Corporate member launches a Customer Service Charter

Corporate member Designer Contracts has launched a Customer Service Charter, believed to be a first within the industry.

Since the launch of the Home Builders Federation (HBF) annual customer satisfaction survey, carried out by the HBF and the National Housebuilding Council (NHBC) each year, significant progress has been made by the industry to deliver exemplary levels of customer service, with Designer Contracts generally considered a leading example.

The company’s new Customer Service Charter sets out its mission, commitment and processes to give guidance on how to deal with issues quickly and effectively. The detailed flow charts ensure that from notification of issue through to contact closure, every consequence is covered.

Peter Kelsey, md of Designer Contracts said: “When the HBF’s survey was first introduced I’m not sure anyone could have anticipated the scale of the effect it would have across the new build sector.

“Our commitment to service means we are constantly investing in our people and resources and the new Customer Service Charter is another step in our continued first class service to all our customers.”

The company also provides a customer care leaflet for all its customers to give out to every new home owner. The details include how to care for and maintain the installed floorcoverings. This leaflet not only demonstrates that the developer cares about the new home buyer but the information in the leaflet helps to reduce the number of service issues raised.

Designer Contracts continues to strengthen its customer service support. The dedicated team includes a total of 40 customer service managers, fitters, co-ordinators and administrators across its 12 regions. The company has also bought 25 customer service vehicles to enable swift inspection and remedial action.

All regions have dedicated customer service e-mail addresses to ensure single points of contact and its teams liaise directly with the housebuilders’customer care managers.

With such a good, trusting relationship often forged the company is sometimes even asked to resolve other contractors’ issues as well as the more usual requests to sort issues caused by other trades.

To ensure the successful execution of a contract, Designer Contracts will have a full understanding of what is to be provided and what requirements/service levels are to be met. It reviews and measures its performance to ensure it is meeting and exceeding the agreed terms and expectations.

The company puts dedicated people in place and assigns resources to manage the contract effectively. As a result of this it gains the in depth knowledge needed to maximise efficiency and therefore create greater customer satisfaction.  Effective account management allows it to work closely with its customers and maintain a long standing profitable relationship.

It ensures that on-site technical advice and customer staff training is readily available and that staff are qualified to offer comprehensive advice and able to suggest and implement any necessary improvements.