help. Now, through this new partnership, our agents can better identify and support customers, including by offering a warm transfer direct to a Money Wellness advisor who can provide more comprehensive support that goes beyond just their mobile or broadband bill.”
We should point out that all of this is on top of the support that VMO2 already offers, which includes a range of low-cost social tariffs across mobile and broadband, providing free mobile connectivity through the National Databank, supporting customers to set up flexible payment plans (where appropriate), signposting customers to charities who may be able to help, zero-rating a number of debt charities and ensuring vulnerable customers are exempt from price hikes.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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They could always just reduce their prices to reflect what’s happening in the altnet market right now. The challenge is that would reduce their profit, so maybe it’s a case of Stockholm syndrome for customers who stay with them.
Exactly
The expertise already exists in the UK. What they aren’t telling you is that the payment management team is moving from the UK to South Africa. In my opinion VirginMedia has ruined the O2 brand. Have a poisoned chalice to Capita who took over when the then Telefonica sold call centre business to them in 2013 under a 10 year deal. When the renegotiation came around Liberty Global who in. 50/50 partnership with Telefonica ripped O2 apart moving the SMB business to the Philippines. Once a thriving call centre operation in the UK has been has been sacrificed for profit.