1. We will give you excellent customer service
Everything we do needs to be designed to help you be safe, secure and enjoy your home
Commitment
We will equip our people to be able to deliver the best customer service.
Milestone
We will roll out a new customer service training programme for our development managers. This will enable them to give prospective buyers real insight into life at the development and answer a full range of questions.
When will it happen?
Ongoing
Where are we now?
We fully completed training of our own staff and all Peverel Retirement House / Estate Managers (including England, Wales & Scotland) by the end of March 2013.
Commitment
We will make sure you can get in touch with us when you need to.
Milestone
We will always try and answer your call there and then, but if you have to leave a message in office hours (8.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm Saturday) we will phone you back no later than the end of the next working day.
When will it happen?
Ongoing
Where are we now?
We increased the size of our sales negotiator team in early 2013, which enabled us both to meet this commitment and to improve our overall service provision.
2. We will be open and transparent.
We recognise you have the right to see how we run our business.
Commitment
We will publish details of our income and explain what we do to earn it.
Milestone
We will be open to you on the fees/commissions that will apply when we take instructions from you.
When will it happen?
From 2013
Where are we now?
This was an existing requirement of our Ombudsman already, but we wanted to make this even clearer for our customers. Our fees and commissions are now directly referenced in our initial letters and contract terms, stated as a fixed cost or percentage of the sale price as appropriate.
If we recommend a solicitor to you, we will ensure their fees are made clear to you as well.
Commitment
If it’s appropriate to use one of our group companies we will be open about it and explain why.
Milestone
When selling retirement properties, we will typically use onsite staff to conduct the viewing and they get a commission if the property is sold. So, if a Peverel Retirement site, this would normally go to the House Manager.
When will it happen?
Ongoing
Where are we now?
Should a House Manager assist with the marketing of a property that we do then sell, we will pay them a share of the commission that we earn. Currently, this is a fixed sum of £150.
3. We will demonstrate value for money.
We must take our responsibilities seriously whenever we spend your money.
Commitment
We will spend your money wisely and continue to look for opportunities to use our buying power to save you money
Milestone
If you choose to sell your property through us, we will give you a fair and realistic price and share how we arrived at that with you.
When will it happen?
Ongoing
Where are we now?
We maintain detailed records of how our figures are arrived at and we share those openly with customers at the outset of taking instructions. To calculate these, we refer to a wide range of sources including HM Land Registry and other online portals such as Rightmove.
4. We will be easy to deal with.
Dealing with us should always be easy and straightforward.
Commitment
We will be clear about what you can expect from us and show you how to find the right person to help you.
Milestone
We will make sure that each customer is allocated a dedicated sales negotiator to deal with throughout your buying or selling process.
When will it happen?
Ongoing
Where are we now?
As noted above, we increased the size of our sales negotiator team in early 2013 by 20% (from 10 to 12). This helped to contribute to us selling 26% more properties compared to last year.
Commitment
We will communicate with you in a courteous manner, using clear language that is easy to understand.
Milestone
We will improve our written communications to make them clearer and easier to understand. Our staff will be given training and guidance to make this happen.
When will it happen?
Ongoing
Where are we now?
We have reviewed our letter templates to improve clarity and have also improved the wording in our agency contracts to make them easier to understand
5. We will consult with you.
We’re here to serve people as well as their properties.
Commitment
We will ask for your views and listen to what you say, so we can learn and improve.
Milestone
We will use our independent annual customer survey to collect your suggestions and feedback. We will publish what you tell us on www.retirementhomesearch.co.uk and use what we find out to improve our service.
When will it happen?
By June 2013, then annually
Where are we now?
We have recently been reviewing options for surveying customers across all Peverel Group companies and plans are currently being finalised with a view to starting a rolling programme of surveys in early 2014.
