Vodafone UK News recently sat down with Scott Currie, Head of VOXI Mobile, to explore how the brand has gone from “an idea on a whiteboard” to a million-customer success story.
“People are always surprised when I say I started out as a teacher, but that experience fundamentally shaped my leadership approach – and it still guides me today.”
Scott Currie may have started his professional life in the education sector, but today, as Head of VOXI Mobile, he’s more likely to find himself in a boardroom than a classroom.
Since co-founding VOXI in 2017 as part of a small, entrepreneurial team of five Vodafone employees, Currie’s journey has been one defined by rapid growth and constant innovation.
Under his leadership, VOXI has grown into one of the UK’s most exciting telecom challenger brands, recently celebrating the milestone of one million customers.
Despite VOXI’s success, Currie highlights the constant need to evolve. This is especially true for a company like VOXI, which markets itself towards the transient younger generations. Today, of course, that means Gen Z.
Mobile milestone: How VOXI captured the hearts of 1 million customers
VOXI Mobile has announced today that it has achieved a significant milestone, reaching 1 million customers by successfully capturing the Gen Z market.
“Gen Z can instantly detect when something is inauthentic, so we learnt early on that we have to be genuinely for them, and even by them,” explains Currie. “That meant bringing young people into our decision-making and being honest and transparent as a brand.
“The key lesson was to really listen – whether it’s to what our customers are saying or what the team at the front line is seeing – and to be willing to pivot based on that.”
This openness to adapt has been a core principle of VOXI over its first eight years. When it launched, the brand targeted those 25 and under, even installing a gating process to ensure only these younger users could sign up.
While such restrictions have long since been removed, this age range remains the target audience, meaning the brand must evolve with them as time goes on.
“All of this is intentional, because it means our team is super close to the trends and what is going to appeal to our audience, ensuring authenticity and relevance.”
Creating a community
From the beginning, VOXI has engaged and collaborated with young creators to help build the brand. Initially, a community of 100 creatives was enlisted to help shape all customer-facing marketing content.
Today, collaborations have expanded to include everyone from emerging illustrators to comedians, and even customers who beta-test and co-develop new features.
Bringing the outside in like this can often be a tricky challenge for brands, which is why VOXI goes one step further.
“Our team is deeply immersed in youth culture” says Currie. “VOXI Drop, for instance, is run end to end by someone within our target demographic.”
This ‘finger-on-the-pulse’ approach has enabled the launch of innovative products like ‘Endless Video’ – a direct response to the explosion in on-device mobile streaming among young users.
However, it also helps in terms of getting this content in front of the right people in an engaging way; VOXI currently boasts the largest social following of any UK telco, for instance.
“All of this is intentional, because it means our team is super close to the trends and what is going to appeal to our audience, ensuring authenticity and relevance.”
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Making social safer
At the centre of the VOXI brand sits a basic, though impactful, proposition: a flexible, 30-day, no-contract plan with unlimited social media usage. While this certainly struck a chord upon inception, how does it tally with growing concerns in society around social media’s potential impact on young people?
“It’s something we think about a lot,” admits Currie. “On one hand, VOXI’s mission is to empower young people through connectivity. We give them unlimited access to social apps because that’s where they live their lives, express themselves, learn new things, and stay in touch.
“On the other hand, we’re very aware of the concerns about excessive screen time, mental health, and online safety. Just because we provide unlimited social media data, that doesn’t mean we encourage being online 24/7 without a break. Balance is important.”
Ultimately, VOXI sees its role as enabling young people to use the internet positively, while also supporting digital wellbeing.
Its partnership with the charity UK Youth reflects this dual commitment, as donated funds are channelled towards projects that help improve young people’s mental health and digital resilience. Beyond this, VOXI Drop has given customers the chance to donate to youth-centred causes, such as Teenage Cancer Trust.
"I often remind my team that, since all our customers are with us by choice every single month, we constantly have to deliver great value and experiences. Otherwise, they could leave tomorrow.”
The customer comes first
While the brand is obviously eager to reduce any potential harms that technology may contribute to, it also focuses on how these advancements may benefit customers.
VOXI’s AI chatbot, which was named ‘Innovation of the Year’ at the 2024 Mobile Industry Awards, is a prime example. As the first UK telco brand to deploy a Generative AI (GenAI) chatbot for customers, it embodies the company’s “customer-first, technology-second” mentality.
“This mantra may sound ironic coming from a digital mobile brand, but it’s something we take to heart,” says Currie. “From day one, we designed VOXI around what the customer actually wants and needs, rather than the age of the technology.”
This includes the decision to only offer 30-day rolling plans, rather than contracts. By effectively basing its business on a pay-as-you-go-type model, VOXI went against the accepted wisdom of the market’s longer tenured contract plans with a monthly bill.
“This was entirely about giving customers simplicity and freedom, even though it meant we, as a business, have to work harder to earn loyalty.”
“In fact, I often remind my team that, since all our customers are with us by choice every single month, we constantly have to deliver great value and experiences. Otherwise, they could leave tomorrow.”
Vodafone youth brand VOXI launches large language model generative AI chatbot to enhance customer experience
The LLM generative AI chatbot can engage in human-like interactions with customers and handle more sophisticated customer requests.
A lesson in leadership
While an impressive milestone, reaching one million customers is perhaps not cause for VOXI to rest on its laurels then. Which is why Currie remains focused on three pillars to drive VOXI’s continued success:
“Firstly, staying authentically connected to youth culture. If we’re not genuinely reflecting the values and interests of our audience, we risk losing relevance overnight.
“Secondly, maintaining agility – continually evolving our offerings to match rapidly changing customer behaviours, like introducing Endless Video plans in response to streaming trends.”
“And finally, putting customer experience above everything. Innovations like our GenAI chatbot weren’t about chasing tech trends, but fundamentally about creating better, quicker, and more enjoyable customer interactions.”
As Currie continues to lead VOXI’s dedicated team of around 40 people, these principles guide the brand’s relentless drive to stay relevant, responsive, and connected to its audience – securing its position as the mobile provider of choice for the next generation.
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