Bermuda telephone service company BTC has pledged to put a greater focus on customer service.

To lead the company in reaching that goal is a new chief operations officer, with BTC announcing yesterday that responsibility for customer service and network operations was to go to telecommunications industry veteran Edgar Dill.

Mr. Dill, who officially assumes his new post on Monday, was reportedly, at least for a short time, chief operations officer for BTC rival Quantum but the majority of his career has been spent with Cable & Wireless Bermuda ? which is a 40 percent Quantum shareholder.

In a Press statement announcing Mr. Dill?s appointment, BTC president and CEO Francis Mussenden said Mr. Dill would lead the company?s new focus on customer service. ?The new direction for BTC will be one which focuses on how to best serve the customers. Mr. Dill will lead the change process which will enhance our customer service capabilities.?

Mr. Dill said: ?I am energised by the prospect of seeing positive change at BTC. It is an excellent company and I look forward to leading my team towards reaching new benchmarks.?

He continued: ?I support Mr. Mussenden?s assertion that BTC?s new direction is about ensuring that our customers are satisfied and stay loyal to us.?

Mr. Dill ? who will report to Mr. Mussenden ? takes on the BTC post after 32 years with Cable & Wireless Bermuda, most recently as senior vice-president of business development. He was named to that position in April, 2003.

Mr. Dill was said to have held a number of senior executive positions with C&W Bermuda including in engineering, marketing, sales and business development.

Although it is not clear exactly how long Mr. Dill was with Quantum ? having been named to lead operations in early 2003 for the fledgling telecommunications company that has been trying with limited success to go head to head with BTC for several years now ? it is understood that a former BTC sales and marketing employee Garth Barnes took over the Quantum COO post in October, 2003.