BT has confirmed it will cut up 13,000 jobs over a three-year period with its modernisation plan for its 150 call centres in the UK.
The company confirmed last night it is in formal consultation with unions to ensure the implementation of a two-year strategy to streamline its call centres and will spend £100 million sterling in its modernisation.
BT employs 50,000 people, has 21 million residential and business customers and a turnover of £11.8 billion sterling (in the last full financial year).
BT Retail executive Mr Pierre Danon said the move was vital if BT was to maintain its position as the Britain's largest telecommunications providers and to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
The move comes as BT nears the end of a comprehensive review of 150 of its centres which handle the highest volume of calls.
"We are absolutely committed to offering the best possible customer experience and ensuring we develop a call centre operation that will be truly world-class and set the standard for others to follow in Europe," Mr Danon said.
"It is important to note that unlike many other companies, particularly in the telecoms market, we have decided not to outsource our call centre operations, as we recognise they are critical to the quality of the customer experience as we take advantage of opportunities in the broader communications market," he said.