EDF Call Centre Debacle

Despite an investment of £160 million in a state of the art customer care system in June last year, it is apparent that the call centre is in meltdown!  EDF have recruited over one thousand staff to try to help speed up responses, but they admit that big problems remain.

Calls to the company, which had averaged an answer rate of 3 to 4 minutes, had increased to 13 minutes since the introduction of the new system.  Thousands of customers were reporting delays of hours in getting through, or, in many cases, not!

Vincent De Rivaz, EDF Chief Executive has instructed Customer Service management to spend ‘what was necessary’ to improve responses…apparently to no avail.

Electricity regulator OFGEM is becoming increasingly angry at what it perceives as poor service.  It was reported that 1 in 8 of EDF’s 5.5 million customers had rung the Supplier to complain.  Already EDF faces the prospect of a multi-million fine from the Regulator following an earlier, separate investigation over their handling of customer complaints.

EDF have overtaken British Gas as the nation’s most complained about energy provider.  EDF received 126.4 complaints per 100,000 customers compared with 55.2 per 100,000 for B Gas.