Background
As one of the UK’s best-known energy providers British Gas Energy faced a cultural challenge: how to shift its contact centre teams from a compliance-driven mindset focused on metrics to one centred on customer experience. The company’s existing Quality Assurance (QA) model measured conduct, not outcomes, leading to low advocacy among frontline staff and inconsistent service.
To support the transition to its new ‘5 Steps to Customer Excellence’ framework, developed with Cowry Consulting, British Gas needed a robust internal communications strategy that would realign employees behind a customer-first culture and empower Team Leaders to coach and embed new behaviours.
Approach
Cowry designed a behaviourally-informed communications strategy using the Transtheoretical Model of behaviour change, guiding employees through five stages: Pre-Contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance. Each communication was purpose-built to match employees’ stage in the journey, helping them understand, prepare for and adopt the new QA model.
Every element of the strategy incorporated principles of behavioural science, such as commitment devices. Senior leaders acted as visible advocates for the change, using consistent, evidence-based messaging.
“British Gas proved that when science meets storytelling, culture change sticks – turning compliance into genuine customer care”
Key interventions included:
- Behaviourally designed emails from executives and Team Leaders, framing benefits, timelines and checklists, tailored to specific audiences.
- Co-creation workshops and expert sessions to uncover operational pain points and anchor communications in real employee experience.
- Virtual Talk Series exploring customer-centric culture, the science of learning and how to make behavioural change stick.
- Better Coaching training for 200 Team Leaders, developing capability to embed the new model.
- Structured feedback loops through Q&A sessions and engagement metrics, ensuring transparent two-way communication.
Outcome
The integrated communications and coaching approach supported both behavioural and operational transformation. Attendance at the six-part Talk Series exceeded 100 participants per session while feedback described the content as “exactly what we needed.”
Among other operational initiatives, the communication approach contributed to the following benefits:
- 30-point increase in contact centre resolutions
- 17-point (85%) rise in NPS
- Employee engagement up from 9.0 to 9.5, a notable improvement from an already high base
The success lies not just in the numbers but in the shift in mindset. Team Leaders now coach for outcomes rather than metrics, frontline staff see their work through the customer’s eyes and British Gas has embedded a model for sustaining culture change through communication, science and empathy.
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