One Touch Switching is a new gaining provider led service aimed at making switching Broadband providers quicker and easier for our customers, whether you're joining or leaving us. If you've got any questions about switching to a new provider, we'll provide some answers below.
In September 2021, the regulator Ofcom announced its proposal to implement a new industry-wide switching process termed One Touch Switching (OTS), outlining a new framework of rules providers must follow during the switching process. Ofcom's intention with this new framework is to support residential customers in making informed switching decisions when looking to change their fixed voice and broadband service provider in a quicker and easier manner.
The core concept of the OTS process is to have the gaining provider – the customer's new provider – manage the entire switching process with the cooperation of the losing provider (the customer's current provider). This new framework isn't expected to come into force until 12th September 2024.
One Touch Switching is an industry-wide change with the specific aim of making the process of switching from one supplier to another easier for the customer. This means you only need to deal with the new provider throughout the switch process.
One Touch Switching is gaining provider led. This means you only need to liaise with your new provider (the provider you intend to move to). It is the responsibility of the gaining provider to communicate the customers intentions of moving away and the completion of the switch. This is so that the losing provider can terminate your service and billing on the day of switch.
The implications of switching communication is a document that is sent to you at the point of matching. This is when we have identified you, the customer, and the services you have with your current provider. The implications of switching advises you what services you currently have, what services you would lose if you moved away, and also any early termination charges that would be incurred.
One Touch Switching is only applicable when a customer is moving from one supplier to another. It can be bypassed if the switch is too complex or if there are issues "matching" the customer's current supplier. These could be due to the data being incorrect with the current provider or if the provider is not signed up to OTS. Currently only the main 4 Communications Providers (TalkTalk, BT, Virgin and Sky) are using OTS.
If you have more than one product or service that you wish to move across, you would need to match and switch each product or service separately. The match process only identifies one service or account at a time.
If there is a complication with your match request, we would need an agent to intervene to understand what the issue is. Some scenarios are too complex for the systems to understand, such as if you have multiple services and match requests, or if there is a specific error being returned during matching. Our agents are better equipped to work through these scenarios to make sure your request is handled correctly.
You may have more than one line in your property, such as a second line into an office or bedroom. In these occasions, if we have entered your name and address details as part of the match request, then we will match against each service. To proceed we would need to get in touch with you to ensure we select the correct service to switch.
For the match request, you will need to enter the details for the new provider to identify you and your current service. The more details that are entered, then the stronger the match. If only your name and address are entered then we may get multiple matches, but if you enter your current account number or phone number as well, then we should only get an individual match. If the data is entered incorrectly or the current provider has incorrect data, such as name spelled incorrectly, then we won't receive a correct match.
Ceasing is industry terminology for stopping your old service and closing the billing account. Once you have successfully switched to the new supplier, then your service with your old supplier will be ceased.
Retain means to keep part of the service. For example, if you switch and want to keep your phone number, this will be retained as part of the order. There is also the example of moving your data / Broadband service and your previous supplier retaining the phone service, effectively splitting your account across two suppliers.
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