Residents in the driving seat for customer services accreditation

Published by SOHA for Soha Housing Ltd in Housing

Ed Vaizey, MP, today presented Soha Housing with a prestigious award following a rigorous assessment of the landlord's customer service practices  - the Cabinet Office Customer Services Excellence (CSE) Accreditation.

To meet the stringent CSE criteria, Soha showed it works closely with residents to design and deliver services, and that residents are in the driving seat of how services are delivered.   

Mr Vaizey - pictured with (left) Soha resident (and Customer Services Portfolio Holder) Valerie Edwards with Maureen Adams, Soha's Director of Customer Service and Operations, saw how Soha mapped the journey through the lettings process as an example of how the housing association had captured customer experience.  He said, "It's especially heartening to read that the Inspector had found 'a deep understanding and commitment to customer service excellence throughout the organisation at Soha'.  It's an accolade for the entire staff."

‘‘It’s a real pleasure to see the results of our hard work recognised in this way’’ said Valerie, “we really do put residents’ ideas into action and the accreditor could see it. "

The award comes hot on the heels of Soha having been shortlisted in March for the national Institute of Customer Services (ICS) award for their Customer Care Strategy against major firms such as Boots and RBS International.  Soha is also one of the Tenant Service Authority’s 10 national Co-Regulation champions.

The accreditation has been achieved with full compliance and ‘compliance plus’ in relation to knowing the customer’s needs and preferences.