Vodafone is promising a single-channel and single-agent experience for customers with the launch of its “Just Ask Once” solution.
Available within the My Vodafone app, Just Ask Once does exactly what it says on the tin: allows customers to contact the company just once throughout the resolution process.
It achieves this by assigning one agent to deal with each case reported through the Just Ask Once app, from start to finish.
The agent then keeps the customer informed with proactive updates until their issue is resolved, ensuring they never have to chase.
If the agent requests more information, customers can respond via message through the app at a convenient time.
By doing so, Vodafone aims to tackle the customer-frustration-inducing process of being passed between various departments, with different reps repeating details at every stage.
The solution also eliminates time wasted waiting on hold during calls.
While the global telecoms provider is not promising to solve every query in one interaction, it promises customers will experience “no exit fee” if the promised services aren’t delivered.
After introducing the solution, Rob Winterschladen, Consumer Director at Vodafone, explained how it is part of the company’s wider focus on positioning itself as a leader in customer service and experience:
When it comes to customers, our ambition is simple: we want to be the best.
“We want to set the gold standard for customer service, and that’s why we’re launching ‘Just Ask Once’.”
While Vodafone will still offer the option to call in and live chat, it’s marketing Just Ask Once as the place to receive “the most convenient and reliable support.”
In making this statement, Vodafone is signaling a shift towards one “golden” channel.
Is Vodafone Ahead of the Curve?
Vodafone’s push towards single-channel customer service is a trend that Gartner reported at the end of 2024.
The research behemoth predicted that by 2028, 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies will provide customer service “only through a single, AI-enabled channel.”
While that figure might seem ambitious today, it reflects a broader industry pivot: less focus on juggling multiple channels, more on getting it right in one.
In discussing what has brought about this pivot, Patrick Quinlan, Senior Director Analyst in the Customer Service and Support Practice at Gartner, pointed to the rise in generative AI capabilities (GenAI).
“As GenAI continues to mature and facilitate seamless voice interactions, voice-based customer service isn’t going away,” he said.
“It will instead evolve to meet customers’ needs for a more simple service experience.
Service and support leaders must pivot from a long-held focus on which channels customers use to a focus on how customers want to communicate.
Vodafone’s Just Ask Once feature exemplifies a company embracing this pivot.
By routing queries through its app and keeping the customer journey contained to a single thread with a single agent, it’s leaning into simplicity.
Yet, it’s not about eliminating choice entirely. Customers can still call or live chat. Instead, Vodafone is creating a clear path to the most consistent and convenient experience.
In that sense, Vodafone isn’t just keeping pace with Gartner’s prediction; it may be quietly setting the tone for what single-channel service might actually look like in practice.
