Customers

Michelle & Ruby Doyle, New Broughton, Salford

Our reputation with our customers is critical to the success of our business. We know that we will only achieve our objective by ‘ensuring, to the very best of our ability that we meet, or exceed, their expectations’. We keep the customer at the forefront of our minds throughout the development process from land acquisition stage to after sales service.

We sell homes and commercial property to a wide variety of customers including: homes for private sale to individual purchasers; affordable homes to Registered Social Landlords and commercial buildings to major property investors, commercial organisations and financial institutions.

Helping our customers to buy sustainable homes

Demographic patterns in the UK are changing with more single person households, more young people living with their parents for longer and an increasingly ageing population. This creates evolving patterns of demand for housing, facilities and services. We therefore design our developments and homes to meet these changing needs so that they are sustainable now and in the future.

We are also working with our customers individually and offering them a package of appropriate buying options such as Shared Equity (including HomeBuy Direct), Part Exchange and Savings Plan and tailoring them according to their circumstances. This range of buying options has helped us to minimise the risk posed by the economic downturn.

Through providing a wide range of property types and tenures, and by offering a number of routes into home ownership we are able to appeal to, and satisfy, a broad market.

Customer service and satisfaction

Every operating division has a focussed customer service department, which in conjunction with our sales department ensures that we look after our customers from reservation through to legal completion and the agreed post-occupation maintenance period.

At Countryside Properties we are committed to continually improving standards of customer care. We therefore operate a Customer Charter and a Customer Satisfaction Strategy across all our residential Divisions.

Even though we are encountering the worst recession for more than 50 years, in principle, our consistently high customer satisfaction scores show that we continue to meet our customers’ expectations.

• 84% of purchasers (2008: 83%*) were prepared to recommend us to a friend.
• 78% (2008: 86%*) of purchasers were satisfied (extremely/very/on average) with the overall service provided by the Group after 8 weeks of occupation (6 weeks in 2008).

We have engaged in the formation of the new industry-wide Consumer Code for Home Builders which was launched in April 2010. In essence the purpose of the Code is to ensure Home Buyers: will be treated fairly; understand the service levels to be expected; are provided with reliable information to help make their decisions and if dissatisfied, understand how to access speedy, low-cost dispute resolution arrangements.

We will be fully compliant with the new Consumer Code, which will require all private sector housebuilders to enhance customer procedures and processes. We have reviewed the full ‘customer journey’ covering issues such as information provision on completion dates, contracts, homeowners packs, reimbursement of fees and deposits, warranties and disputes resolution. We have briefed and trained our relevant members of staff and information on the Consumer Code has been placed on our New Homes website.

Adding value through communication

In 2009, we have continued to ensure our customers are aware of the sustainability features of the new homes and developments that we offer. We highlight to them the benefits of sustainability as we believe it adds value, particularly as our main competition is the second hand homes market. We use a variety of channels to communicate with our customers ranging from our websites, sales and marketing literature, information in our sales and marketing suites, as well as more technical information contained in customer handover and completion packs.

* Based on survey data taken from October 2007 to March 2008

We hope you find this report of interest and welcome your feedback.

Anita Hansford and Paddy Blake at Carrington Park, Warrington

The Wongs at Ridgemont, Mill Hill, London

Ken Young at Cliveden Village, Taplow, Bucks