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Energy Giant Achieves Zero Critical Incidents and Boosts Agent Satisfaction by 36%
Essent N.V., the Netherlands’ largest energy supplier, has completed a full-scale transformation of its contact centre infrastructure—cutting technology costs by 50%, recording zero critical incidents post-migration, and improving agent workplace satisfaction by 36%.
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The migration, delivered in partnership with Sabio Group, was completed in under 12 weeks and supports an operation of more than 1,000 agents across two locations.
Legacy Systems Had Become a Strategic Risk
According to a recently published case study, Essent’s legacy on-premise voice platform had become a growing liability. The system was running on unsupported technology, driving up specialist maintenance costs and preventing the deployment of AI-powered customer experience tools increasingly expected by modern energy consumers.
Agents were also burdened with fragmented workflows, juggling multiple chat windows and agent desktops simultaneously—an arrangement that reduced productivity and increased stress levels.
“Our agents were constantly working with different screens—multiple chat instances open at once, multiple agent desktop instances. It was messy, and in some cases, quite stressful,” said Michiel Kouijzer, SAFe Product Manager for Customer Interaction, Omnichannel and Digital Transformation at Essent.
Phased Migration Minimised Customer Risk
Rather than pursuing a high-risk “big bang” cutover that could have disrupted services to millions of households, Sabio designed a phased migration strategy. The transformation began with Essent’s SME segment to validate technical readiness before scaling across the wider enterprise.
A critical milestone came in December, when live chat services were migrated during peak winter demand. The transition was invisible to customers, with live chat Net Promoter Score (NPS) not only maintained but improved.
Clear Gains in Cost, Stability and Agent Experience
The results were decisive. Essent halved its contact centre technology costs, while agent workplace NPS rose from +19 to +26—a 36% increase. Since go-live, the organisation has experienced zero critical incidents, in stark contrast to the recurring outages associated with its previous environment.
“A lot of colleagues were saying I was mad for even suggesting this approach. It kind of feels like a victory on a personal level that it did work out. You just have to be a little ambitious—and have the right expert partner who can make it work,” Kouijzer added.
Embedded Delivery and a Unified Agent Workspace
Sabio’s engagement extended well beyond a standard technology deployment. Its consultants were embedded on-site at Essent’s headquarters in ’s-Hertogenbosch, working directly within Essent’s agile sprint teams.
The project required complex coordination across telecommunications providers, E.ON group networking, and CRM integrations. The outcome is a unified agent workspace where voice, chat, and customer data are consolidated into a single interface—dramatically improving the daily experience of frontline staff.
“This project showcases Sabio’s unique position in the contact centre technology landscape. We’re not just moving Essent to the cloud—we’re establishing a foundation for continuous improvement in customer experience delivery,” said Wouter Bakker, Country Manager, Sabio Group Benelux.
Next Phase: AI-Driven Customer Experience
With a stable cloud infrastructure now in place, Essent is shifting focus to advanced capabilities that were previously unattainable. These include AI-powered call summarisation, agentic self-service solutions, and next-generation workforce optimisation tools.
The transformation positions Essent to deliver more efficient, resilient, and intelligent customer engagement—while creating a more supportive and productive environment for its agents.
