EE, the UK’s largest mobile operator, has introduced a paid option that lets callers skip ahead in its customer service queue for a fee of 50p. Branded “Priority Answer,” the service triggers an automated prompt when customers call, asking whether they want to pay the small charge to be connected immediately to an agent.
The move has sparked controversy because critics argue EE is effectively slowing down free routes to customer support so that only paying customers can access faster help. EE serves around 28 million customers across the UK and was created from the merger of T-Mobile and Orange.
Waiting on hold is universally frustrating, especially when you need urgent assistance. In a quick poll run across social channels, opinions were evenly split but leaned toward dissatisfaction with the new charge. Many respondents said they would refuse to pay just to get quicker support.
An increasing number of companies now provide customer support via social media, where interactions are public and performance can be scrutinised. Poor service on those channels can quickly prompt public backlash. One critic told us they would turn to Twitter rather than pay the fee, because it’s transparent and puts pressure on the company to respond promptly:
@Gadget_Ry No – I’d go ape on Twitter until I got a response. Equally entitled but at least transparent.
— Tom Cheesewright (@bookofthefuture) August 15, 2014
EE says revenue from Priority Answer will be reinvested to improve its customer service. However, some customers worry this could create a pay-to-skip system that escalates, with one respondent joking that if the service proved popular the company might introduce higher-priced tiers — a queue of “queue jumpers” that defeats the purpose:
@Gadget_Ry would be funny if everyone paid the queue jump fee, you’d end up in a queue of queue jumpers. I personally would never pay it.
— PsychoMania (Steve) (@psychomania666) August 15, 2014
Industry vendors say technical fixes could address the underlying capacity issues without introducing paid priority. Twilio, a provider of cloud communications solutions, believes EE’s problems stem from limited contact-centre capacity that could be alleviated by moving systems to the cloud. TelecomsTech spoke with Twilio’s Director of Marketing, Matt Keowen, about alternatives EE might have used.
Keowen explains that adopting a cloud-based contact centre, as Twilio’s clients have done, often delivers significant savings and operational benefits. Those benefits include clearer caller insights, fewer costly physical systems to maintain, and the ability to deploy caller-preference features such as SMS, chat, and callback options that can reduce call volume.
Twilio’s research into the costs of legacy contact-centre equipment highlights the financial burden of traditional setups. According to Keowen, the initial capital outlay for on-premise hardware can run around $4 million, plus annual maintenance fees that may total 20–30% of that purchase price. Those recurring costs mean a high ongoing spend just to keep systems running.
By contrast, cloud-based platforms typically lower upfront expenditure and shift costs to a more predictable operating model. Those savings could be redirected to hire and train more agents, expand digital support channels, and implement self-service tools that prevent many calls from being placed in the first place — all measures that would improve customer experience without charging callers to skip queues.
Ultimately, critics worry that a paid queue-jump system prioritises customers by ability to pay rather than by need, and that it could undermine expectations of fair access to basic support. Supporters might accept a small fee if it guarantees immediate help, but many believe investment in capacity and modern contact-centre technology would be a better, more equitable solution.
What do you think about EE charging to jump the queue for customer service? Let us know in the comments.