Quality of service delivers export success

The move will see 175 new jobs created at Three’s Limerick customer experience centre over the next four years.

The new roles will include both full-time and part-time positions and openings across a range of job titles and experience levels in the B2B sector. Employment opportunities will include customer care, team leaders, operations and management.

Originally established over 20 years ago and currently employing close to 400 people, the Limerick centre has a strong history in Castletroy. “This expansion of operations in our Limerick Customer Experience Centre demonstrates the strength of Three’s customer service in Ireland,” says Three head of business service Ireland and UK Brenda Jones.

“Given the skills, expertise, and talent in the Limerick centre, it is well placed to advise international clients across a broad range of connectivity services including IoT, ICT products and cost management. The continued and steady growth of our care teams in Limerick is a testament to the continued career development programmes and upskilling opportunities available to Three Ireland employees,” she adds. “Three Ireland is very excited to build on the high standard of talent it already has. This expansion to support business customers in the UK market is the realisation of a key strategic objective for the team in Limerick.”

The quality of service delivered by the Limerick centre was highlighted at the 2021 Contact Centre Management Association (CCMA) awards. “We swept the boards at the CCMA awards,” says Jones. “We won the contact centre of the year, best customer experience, and best use of digital channels awards. As the largest mobile telecommunications provider in Ireland by market share, with the fastest overall network, we’re extremely happy to bring this exceptional level of service to our Three UK Business customers as well.”

That success is built on the quality of the people as well as an unrelenting focus on the customer experience, she explains. “We have people in Limerick who have been with us for 20 years. The tenure of our experts is extremely important. They have deep knowledge of our customers and their accounts. They can see issues coming down the track and advise customers in advance. That’s the gold in our service.”

Customer feedback confirms that. “One of the things we always find when new customers come on board is that they are surprised at the excellent level of service they receive,” Jones points out. “And customers who go elsewhere get a shock when they find that the level of service is not the same as they are used to. We are keenly aware of how important the customer experience is. Our reputation is built on that, and we would never do anything to damage it.”

Investment in technology has also played a role. “We have gone through a massive transformation in recent years and invested in technology to ensure that our customers are able to contact us in the way that suits them best.”

She is intensely proud of the approach to customer service taken by Three.

“We treat our existing and new customers equally. We are not just trying to acquire new customers. We don’t forget our existing customers. We want to build relationships with customers so that they are happy to stay with us and recommend Three to others.

“What we tell our customers is exactly what they find. We will always point customers in the direction of the most cost-effective way of doing business. Our people get to know their accounts and advise on cost efficiencies and new service offerings that may be relevant to them. Our aim is to ensure a top-quality experience at all times.”

Three Ireland has also launched a new 24/7 customer care service for business customers who require it. “We understand that our customers don’t necessarily work 9-5 and that is why we are here for them around the clock when they need us. Customers who sign up for the 24/7 service can call and speak to someone in person to resolve some of the most common queries and issues they may have.”

These issues include connectivity, roaming queries, coverage queries, and adding or removing services or removing users. The team can also move numbers to a replacement SIM if an old SIM is lost, stolen or damaged, or if a different sized SIM is required for a new device.

In addition, the team can troubleshoot connectivity issues on customers’ devices when in Ireland, check on roaming before or during travel, investigate common coverage issues, and add or remove add-ons for calls, texts, data or roaming allowances to help customers manage costs.

“I am very proud of what the team here in Limerick has achieved,” Jones concludes. “The expansion also underlines our commitment to Limerick as an employment hub for the long-term. Three has been investing and growing in Limerick for over 20 years, and we are reaffirming and increasing that commitment with the creation of these 175 new roles.”