Harrogate Neighbours Housing Association: Cementing Customer Insight and Culture with CSE

Our Journey to Certification 

We sought certification for the Customer Service Excellence standard because it is a national quality mark designed to recognise organisations with a truly customer-focused culture. Our journey involved a rigorous assessment process, including a comprehensive document review and an on-site visit by an impartial assessor from the Centre for Assessment. 

The assessment took place in September 2025, during which we demonstrated Full Compliance across all five major criteria: 

• Customer Insight 

• The Culture of the Organisation 

• Information and Access 

• Delivery 

• Timeliness and Quality of Service 

We were particularly proud to achieve a Compliance Plus score for our "Digital Hub" initiative, which exceeded standard requirements by providing equipment and training to bridge the digital divide for our residents. 

The Most Pertinent Elements of the Standard 

For HNHA, the Customer Insight and Culture elements of the CSE standard are the most vital. The framework has ensured a continual focus on the "customer journey"—how we consult, engage, and feed back to everyone involved in our service, including staff, partners, and residents. 

Using the standard’s principles has enabled us to: 

• Use customer information to actively enhance the services on offer, changing our approaches and growing our methods of delivery. 

• Empower staff to "go above and beyond," ensuring professionalism in every face-to-face and telephone interaction. 

• Integrate our core values into every aspect of the organisation, from staff badges to email signatures. 

The Certification Process with Centre for Assessment 

The process with Centre for Assessment was thorough, professional, and highly insightful. Our assessor, Hugh Keachie, conducted a detailed evaluation that included interviews with staff, customers, family members, and partners. This collaborative approach provided us with a clear benchmark of our performance and highlighted our key strengths, such as our strong leadership and the deep individual commitment of our staff. 

Recommendation of the Standard 

We highly recommend the CSE standard to any organisation looking to promote continuous improvement. It helps HNHA to look to the future, grow and improve, and shape our methodology. By adhering to the framework, we have been able to regularly update our policies and processes, ensuring that the customer remains the focus of all our activities. 

Advice for Other Organisations 

• Involve Your Entire Team: Success comes from a real commitment from senior management down to frontline staff. 

• Focus on Communication: Ensure you not only collect customer opinions but also inform them of the outcomes of those consultations. 

• Seek "Compliance Plus": Look for areas where your organisation demonstrates exceptional practice or acts as an exemplar for the sector. 

Closing Quote 

Being part of the CSE framework has ensured a continual focus on the customer journey at HNHA. It gives us an opportunity with our assessor and the standards to look at what we do well and how we can strive to do better. We also feel that it’s a great way to hold ourselves to account, and prove we are what we say we are… a fantastic place for people to live. It helps us to try to always raise the bar, so we ensure outstanding, excellent service all the time. 

We would absolutely recommend Centre for Assessment for their rigorous yet supportive approach to helping organisations achieve their best." 

For More Information: 

If you'd like more information on the CSE standard, visit our website.