Openreach has implemented proactive AI agents from NiCE Cognigy to enhance customer engagement across 15 million broadband upgrade journeys in the UK.
The AI-driven approach shifts from reactive to proactive customer management, initiating real-time communications via text, email, and voice to provide updates, answer questions, and automate actions.
According to Openreach, the adoption has led to a one-third reduction in missed appointments and inbound contact volumes, improving operational efficiency and customer experience at a national scale.
They also report that that customer satisfaction has increased, with Openreach’s Trustpilot rating rising from 2.0 to 4.7 out of 5 following the AI deployment. Repeat contacts have decreased, allowing service teams to focus on more complex customer interactions.
Chris Herbert, Openreach’s director of customer service, said:
“Our proactive AI agents are transforming the broadband experience across the U.K. and delivering tens of millions in financial benefits for Openreach and our customers. By moving to proactive, AI-driven engagement, we’ve improved appointment success, optimized operations, and given customers greater clarity during a complex national upgrade. At this scale, that combination of efficiency and trust makes a meaningful difference.”
Jeff Comstock, President of CX Product & Technology at NiCE, commented:
“AI is redefining how organizations engage customers, shifting from reactive service to intelligent, proactive orchestration. This deployment demonstrates how agentic AI can deliver measurable outcomes at scale, enabling organizations to automate complex interactions while maintaining trust, inclusivity and control.”
Openreach is investing £15 billion to expand its Full Fibre broadband network to 25 million UK premises by the end of 2026, aiming for up to 30 million by 2030.