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To stay ahead in the industry, BeFibre needed to offer a digital-first, future-proof communications solution to their growing list of customers.

Industry Telecommunications
Gamma Element Connect
Website https://www.be-fibre.co.uk/

The UK’s internet service provider (ISP) market is dominated by a few select players. Alternate broadband networks must fight for every inch to succeed. It’s why BeFibre sought to deliver additional services to a growing customer base. In time, this came to be PhoneLine+.

“We thought phone was dead… how wrong we were”

BeFibre’s partnership with Gamma, however, didn’t start with voice or phones in mind. In fact, Head of Channel Management Paul May thought “phone was dead”. Yet he quickly realised that customers wouldn’t adopt their broadband solution if the phone element was absent. It’s why a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution was the way forward.

Product Manager Rob McElroy voiced the same thinking behind BeFibre’s original intentions. For Rob, “voice was never our primary goal… it was always about broadband connectivity”. Yet working with a partner like Gamma revealed the potential of tapping into voice. Historically, Tier 1 providers have both broadband and phone elements; now, BeFibre has that opportunity to compete.

“The PSTN Switch-Off has made people more aware of phone lines”

Adopting PhoneLine+ means BeFibre’s proposition is “actually fit for purpose… and growth in the 21st century”. The impending PSTN Switch-Off has spurred their sales team to educate customers on the end of the copper network. Rob notes how easily it can become “a scaremongering subject”, and how responsibility for preparing customers lies with ISPs.

The lack of a cohesive message for PSTN is due to the nature and structure of the UK’s telecom industry. Providers all want to do the Switch-Off differently, so providers themselves need to stay consistent. Although the Switch-Off has now been delayed until 2027, Paul thinks that everything is still “business as usual”. BeFibre are still informing customers that the end (of PSTN) is nigh, and are doing so in a controlled manner rather than saying “everyone panic”.

That comes, in part, due to the resources made readily available by Gamma.

“Accelerate and the Academy have been really, really important”

Gamma’s support has been instrumental for BeFibre when educating customers on both the Switch-Off and PhoneLine+. Paul speaks of how both the sales and customer support team need to be “confident when relaying information to customers”. The Gamma Academy, for example, has helped train agents to operate “to a really consistent standard” when supplying critical information.

That Partner-specific support has helped the BeFibre team save time in creating their own content; all Paul and Rob need to do is “point [them] in the right direction”.

Existing collateral on the Accelerate platform has slotted in perfectly to BeFibre’s existing tone. Considering their “tone of voice and way of working… is very similar to [Gamma’s]”, there isn’t any danger of conflicted messaging.  The content which BeFibre have repurposed helps customers understand the importance of adopting voice, driving a wider interest in PhoneLine+.

“It’s just been a massive success”

Rob recalls how the timeline from initial conversations about PhoneLine+ to deployment lasted approximately six months. Despite lacking internal resources, the instant availability of the PhoneLine+ platform didn’t impact that deployment. As a customer-centric business, that was integral for BeFibre.

Paul is determined to “make every experience [their] customers [have] a good one”. It’s no surprise then that, when a customer’s broadband service goes live, that’s the day they provision PhoneLine+.

“7 to 10 days later, an engineer [arrives], installs your cable, plugs in your router, and that’s it. Within hours of that happening, you’ve got fully functioning broadband connection and voice connection up and running”

The easily accessible PhoneLine+ portal has helped to “take away a whole load of pain that potentially could exist”. Paul also mentions that a lack of complaints gives PhoneLine+ the credibility as “a product that once it’s switched on, it works”. Rob agrees; the platform is recording high usage and large call traffic, and “that lack of noise gives us assurance that it’s working”.

Considering BeFibre have been able to “[drive] more revenue… and support customers [they] couldn’t get to before”, it definitely seems to be working!

“Collaboration is the most important aspect”

As already mentioned, BeFibre’s partnership with Gamma was forged to offer those additional services. Rob highlights that they could offer VoIP easily to customers “without the associated set up, start up, and dev costs”. The support available, especially answering “weird and wonderful questions” all hours of the day, helped this partnership thrive. A partner like Gamma “gives assurance”, as anyone looking for something extra need only ask.

Collaboration is at the heart of Gamma and BeFibre’s partnership. Sharing similar values and being aligned over the end goals in mind has ensured that the venture is a successful one. Whenever work needs to be done, it’s a “collaborative conversation”.

“The future is absolutely exciting”

BeFibre are an ambitious company. Growing the network, brand and customer base are at the top of the agenda. But as they’re “new to the market” and competing against Tier 1 providers, “there’s a lot of work to do”.

This doesn’t dissuade either Paul or Rob. BeFibre are in “a great position… with great partners [and] a great product”, while satisfied customers are acting as brand ambassadors through recommendations. At the same time, those customers need to be motivated to stay with BeFibre. That will come from a feeling of not thinking they don’t have a choice, but from knowing that the service BeFibre provides is consistent, and is “broadband as it should be”.

Transitioning into the B2B environment also opens up the possibility to add in extra products. The SIM market, for example, is another great way to “[enable] people’s lives”, especially if a mobile product can provide “unbreakable broadband connection”. In Paul’s view, that SIM proposition would be popular among the existing customer base and be integral to growing that market share.

It is, of course, hard to speculate on the future. A lot can happen, say, in the space of six months. It may be a short future, but do remember that Gamma helped BeFibre adopt PhoneLine+ within that timeframe. But as Paul says, “the future is absolutely exciting” for the partnership between Gamma and BeFibre.

BeFibre Testimonial

"The advantage of Gamma's products is when we start working more closely with B2B, and looking at different businesses, we have the scalability. It's the ability to come back and speak to you about what product is the right fit for the right business"

"To be agile, it's utilising partner support where possible. Without Gamma's onboarding support, we wouldn't be where we are"

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