Staff at Brightmere's Filton contact centre are seeking clearer information about the future of customer-service work as rumours spread about the supplier's next stage of automation. Employees who spoke to the Courier said they had heard different versions of what might happen, without seeing a confirmed staffing plan.
One adviser said some colleagues believed hundreds of roles across the operation could eventually disappear. The employee could not provide a document supporting that claim, and the Courier has not verified a number. Another said the uncertainty was affecting conversations about applying for internal jobs or accepting additional responsibilities.
Brightmere said no decisions had been taken about the next phase of customer operations. A spokesperson said the company was reviewing how best to serve customers and was listening to colleagues through an independent People and Work Review. The supplier did not confirm a proposed reduction or give a timetable for a staffing announcement.
The company has introduced digital assistance and automatic call notes, alongside software used in reviewing conversations. Staff interviewed for this article gave mixed views of those changes. One welcomed having less typing to do after calls but said that benefit did not answer the separate question of how many advisers would be needed in future.
Maxine Doyle, regional officer for the Energy and Customer Services Union, said members wanted discussion before plans became settled. 'People should not have to work out their future from fragments of conversation,' she said. The union has asked Brightmere to explain how any proposed changes would be discussed with staff and their representatives.
Last year's public technology announcement said the tools were intended to help employees and that efficiencies would come through natural changes in the team. An adviser who remembered that message said it had offered reassurance at the time. The employee now wanted to know what the company meant by that phrase in practice.
Brightmere's latest annual results show EBITDA down to £49 million from £61 million, with around 1.2 million homes supplied at year end. Those published figures have intensified interest in costs, but they do not identify a particular staffing option. The company has not provided this newspaper with an internal business case.
The independent review is taking accounts of work from colleagues across Brightmere. Staff who spoke to the Courier said they hoped their experiences would be considered before future arrangements were decided. One adviser described the immediate request more simply: 'Tell us what is being considered, and tell us when we will be able to ask questions.'