How Customer Services Helped Louise With Her Career Development

Hello, I’m Louise and I’ve been working for South Lakes Housing (SLH) since 2018. When I joined, I started as a Customer Services Advisor and in this role, I was a first point of contact for customers to help solve any queries or problems they had. I’m naturally an empathetic and caring person and this role helped me to develop my people skills even more which resulted in improved communication with customers. The Customer Service Advisor role was a fantastic platform that helped me to progress with my career into housing and provided me with the tools I needed to take that next step.

Here’s a little bit more about my career development….

In November 2020, I became an Allocations Partner where I was responsible for allocating SLH homes through the Cumbria Choice based lettings process. I helped to shortlist applicants, carry out viewings, and supporting new tenants through the onboarding process called ‘My New Home’.

This role was memorable and rewarding. I could really make a difference to someone’s life, whether that was helping an older applicant with sheltered housing accommodation or supporting a customer experiencing homelessness into a new home. The communication skills that I developed whilst being a Customer Service Advisor really helped spur me on in this role as I knew the importance that excellent communication brings to the whole customer experience.

Whilst being with South Lakes Housing, I have gained a CIH Level 4 qualification in housing and the course allowed me to learn and explore areas of housing policy, law, finance, and professional practice. It has helped me with my personal development and helped me use best practices within my role whilst providing me with a deeper understanding of how SLH and organisations in the housing sector work.

In March 2022 I became a Customer Insight Partner with the aim to maintain and develop the customer experience. The insight I gain through this role helps me to have a real and deep understanding of our customers and their experiences. This understanding helps SLH to deliver an improved customer experience, and in turn, a better service to our customers. It also helps us be more efficient and to deliver the right services, to the right customers at the right time.

My role involves analysing and reporting on customer insight gained from compliments, complaints, MP and councillor enquiries, focus groups, satisfaction surveys, other engagement activities and general customer feedback. I form part of our new Customer First Team, which is a dedicated team that will be working to identify learning to improve customer experience here at SLH.

On occasions I deal with challenging and upset customers who have been let down or have not received the excellent customer experience that SLH strives to deliver. The resilience and strategies I built up during my time as a Customer Service Advisor have really helped me to work with customers to find a solution that they are satisfied with.

As part of my role as a Customer Insight Partner I help to facilitate many different approaches for tenants or leaseholders to engage with us including Tenants Committee, service focus groups, online surveys, estate walkabouts and at Board level.

At the heart of SLH is our customer experience and how we can involve you with our services. If you are interested in having your say help us to shape our services, please get in touch with us via email: community@southlakeshousing.co.uk Get involved, be engaged. Your views matter!

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