Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, is actively hiring over 700 new roles across its network of energy contact centres to bolster its existing customer service teams in various locations such as Leicester, Leeds, Stockport, Edinburgh, and Cardiff. This initiative is in preparation for the winter heating season. These roles are expected to be filled by the end of the year, with further hiring scheduled for January as part of the company’s strategy to relocate call centre resources to the UK.
During the previous winter, British Gas experienced a surge in call volume due to the energy crisis and allocated £25 million to enhance its customer services operations to meet the increased demand. Despite the stabilization of energy prices, the company anticipates a continued need for customer support and is therefore expanding its UK teams. Consequently, British Gas customers can expect longer opening times, from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 2pm on Saturday.
As part of its commitment to customer assistance, British Gas has put in place a £100 million support package to aid customers facing challenges with energy costs, making it the largest voluntary support package offered by a UK supplier. Additionally, the customer services teams will undergo additional training to better assist customers in financial difficulties, including guiding them towards available support.
Chris O’Shea, CEO of Centrica, expressed the company’s dedication to helping households during this challenging period, stating, “Strengthening our UK call centre operations will allow us to help more households with expert advice and support during this time.” He also commended the expert teams for their ongoing support, having assisted over 1 million customers in the past year with additional support such as grants, debt relief, and payment plans.
In addition to hiring UK based call centre staff, British Gas remains committed to training apprentices to support its drive to net zero and to ensure efficient heating of homes over the winter. The company has a strong track record of creating jobs and providing training in the UK, with plans to hire 3,500 new apprentices by 2030.
