Glen Oaks Housing Association has been awarded the prestigious Customer Service Excellence Standard.

The Association achieved 3 compliance plus’ for Customer Insight, a significant attainment for the Association’s first assessment.

Customer Service Excellence tests in great depth areas that research has indicated are a priority for customers, with particular focus on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitude. There is also emphasis placed on developing customer insight, understanding the user’s experience and the robust measurement of service satisfaction. In order to achieve the standard, no more than 11 partial non-compliances’ can be found across the five criterions. For Glen Oaks to only receive 3 partial non compliances in its first assessment is an achievement in itself but to also successfully receive 3 compliance plus’, is a true cause for celebration.

The assessor, within his final report, commended the Association’s insight into its customer’s needs, wants and aspirations and how this has been used, to not only to address the housing needs of its customers, but to deliver initiatives which have a positive impact of the customer’s environment, expectations, tenancy sustainment and lives in general. It was also highlighted that the work done in the Customer Journey Mapping exercises were in the assessor’s opinion “first class”.

This achievement is testament to the Associations commitment to gain insight from customers through an extension range of methods from tenant profiling, satisfaction surveys, customer research and tenant scrutiny.

Elaine McShane, chairperson of Glen Oaks, was delighted to receive the certificate from Harry Nicol, from CSE, at the Association’s recent Resident Conference.

Elaine said: “I am delighted that the Association’s commitment to providing first class customer service has been recognised through the award of Customer Service Excellence.”

Alasdair McKee, chief executive of Glen Oaks, added: “The insight we gather has not only allowed us to improve existing services but to also tailor our services with our most disadvantaged tenants in mind. Our Starting Out Project, funded by the BIG Lottery and the People and Communities Fund has allowed us to dedicate resources to the issues affecting our tenants’ lives and ultimately their tenancies with us, from tackling Digital Inclusion, Fuel Poverty and more. We are delighted that this has been recognised by the assessor and the outcome of the assessment has exceeded our expectations.”