Overcoming missed or cancelled customer Openreach FTTP installations

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) essentially means connecting a fibre optic cable directly from the closest green cabinet into someone’s home for speeds up to 30x faster than standard fibre. plus, it’s much more reliable.

However, FTTP is currently only available to around 50% of households, which means our B2C partners may have a fairly limited market to target. Thankfully, the majority of the UK is expected to have access to this future-proof technology by December 2026.

One challenge we’re hearing all too frequently from those partners is that Openreach’s FTTP installations don't always go according to plan. Appointments may be cancelled or missed on short notice, or a number of things may go wrong on installation day.

With FTTP availability surging between now and 2026, it’s imperative we find ways to minimise this wave of wasted appointments and prevent blowback on our partners' credibility. That starts with educating end users on what an installation entails.

By working together to educate end users on this journey, we can reduce the number of unused appointments and bring down the Mean Time to Provide (MTTP) for Fibre to the Premises, enhancing business resource utility and improving service levels to the customer, which is a win, win for all involved.

With all that in mind, here’s are some ways you can ensure the best experience for your customers.

Openreach FTTP installation – a step-by-step guide

1. If the property is rented, the tenant must seek their landlord’s permission for the required holes to be drilled before the appointment.

2. If there are any building works, scaffolding or other home improvements taking place that could get in the way, the installation appointment should be rescheduled until after the obstructions are removed.

3. When installing Fibre to the Premises, Openreach needs to install two boxes – one inside and one outside the property. That will mean drilling a small hole through the external wall.

4. If a ladder is needed to work safely, the engineer may attach the ladder to temporary fixtures drilled into the exterior wall. So, reassure your customers that the engineer will always fill the remaining holes and leave the area neat and tidy.

5. In some cases, the engineer will complete the external work separately from the internal work, often before the scheduled appointment date. If this is the case, your customer will be informed beforehand. The good news is that they won’t need to be at the property, but they must ensure that the engineer has easy access to the area they need to complete the work.

6. If everything goes right, the engineer should have your customer up and running within just 3 hours. Your customer will need to be available for the duration of the timeslot provided and allow enough time for the installation to be completed.

Going through this process with your customers when you’re scheduling their Openreach FTTP installations will help you reduce the number of missed and cancelled engineer visits.

In turn, your customers will benefit from a quick and easy FTTP installation, which means happier, longer-term customers and reduced customer churn – like we said before, that’s an easy win for everyone involved!

If you have any more questions, feel free to get in touch with your Account Manager.