Our Customer Inspectors are volunteers who review the services we provide to customers. By doing this they help us improve existing services and often spot opportununities for new services.
To be a Customer Inspector, you don’t have to be one of our tenants. You can be a home owner, live in property rented from another landlord, a local student or business owner, or simply someone with an interest in or connection to Bolton.
Here are some of the things Customer Inspectors do:
- Mystery shop services e.g. visiting neighbourhood offices to check how we handle customer enquiries.
- Carry out reality checks to test how services are actually delivered against agreed service standards e.g. inspecting properties which are ready to let to new customers.
- Identify what’s important to our customers by using their own experiences of being a customer.
As a result Customer Inspectors are able to:
- Tell us if our customers are happy with the services we provide.
- Help develop new services.
- Help to continually improve services.
Since the service was launched in 2003, our Customer Inspectors have completed over 120 reality checks or mystery shopping exercises.
Customer Inspectors have helped to:
- Make changes to the entry of our neighbourhood offices, to their internal layout and to car parking, which has improved accessibility for visitors.
- Introduce a debris hotline (01204 660665) and led on improvements to the environmental standards of our estates.
- Introduce new options for paying rent and other charges.
- Develop a guide for customers on using their boiler.
- Redesign our enquiry form and guidance notes making it easier for disabled people to apply for adaptations to their homes.
- Update our antisocial behaviour procedure to improve handling across all cases.
- Introduce and further improve our Lettable Standard for empty properties.
- Introduce caretaking standards.
- Improve our website and customer information packs.
We regularly ask Customer Inspectors what they enjoy about their role. They tell us they value having their views heard and being able to talk directly with managers to suggest improvements and play an important role in making sure we deliver services to an excellent standard.
Meeting and talking to new people in an informal, friendly environment helps build their self-confidence and develop new skills whilst improving their understanding of what we do.
If you join the team then you’ll receive some initial training and go on to shadow existing Customer Inspectors before carrying out checks. We're also planning to offer our Customer Inspectors the opportunity to gain accreditation or a qualification related to this volunteering role. In addition, we have regular support meetings where we review progress and plan for the future of the Customer Inspector Service.
On the day of a check, our Customer Inspectors are reimbursed for their expenses including travel and caring costs, and we provide any necessary protective clothing. During a full day check, lunch is also provided.
Interested in joining the team? Just contact Rahila Akram.
Call: 01204 335104
E-mail: rahila.akram@boltonathome.org.uk
Want to set up a similar service for your organisation? Get in touch with our business development team.
Gill Tuke
Call: 01204 33554
E-mail: gill.tuke@boltonathome.org.uk
Tracey Bailey
Call: 01204 335645
E-mail: tracey.bailey@boltonathome.org.uk