How a UK home-move platform is driving higher utility sales with 35% fewer FTEs

Overview

A UK-based home-move assistance platform, operating in partnership with a leading energy provider, needed to improve sales performance and service efficiency across inbound, outbound, and email channels. The engagement required balancing regulatory compliance, fluctuating lead quality, and service-led customer journeys while delivering higher sales outcomes with a leaner operating model.

Challenges

The client needed to increase sales efficiency without compromising service quality or compliance.

• Service-heavy demand mix: A significant share of inbound and email interactions were service-led rather than sales opportunities, diluting the available sales pipeline and skewing traditional conversion performance indicators.
• Inconsistent lead quality and timing: Customer data often arrived too early or after move-in, limiting conversion potential and making sales forecasting unpredictable.
• Rigid channel separation: Traditional inbound and outbound separation restricted agility and created inefficiencies during demand spikes.
• Stringent regulatory environment: Energy sales required strict adherence to FCA guidelines, limiting sales scripting flexibility and increasing delivery complexity.
• Pressure to do more with fewer resources: The client needed improved outcomes despite a reduction in overall FTEs.

How We Made It Happen

Firstsource applied deep business understanding and highly responsive operations to optimise sales and service delivery.

• Operational flexibility across channels: Used a third-party dialler alongside active day-to-day operations management to balance inbound, outbound, and email demand”protecting service levels while maximising genuine sales opportunities.
• Shift to net conversion metrics: Redefined performance measurement from gross conversion to net conversion, enabling a more accurate view of true sales effectiveness.
• SVT-led sales optimisation: Introduced a Standard Variable Tariff (SVT)—first sales strategy to simplify customer decisions, accelerate conversions, and increase overall sales volumes.
• Data-timing optimisation: Analysed conversion windows and re-timed dialing strategies to prioritise customers closer to their move-in date, improving sales yield per contact.
• Strong governance and compliance controls: Maintained near-perfect regulatory compliance through continuous monitoring, coaching, and quality assurance.

Conclusion

Firstsource redesigned the client’s sales and service operations, underpinned by a deep understanding of the complexities of regulated energy sales and the home-move customer journey. Through close collaboration with the client, disciplined day-to-day operations management, sharp insight into customer behaviour, and a highly motivated delivery team, the engagement delivered stronger sales performance while consistently meeting service and compliance expectations.