We routinely ask customers ‘how satisfied are you that Accent listens to your views and acts upon them?’ because:
- Ensuring customers are meaningfully involved in decision-making is one of our corporate strategy objectives.
- We are tracking the success of the measures we are taking to improve the way we engage with and consult with customers.
- Our regulators use this measure of satisfaction to check that Accent is operating in a fair and responsible manner.
In the latest survey 59.2% of customers indicated that they were satisfied which falls short of our target, but is an improvement on last year’s result of 50.9%. A more detailed breakdown of the responses is available here.
Customers are disappointed with the lack of opportunities to influence service delivery at Accent, which is something we clearly need to address. Here are some of the things we are working on:
Accent 1000
Customers who would like to be consulted on the full range of services that Accent provides are invited to join the Accent 1000. Register here.
Accent 1000 is an online community of up to 1,000 customers whose backgrounds reflect the wide variety of our customers and who are spread across the five regions in which Accent operates.
As part of the Accent 1000, we’d like you to take part in regular polls, surveys and questionnaires, consultations and focus groups.
Find out more about the Accent 1000 and what they have helped Accent to achieve here.
Repairs & Maintenance Transformation
We know that many of you have been let down by our repairs service over the last year. While the pandemic contributed to this, we know there is more we could do to improve the service.
Two customers regularly attend delivery board meetings to help make sure that the project stays on track. You may have already noticed some changes to the service:
- We have appointed a new repairs contractor in the North West and East regions, Ian Williams, that is so far performing well.
- We have been asking customers to send pictures of repairs issues by email, where possible, so that we can correctly diagnose the problem and send the right tradesperson with the right tools to carry out the repair.
Grass Roots Engagement
We have heard loudly and clearly that the services which matter most to you are those which directly affect your living environment (for example; grounds maintenance, cleaning etc.). We are committed to creating and increasing opportunities for customers to meaningfully influence service delivery at a ‘grass roots’ level.
Two customers are involved in the procurement of new communal cleaning contractors in the North West region. We consulted with all customers who receive this service to explain what is happening and invite their feedback.
You can expect more engagement of this type in the future, to make sure we are delivering the services you actually want and expect.
You can find out about our grass roots engagement activity here.
