BT consumer head vows to improve customer service

BT’s new consumer chief John Petter has vowed to improve customer service a week after the company was named the worst landline provider in the UK in a customer satisfaction poll.

In an exclusive interview with Marketing Week, Petter – who has just been made managing director of BT’s consumer division as part of a management reshuffle (MW.co.uk, April 10) – says customer service will be his number one priority.

Last week’s survey, by price comparison site uSwitch, found that 3 million of BT’s 10 million landline customers are dissatisfied. BT had the lowest score in all but two of 11 categories in home phones.

But Petter slams the survey as “highly misleading” and adds: “Our customer service is still stronger than our competitors on the whole, but that is not enough. BT’s consumer division should be better than companies in other industries. That’s where a huge amount of my personal time will go.”

Petter, who was previously chief operating officer, replaces Gavin Patterson as managing director of the consumer division. Patterson has moved up to succeed Ian Livingston as chief executive of BT Retail with Livingston stepping up to the top role at BT Group.

Petter, who will have overall control of BT’s consumer marketing strategy in his new role, joined the company in September 2004 from Telewest. He is also a former Procter & Gamble marketer.

Petter adds that maintaining BT’s market share in the highly competitive broadband sector is another area of focus. He says the company is in line to hit targets for its on-demand television service BT Vision.