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BT's hiring! 500 more customer service folk to answer your angry calls

Engineers? That's crazy talk!

Former UK state monopoly BT - whose broadband division Openreach has been repeatedly been criticised for its poor customer service - is to hire 500 call centre staff in a bid to tackle complaints.

The new roles are in addition to the previously announced target of 1,000 UK and Ireland customer service jobs by the end of March 2017.

In a release the biz positioned the move as a "a boost to the UK and Ireland jobs market." But the incumbent has been repeatedly criticised for its shoddy service.

In September, the company once again topped Ofcom's quarterly whinge list for the most moaned-about fixed line broadband provider in Blighty. BT also owns Plusnet, the second most complained about provider.

On average, each week 14,000 consumers and small businesses waited longer than they should for broadband and phone line repairs and a further 11,000 experienced late installations, according to Consumer Advice.

By hiring more customer service staff it hopes to answer “more than” 90 per cent of customer calls by March 2017.

Libby Barr, managing director of customer care at BT Consumer, said: “We are going to answer 90 per cent of our customers’ calls in the UK and Ireland by the end of March, and we have been taking on great people to fill full time jobs working for BT. In fact, we will be recruiting for an extra 500 positions, which will be a dramatic increase in what we said we’d do.

“We can offer the chance to join a business that is transforming its service and investing in brilliant and motivated people in the UK and Ireland. There are opportunities to earn £500 by referring a friend and also openings for agency advisors who want to work for BT directly.” ®

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