Virgin Media O2: Saving Customer Call Time Hours with AI

Virgin Media O2 has announced the removal of more than one million call transfers in a year as it updates its customer service operations using artificial intelligence and team training.

The telecoms operator saves customers more than 400,000 hours of call time during 2025 by reducing transfers and simplifying phone journeys.

Alan Stott, Virgin Media O2’s Director of Customer Contact, says: “We always aim to provide a seamless experience for our customers and minimise the need to contact us for support. 

“After all, nobody enjoys spending their time on the phone to their service provider, particularly when they’re being transferred between teams.”

AI changes customer journeys

Historically, customers calling Virgin Media or O2 navigate menus by pressing buttons based on the nature of their query. 

If the request does not match the options or involves more than one issue, customers are often transferred between departments.

Virgin Media O2 now invites most customers to explain their reason for calling in their own words. 

Natural Language Understanding (NLU), a type of AI that recognises speech and analyses intent, is supporting the change. It helps route callers to the most suitable agent at the outset.

The company wide upgrade is set for full rollout across all customer journeys in the coming months, aiming to improve first-time resolution. Customers spend less time navigating menus and face fewer transfers.

Virgin Media O2 also reviews its internal call handling process. Using ‘heatmaps’ showing high transfer volumes, the company restructures its customer support teams. 

By streamlining the process, the number of departments involved in resolving common queries drops.

Alongside this, Virgin Media O2 upskills its contact centre teams. Around 5,000 support agents are cross-trained to handle a wider range of issues. A change like this allows each agent to resolve more queries without needing to transfer the call.

Efficiency gains across the board

Together, the changes deliver measurable results. 

Virgin Media O2 cut 1.3 million call transfers over the course of 2025. Customers saved a combined total of 1.45 billion seconds – more than 24 million minutes or 400,000 hours – by avoiding unnecessary handovers.

Alan says: “Where a customer does need to speak to us, we want to make their experience as simple, efficient and productive as possible. 

“That is why we’ve introduced AI technology which allows a customer to explain the reason for their call at the outset and quickly routes them to the appropriate team."

He continues: “Together with cross-skilling agents and simplifying our team structures, these improvements helped to reduce call transfers by over a million last year, saving our customers a combined 400,000 hours on the phone to us. 

“We’ll continue to invest in our people and systems throughout 2026 and beyond to ensure we’re consistently giving our customers the best possible service.”

These efforts form part of Virgin Media O2’s wider customer service strategy, focused on removing friction and improving speed of resolution.

Regulator complaints fall

Call transfer improvements also have an effect on complaints. The latest Ofcom data shows a fall of more than 50% in complaints about Virgin Media O2 over the past year. This aligns with the company's push to simplify contact processes and solve issues more efficiently.

With AI-led routing and better-trained agents, more queries are resolved first time. 

Fewer customers experience delays or need to repeat information, resulting in a better experience and fewer complaints to the regulator.

Virgin Media O2 confirms that it will continue expanding its use of AI in customer service and further invest in its teams. 

The company says these steps are designed to ensure it delivers the right support to customers while reducing time spent on the phone.