A growing team helping customers get the support they need

Since launching in April, Portus Supported Housing’s Customer Experience Team has been helping customers get support, report problems and share their experiences. Read what's been happening.

Since launching in April, Portus Supported Housing’s Customer Experience Team has been helping customers get support, report problems and share their experiences.

Led by Siobhan Thomas, Head of Customer Experience and Data, the team provides a central point of contact for customers. From answering enquiries and raising repairs to processing new tenancies and coordinating complaints, its work helps customers access the services they need.

The team launched with Siobhan and eight Customer Experience Officers. A Customer Experience Manager joined in September, bringing the team to 10 colleagues. A second Customer Experience Manager starts  in November,  and recruitment for a ninth Customer Experience Officer is also getting under way.

This growth will strengthen the team’s capacity to support customers and continue improving services.

Supporting customers every day

Between April and September, the team has:

• Handled 8,078 calls, averaging around 1,346 each month
• Raised 6,354 repairs, averaging around 1,059 each month
• Processed 148 new tenancies, helping customers move into their homes
• Raised 24 damp and mould reports for action
• Coordinated 86 complaints

Calls are also being answered quickly, with average waiting times now under 10 seconds. In October, customers waited an average of just seven seconds to speak to someone.

Listening and making changes

Customer feedback has helped shape the service, including how customers contact Portus Supported Housing and report problems with their homes.

When customers telephone, they speak directly to a Customer Experience Officer without having to work through multiple options. The officer can listen, understand what is needed and help with the request.

Since 1 October, Customer Experience Officers have also been taking details of heating and hot water problems and arranging a repair on customers’ behalf. This saves customers from being transferred to an external company and having to explain their problem again.

Siobhan said: “Behind every call, repair report or enquiry is a person who needs our help. Our role is to listen, understand what matters to them and make it as straightforward as possible to get the right support.

“I am proud of what our team has achieved since April. Colleagues have handled thousands of enquiries while helping establish a new service and responding to what customers tell us.

“As the team grows, we will have more capacity to support colleagues, monitor how we are doing and make improvements. The changes to our telephone service and the way we handle heating and hot water reports show how listening can lead to practical changes for customers.

“We want people to feel heard, know what will happen next and have confidence that their enquiry is being taken forward.”

Continuing to improve

Alongside its day-to-day work, the team brings together customer feedback and information about enquiries, complaints and services. This helps Portus Supported Housing identify recurring problems, understand customers’ experiences and decide where improvements are needed.

There is more to do, and the team will keep reviewing how it handles enquiries and complaints so every customer receives a timely response.

With further recruitment planned, the Customer Experience Team will continue building on its first six months, helping Portus Supported Housing provide responsive services shaped around its customers.