OpenReach and NiCE Deploy AI Agents for Customer Experience

Agentic AI is beginning to reshape how telco companies manage customer experience and network upgrades.

Openreach, part of BT Group, is among the latest to deploy this tech at scale.

The access network provider is using AI agents to support its nationwide broadband rollout, shifting from reactive service models towards a more proactive, real-time approach to customer engagement.

Working with NiCE, Openreach has introduced AI-driven interactions across around 15 million customer journeys, marking one of the UK’s largest digital transformation efforts in telecoms operations.

NiCE Cognigy’s agentic AI platform is at the core of the deployment, designed to anticipate customer needs and reduce friction during broadband upgrades. The move reflects wider pressure on telco operators to modernise service delivery while managing complex infrastructure programmes.

“Our proactive AI agents are transforming the broadband experience across the UK and delivering tens of millions in financial benefits for Openreach and our customers,” says Chris Herbert, Openreach’s Director of Customer Service.

“By moving to proactive, AI-driven engagement, we’ve improved appointment success, optimised operations and given customers greater clarity during a complex national upgrade.

“At this scale, that combination of efficiency and trust makes a meaningful difference.”

From reactive support to proactive orchestration

For telcos, large-scale fibre deployments typically generate high volumes of customer queries and missed appointments Openreach aims to address these challenges by shifting engagement earlier in the customer journey.

The AI system uses live network and operational data to trigger timely communications by informing customers of updates and resolving issues before they escalate.

The customers are contacted through their preferred channels, including SMS, email and voice, reducing the need for inbound queries.

This model changes the role of customer service within telco operations. Openreach is orchestrating interactions in advance rather than responding to issues after they arise, improving predictability for customers and reducing uncertainty during installation and upgrade processes.

At a national scale, this is significant. Managing millions of interactions during fibre rollout programmes can place considerable strain on contact centres and field operations. By automating routine communication, AI agents help maintain consistency while easing operational pressure.

Measurable gains across telco operations

The impact of the deployment is already visible in core operational metrics. Openreach reports a one-third reduction in missed appointments alongside a drop in inbound contact volumes, both longstanding challenges for telco companies.

Fewer missed visits translate directly into more efficient field operations, reducing the need for rescheduling and repeat engineer dispatches. At the same time, lower contact volumes free up service teams to focus on more complex queries that require human intervention.

This rebalancing of workloads is a key benefit for telecoms operators facing rising demand and resource constraints. AI-driven engagement allows organisations to scale customer interactions without proportionally increasing headcount, while maintaining service quality.

“AI is redefining how organisations engage customers, shifting from reactive service to intelligent, proactive orchestration,” says Jeff Comstock, President of CX Product and Technology at NiCE.

“This deployment demonstrates how agentic AI can deliver measurable outcomes at scale, enabling organisations to automate complex interactions while maintaining trust, inclusivity and control.”

Customer experience in large-scale network upgrades

Beyond operational efficiency, Openreach’s deployment highlights how AI can reshape customer perception during infrastructure rollouts. 

By providing earlier and clearer communication, the AI model is helping to reduce friction in the upgrade process. Customers receive updates before needing to ask for them, improving transparency and setting clearer expectations.

This shift is reflected in customer satisfaction metrics. Openreach reports a significant improvement in its Trustpilot rating, rising from 2.0 to 4.7 out of 5 based on hundreds of thousands of reviews following the rollout.

AI as a core telco capability

Openreach’s use of agentic AI signals a broader transition within the telco sector, where automation is becoming embedded in both customer experience and network operations.

As fibre deployments continue and service expectations rise, operators are under pressure to deliver consistent, high-quality interactions at scale. AI agents offer a way to manage this complexity, bridging the gap between infrastructure rollout and customer engagement.

Openreach is aligning service delivery more closely with the demands of modern telecoms networks by integrating AI into its operational model.