As well as recruiting more staff and tripling the number of advisors the 24 hour service started out with, existing staff have had opportunities to progress.

The CSC in Irvine has become an established part of the bigger team based in Liverpool, taking calls from IHA customers but also acting as an overflow team for Riverside customers. It not only ensures consistency for customers, it has also helped to provide jobs for local people in Ayrshire.

Only twelve months since joining the CSC as an advisor, Chris Mounce was successful in securing the position of performance & development coach. Chris now spends his time equally between the Irvine and Carlisle offices supporting advisors.

Chris said: “This has been a fantastic development opportunity for me. I am really enjoying mentoring colleagues, helping them progress and offer a first class service to our customers.

“I’ve been supporting the new advisors within the Irvine team. As the team expands, it’s going from strength to strength and there’s such a wealth of knowledge as half the advisors have joined us from a housing background.

“I really feel valued at work. It’s a truly unique culture at IHA where team building and camaraderie are encouraged. As the newest branch of the business we have positively integrated into the IHA family. It’s a really exciting time for the CSC and I’m delighted to be part of the team.”

CSC team leader, Alan Gray, is looking forward to further expansion and opportunities for the team.

Alan said: “I am delighted to see the continued growth of the Customer Service Centre in Irvine. We have recruited a strong team with a diverse range of skills and experience from various backgrounds.

“It’s really encouraging to see two of my team gaining recognition for their outstanding contributions over the last year in gaining promotions to assistant team leader and performance and development coach. Having experienced advisors on hand to offer support in a collaborative and engaging environment gives our staff confidence and this translates to our customers.

“I am looking forward to the next 12 months as we look to expand our team even further, creating more jobs in the local area and providing opportunities to progress for my existing team members.”

The CSC is focused on further improving the customer experience with more self-serve features and is currently piloting a live chat facility with the Association’s scrutiny panel before launching to customers in the near future.