UDBS secures Customer Service Excellence for three more years

Customer Service Excellence logo

Urban Design and Building Services (UDBS) is delighted to have secured the Customer Service Excellence standard for three more years – receiving ‘Compliance Plus’ recognition in two areas of our delivery.

Customer Service Excellence is a national accreditation, reflecting high standards of customer care within both public- and private-sector organisations. It works as a tool for continual improvement, giving organisations a way to measure and raise their levels of customer focus in five different areas:

* Customer insight
* The culture of the organisation
* Information and access
* Delivery
* Timeliness and quality of service.

A Customer Service Excellence standard lasts for three years. The organisation holding it must undergo a stringent independent assessment every twelve months.

UDBS has held this standard since 2015. Now, following UDBS’ latest annual assessment, we are very pleased to hear that we have retained Customer Service Excellence for a further three years.

Not only did we meet all the standards required under the five assessment criteria, we achieved Compliance Plus in the categories of customer insight and information and access.

‘Customer insight’ refers to the way in which an organisation effectively identifies its customers, consults them in a meaningful way and efficiently measures the outcomes of its service.

We take pride in collecting information about UDBS customers and using it in a way enhances their experience. For example, we use digital walkthroughs so our customers can envisage how their completed project will look and feel.

Meanwhile, ‘information and access’ measures the extent to which an organisation gives customers accurate and comprehensive information, delivered (or accessible) through the channel most appropriate for them. At UDBS, we are passionate about putting our customers first, consulting with them from start to project completion on the services they require from us.

The assessor pointed out in feedback notes that achieving Fully Compliant status means an organisation is “going the extra mile” for customers. Compliance Plus scoring means “going above and beyond” that already high of service provision. So we are understandably very proud of this outcome.

Also among the assessor’s feedback was praise for “strong leadership” from UDBS’ senior management, and “determination to provide a quality service to all their customers”. They also noted “real focus on customers by staff”.

The assessor wrote: “Sandwell Council should be very proud of the continued achievements of the Urban Design & Building Services [team] achieving again the Customer Service Excellence Standard [and] proving such a high level of customer service.”

We are delighted to have retained this independent validation of UDBS’ customer focus and thank all our brilliant team members for their caring approach.

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