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Ian quizzed by BT people
Thursday July 17th 2008. Posted: 09:38
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Ian Livingston addresses the employee event
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The impact of the credit crunch, future acquisitions and quality conversations with customers were among the many topics tackled by BT chief executive Ian Livingston during an employee meeting that followed the annual general meeting of shareholders in London yesterday (Wednesday).
Ian outlined three priorities for BT - being number one for customer service, investing in network platforms globally and being more agile by thinking like a small company. “Our right-first-time measure is not the only measure but, for the first time, we have something that can really measure things - and we are seeing real improvements,” he said, highlighting reductions in complaints and a significant drop in dissatisfaction over repairs. Ian also stressed the importance of investment in the network platforms globally, referring to the £1.5 billion commitment to super-fast broadband for up to ten million homes by December 2012. When Ian was asked about the impact of the credit crunch, he admitted that lower house sales inevitably feed through to fewer orders for BT. But the good news is that corporate customers are increasingly coming to BT to help provide solutions that will help them run their businesses more efficiently, he said. However, the company still has to ensure it is “on the front foot” ahead of the competition to ensure it can come through these difficult times, Ian stressed. One questioner asked if the BT businesses were working well together. Ian said since the creation of BT Design and BT Operate there is much greater clarity about where responsibility lies. And one employee was concerned that BT is reducing the amount it spends talking to customers in its contact centres and feared this could be detrimental to the business. Ian responded by explaining that the aim was to reduce the conversations about service problems only - that if BT solved these issues, people would not need to pick up the phone in the first place. He continued by saying that conversations should - and will - continue to be held that focus on the positive benefits BT solutions can offer people. This is where the greatest value can be given to customers, he said, and this type of conversation is actively encouraged. Asked whether investment in super-fast broadband would replace mergers and acquisitions activity, Ian said the mergers and acquisitions would continue where appropriate. But he also said the company will look at how to grow its business organically and is mindful that, to make an acquisition worthwhile, successful integration into BT is the most important factor. Ian also said there are no plans to buy a mobile company. Instead, BT would concentrate on making its broadband offerings more mobile. There were a number of other questions covering various issues, including the BT pension scheme, the role of BT Wholesale in the super-fast broadband investment and the importance of developing ethernet services for corporate customers. “We have a lot to do and there are a lot of challenges,” Ian said in conclusion. “I thank you for your commitment to BT. Let’s make next year and the year after even better.” To listen to an audio replay of the event, call 020 7136 9233 and enter PIN number: 22090813.
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Last updated:
07:55