ntl:Telewest merged with Virgin Mobile to take on the exciting quad play market, yet the vision to re-brand the entire business a Virgin company meant that this would be much more than an identity face lift. We were brought in to Virginise the environment. Through our interviews and audits, we found the average age of a call centre worker to be 23, and as many as 80% of workers full timers. This spurred us on to create the kind of environment that people could feel proud to be a part of and excel within.
Given that we were working across 50 'people' focused buildings of varying sizes and functionalities, from Head office to Call centres, our solution needed to be modular with a combination of hard and soft changes. The concept we created was called 'Our Neighbourhood'; geared to shift the emphasis from 'them' to 'us'. Key spaces looked at were neglected and underused communal areas. These were all designed with the view of improving the staff's everyday lives and getting them talking to one another.
The environment has scored well with employees, creating a Springboard for Virgin to make changes as a brand, as well as internally as an organisation.
Surveys show retention levels soaring with over 80% agreeing that the environment helped change the culture, and could see a future for themselves within the business.
"This is not just a veneer, there's a reason why all the design components exist."Adrian SpoonerCreative Director, Virgin Media
Design Week, 15.02.07
The creation of Virgin Media – a so-called ‘quadruple play’ ..
