Betr Outsourcing saves 95 jobs in Sunderland after Energy Compare closure

Call centre firm Betr Outsourcing has intervened to save 95 jobs from a failed competitor on Wearside, with plans to create at least 60 additional roles this year.

The company, which operates from Sunderland and Glasgow, has absorbed staff from Doxford Park's Energy Compare Limited. The latter went into administration after losing a significant contract, resulting in around 120 job losses.

The contact centre had been serving clients So Energy and Love Holidays before its abrupt closure.

Betr is headed by Richard Knox, one of the original founders of Energy Compare, who left the firm after it was sold to South Africa-based Ison Xperiences.

Currently, Betr employs approximately 140 people near the Stadium of Light and has been paying former Energy Compare staff on a weekly basis to help them cope with the sudden loss of income, reports Chronicle Live.

When Energy Compare's closure became imminent, customers reached out to Mr Knox and a team of directors based in Sunderland - Cally Heads, Chris McCoulough and James Palmer - urging them to quickly take on the contracts. Less than a week later, Betr had mobilised and got the remaining staff back on the phones.

Mr Knox said: "The staff were over the moon because they walked into a job that they were ultimately doing, so there was none of that fear factor. Yes, they were joining a different company but the day-to-day job they knew inside out. They also knew a lot of familiar faces at our end."

He added: "And to give them the financial stability of the weekly pay just helped them out. And actually the clients were great as well because we asked them if they could pay us quickly in order to support the agents and they agreed because they all wanted to and understood."

Besides the contracts assumed from Energy Compare, Betr employs approximately 200 people managing a major contract for Scottish Power, with additional involvement in the sector through contracts with Rebel Energy, Tomato Energy, and SmartestEnergy. With the recruitment from Energy Compare, the company's workforce has reached around 400, aligning with its aspirations for further growth.

Mr Knox added: "Our growth has been great, and it's also a great story from a North East and UK perspective. Because in the contact centre industry, the majority of jobs are being pushed offshore and we're really flying the flag."