Internet service provider TalkTalk has today become the first major UK ISP to sign a deal that will see them adopting the cloud-based Kraken platform (part of Octopus Energy Group). The move is said to be part of the provider’s “ambition to become the most recommended Wi-Fi provider in the UK” (they obviously really mean broadband provider).
Kraken is a kind of overall management platform, which uses machine learning and the cloud to help utilities firms both run their business and interact with customers in a more cost-efficient way. Kraken says that their end-to-end operating system is already contracted to run over 60 million customer accounts (globally), including on behalf of many of the UK’s top utilities, including Octopus Energy, EDF Energy, Severn Trent, E.ON Next and others (e.g. rival ISP Cuckoo also adopted it in 2023).
The partnership will see TalkTalk customers being migrated from various “legacy internal platforms” to Kraken, which claims to use a “single universal model to simplify all aspects of customer service, for both customers and colleagues“. By streamlining account operations and consolidating everything into a single platform, Kraken says it will “enable customer service teams to solve any problem” (the use of “any” here is unrestrained, but we suspect it won’t do your weekly clothes ironing.. yet).
Susie Buckridge, TalkTalk CEO, said:
“At TalkTalk, we are undertaking a significant transformation as part of our ambition to become the most recommended Wi-Fi provider in the UK. An innovative and flexible technology platform that enables us to provide excellent customer service like Kraken is central to our ambition.
I know I speak for all of us at TalkTalk when I say we are excited to be the first major connectivity provider to join the Kraken network, not least because of the significant benefits it will bring to our customers and colleagues.”
Deepak Ravindran, CEO of Kraken for Water & Telco, said:
“After successfully disrupting the energy and water markets, we are thrilled to expand the magic of Kraken to the telco industry with our first scaled telco customer. Our collaboration with TalkTalk gives us a unique opportunity to partner with a leading player in the UK market to deliver outrageously good customer service, unlock operational efficiencies and bring our best-in-class tech to yet another industry.”
TalkTalk added that it would take up to around 2 years to completely migrate their customer base of 2.3 million over to Kraken. The first cohort is expected to “go live later this year“, while the first new customers will be on Kraken by early summer this year, expanding over the next year. No doubt there will be some cost savings for the provider too.