Our commitment to improving services

Our aim has always been to provide first-class services for our customers. Here are just two of the steps we’ve taken recently to ensure we keep improving. 

Customer Contact Centre:

Following customer feedback from our ‘Customer contact – scrutiny’ event, we have revamped our automated phone messaging system! The main changes include going from a six-queue to a four-queue system which will reduce the customer’s call wait time. We have also got new on-hold music and you will hear seasonal and informative messages about our services whilst on hold. If you have any feedback about the updates, we would love to hear about them – please email feedback@wcht.org.uk.  

Complaints: 

We value all feedback about our services, whether it’s a compliment, a complaint or just an observation. We understand that there will be times when things don’t go as well as we, or our customers, would like and when that happens, we need to know about it so we can take the appropriate steps to resolve the problem promptly and ensure it doesn’t happen again. Within our current financial year, we have achieved 100% compliance by ensuring that all complaints at stage one and stage two met our complaint handling timescales, as per our Customer Feedback Policy & Procedure. 

As part of the complaints process for a stage two appeal, a Customer Representative will work closely with the investigating manager to ensure a fair outcome has been achieved. Here is what one of our trusted Customer Representatives said about their experience:

“I’ve been a Customer Rep for many years now and find it interesting and varied. I like problem-solving and am happy to work with Watford Community Housing and other Customer Reps on Tenant Appeals. 

Working on a stage 2 appeal is not just about who is right or wrong because there will always be points on both sides. It’s about looking at the whole issue, having an open mind and being impartial to try to get the best and fairest resolution. When working on an appeal I like to make notes, ask questions and discuss options before making a decision. There is always a member of Watford Community Housing available to clarify any points we are unsure of and there is no time limit when we discuss an appeal because they are all so different. At the end I am happy that the best decision has been made and I think that using Customer Reps makes it a fair system.

Being a Customer Representative has enriched my knowledge and given me insights into how complaints are handled internally. When I’ve had the privilege to represent tenants in different cases, the correspondence between departments was very efficient, and I always receive the documents anonymously which allows me to understand and investigate thoroughly. They always take my recommendations on board and try to accommodate any changes needed to ensure the satisfaction of the tenant. It is a valuable experience that I encourage tenants to take part in, because their feedback is valued and you can help to improve the customer resolution procedures and policies.”

We offer opportunities for all Watford Community Housing customers to become involved in customer complaints-handling under our Involvement Menu. Customers who express an interest in this area are required to undergo the relevant fully-funded training delivered by TPAS.

If you are interested into becoming a Customer Representative, or you would like some more information, please contact the Customer Relations team by emailing CustomerRelationsTeam@wcht.org.uk.