The rebrand from Vodafone to Epic might have taken many by surprise, but for the company’s CEO, it’s all about making a commitment.

Speaking to Jo Caruana on today’s episode of The Boardroom, Tamas Banyai focused on what the rebrand meant for the company.

Mr Banyai, an accomplished telecommunications business leader with over 20 years of experience in the industry, first joined the sector in Hungary back in 1999.

In 2014, he moved to Epic (then Vodafone Malta) to head the Consumer Business Unit, where he was responsible for all strategic, brand, marketing, customer experience and customer operations segments of the business. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Epic.

Mr Banyai welcomed questions about the rebrand, noting that many customers had asked why the brand needed to change.

Referring to the April 1st acquisition of Vodafone Malta by Monaco Telecom, he said the company had now joined Europe’s fastest growing network, present not only in small states like Monaco, Cyprus and Malta, but also in large markets like Italy, France and Poland.

“We moved from one international company to another in terms of shareholding, so that change was obviously going to leave an impact.”

Mr Banyai acknowledged that Epic would be building on the strong foundations developed by Vodafone, while bringing new values.

“We have some new things to offer, and the brand change was an opportunity to bring some positive energy.”

The kind of positive energy Mr Banyai is referring to is “about shaking off limitations for people and business”.

“Vodafone Malta was known for its great network and great service, and we wanted to keep that, while bringing a new value proposition. We wanted to dliver great network and great value together.”

This promise was at the centre of the rebranding, and Mr Banyai speaks about it as more than a new logo and new identity – “it is not only about changing the surface, but a real promise to our customers. What we’ve launched is a new commitment.”

The company is now asking itself on a daily basis whether it is actually delivering on its promise.

“We need to ensure that customers know who we are and what we stand for. They need to know that we are who they knew, but getting better.”

Accountability is key, and Mr Banyai is first to admit to elements that are not performing perfectly. He mentions the call centre, where waiting times are longer than the company is comfortable with, due to increased demand. The company is adapting by providing FAQs and Facebook videos to explain things clearly.

Asked how the rebrand changed things internally, he again pointed to the strong foundations built by Vodafone Malta.

“We are not starting from scratch. We are building on people who have been with the company for a long time. What hasn’t changed is the focus on customers, on quality.”

He then describes what did change: a new focus on efficiency and automation.

“The way we look at it now is by asking ourselves, how can we create efficiency and deliver it back to the customer – whether through better prices, better value, or better innovation.”

Asked about the company’s plans for the coming year, Mr Banyai said the imminent task was to keep improving their communications to help customers understand what they are doing, the journey they’re on, and where they are.

Asked what he sees as the company’s big task for the future, he closed off with a succinct view of the company’s goal: “It’s about customer service.”