Virgin Media customers can soon track their technician with real-time appointment updates

Virgin Media customers will soon be able to keep track of exactly when technicians are due to arrive through real-time updates on their smartphone, tablet or computer.

The new service will provide customers with important appointment details, starting with a reminder the day before, and continuing with live updates on the day of the appointment right up until the technician arrives. The service has been designed to reduce uncertainty and improve customer satisfaction.

Initially customers in Liverpool, Guildford and the Cotswolds will have access to the service ahead of a wider rollout in the autumn.

When Virgin Media customers book a service appointment, they will receive a unique link providing them with live updates and the latest information about their appointment. Real-time information will show the technician’s name, estimated time of arrival (down to the minute, including traffic conditions) and a live map so customers can track the technician’s progress when they’re on their way. This will help make sure the customer and the technician are in the right place at the right time.

The proven technology can reduce the number of missed appointments by up to 10 per cent and has been welcomed by customers and technicians who use it around the world.

Neil Bartholomew, Executive Director, Consumer Customer Operations at Virgin Media said: “We know that waiting at home for a technician can be frustrating, even more so when you don’t know when they will actually get to you. Customer expectations are always increasing and this powerful new tool will provide clear, simple and transparent information to help our customers plan their day better and make it as easy as possible to get on with their busy lives.”

The service is being powered by location platform leader Glympse, as part of its partnership with Virgin Media’s parent, Liberty Global - the world’s largest international TV and broadband company. Liberty Global’s partnership with Glympse means new features can be added in the coming months.

Alex Read, Europe Director at Glympse said: “We are delighted that Virgin Media are using our platform to further raise the bar in customer experience, and bring customers and technicians closer together to make missed appointments a thing of the past. Our innovative digital platform gives Virgin Media customers the most up-to-date information about their appointment in a convenient and easy to use way, eliminating the pain of waiting but not knowing when a technician will arrive.”

ENDS

About Virgin Media

Virgin Media offers four multi award-winning services across the UK and Ireland: broadband, TV, mobile phone and landline.

Our dedicated, ultrafast network delivers the fastest widely-available broadband speeds to homes and businesses and we’re expanding this through our Project Lightning programme, which could extend our network to up to 17 million premises.

Our interactive Virgin TV service brings live TV, thousands of hours of on-demand programming and the best apps and games to customers through a set-top box, as well as on-the-go through tablets and smartphones.

Virgin Mobile launched the world’s first virtual mobile network and offers fantastic value and innovative services with 4G connectivity. We are also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the UK and Ireland.

Through Virgin Media Business we support entrepreneurs, businesses and the public sector, delivering the fastest widely available broadband speeds and tailor-made services.

Virgin Media is part of Liberty Global, the world’s largest international TV and broadband company. Liberty Global connects 22 million customers through operations in 11 countries across Europe subscribing to 46 million TV, broadband internet and telephony services. It also serves 7 million mobile subscribers and offers WiFi service through 12 million access points across its footprint.

About Glympse

Glympse is a built-for-mobility location company, offering powerful location APIs and robust SaaS applications that help Fortune 1000 companies improve their customer satisfaction by eliminating the friction and anxiety of product and service delivery experiences. The pioneer in real-time temporary location sharing technology, Glympse’s powerful platform and market-tested industry solutions successfully aggregate existing service, marketing and commerce cloud capabilities into a single, easy-to-use and interactive Glympse (a multi-phase, customer-facing digital tracking hub). Glympse helps businesses improve communication and increase satisfaction when their products and services are delivered or picked up by their customers. For more information, visit Glympse.com.

Press contacts

Virgin Media – 0333 000 2984, press@virginmedia.co.uk

Twitter: @VirginMediaCorp