22 June 2019
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Photography by Gerard McCarthy
Photography by Gerard McCarthy
An Tánaiste, Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with Marguerite Sayers, Executive Director Electric Ireland and Mike Maloney, Executive Chairman of Abtran
Photography by Gerard McCarthy
Electric Ireland has chosen Abtran, the leading Irish business process management company, as their continuing partner in the delivery of customer service solutions to its 1.2 million residential and business customers nationwide.
An Tánaiste, Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, attended Abtran’s headquarters in Cork to mark the announcement together with Mike Maloney, Executive Chairman of Abtran and Marguerite Sayers, Executive Director, Electric Ireland. The contract has an approximate value of €30 million over 3 years to 2022, with an option to extend for a further 4 years.
Abtran’s strategic partnership with Electric Ireland first began in 2004. The new contract marks the further renewal of this relationship following a competitive tendering process. Abtran has differentiated its organisation and service through the delivery of specialist capabilities which focus on the end customer at every touchpoint. The Irish company has invested in its people through continuous professional development and by creating a state-of-the-art working environment in its Mahon, Cork headquarters, dedicated to Electric Ireland.
Abtran also has an acknowledged expertise in digital technology, data analytics and the use of artificial intelligence systems. It will use these technologies to continually enhance services to Electric Ireland customers and will also invest further in research and innovation specific to Electric Ireland’s customer service requirements.
Delivering value for money while adapting to how business and consumers access customer services in today’s ‘mobile everywhere’ world requires continual investment in people and technology. Working with the Electric Ireland team, Abtran is continually adapting and is underpinning these customer journeys with the latest technology enablers and a dedicated focus on the training and upskilling of its people. The company has operations in Cork, Sligo, Maynooth and Dublin.
An Tánaiste, Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade said, “I’m delighted to welcome this announcement where two highly innovative and market leading Irish companies are working together to bring new levels of service capability to consumers and businesses across the country. Over the years, Abtran has brought the benefits of its research and long-term experience to bear in service innovation and the company is well recognised for its expertise across multiple sectors, underpinned by a highly skilled workforce, investments in continuous professional development and technology. This capability will be of great benefit to Electric Ireland which is committed to service excellence across its entire customer base.”
Marguerite Sayers, Executive Director Electric Ireland, said: “Our priority is to meet our customers’ needs with the highest quality energy products and the most responsive services. We’re confident that Abtran’s expertise will help us focus on excellence and personalised service provision across every customer interaction. Abtran’s innovative approach also enables efficiency and this has created the overall best value for our requirements and, in turn, for our customers. I’m confident that this mutual commitment will support our continuing competitiveness and enhanced service delivery in the rapidly evolving Irish energy market.”
Mike Maloney, Executive Chairman of Abtran said, “This is the third renewal of our contract with Electric Ireland and that demonstrates the valued-added approach that Abtran strives to achieve in partnership with our clients. Delivering customer service excellence is a collaborative journey that requires a long-term commitment to people and technology. We are delighted to have been selected to continue this journey with Electric Ireland.”
About Electric Ireland and ESB
Electric Ireland is the retail arm of ESB and the leading energy supplier in Ireland supplying electricity, gas and energy services to all market segments. It has over 1.2m customers and an annual turnover of almost €2bn. Electric Ireland has outsourced its sales and service activity to provide customer assistance via telephone, email, webchat and social media. ESB operates across the electricity market: from generation, through transmission and distribution to the supply of customers with an expanding presence in the British generation market. ESB is the owner of the distribution and transmission networks in the Republic of Ireland (via ESB Networks) and Northern Ireland (via Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Ltd). In 2018 it had a 38% share of generation in the all-island market (via Generation and Trading) and a 33% share of electricity supply in the all-island market (via Electric Ireland) with 1.25 million customer accounts.
About Abtran
Abtran – established in 1997 is the largest Irish owned business process management provider. Abtran has a track record in delivering award winning customer service for Electric Ireland since 2004 with proven expertise in multiple transformational programmes. The company has unrivalled experience in delivering excellence in customer service across the public and private sectors in Ireland.
Abtran focuses on designing digitally engaged services that deliver better outcomes across revenue optimisation and customer satisfaction for clients and customers – while serving all customers equally. The company has operations in Cork, Sligo, Maynooth and Dublin, as well as staff based on-site in client organisations including Dublin and Cork.
