In a new initiative launching in November, bpha will become the first housing association based in Bedfordshire to open its phone lines to customers on Saturdays.

bpha customers are already able to contact the customer services centre from 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday, but from 5 November customers will have the opportunity to speak to a member of staff 9am – 1pm on Saturdays.

2011 has seen a transformation of the service bpha offers to its customers through the formation of a fourteen-strong team of expertly trained and highly knowledgeable staff at its new customer service centre, OneCall.

OneCall has reduced average telephone waiting times to less than ten seconds and when 100 residents were asked whether their customer service advisor was polite, the answer was a resounding yes.  In addition, 93% of customers were satisfied with the outcome of their call.

The main request from customers before OneCall was launched was around extending opening times and, beginning in February this year, telephone lines opened at 8am and closed at 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Following the success of these extended hours and ongoing feedback from residents about further increasing opening hours, the housing association is now providing the additional requested Saturday morning service.

Head of Customer Contact, Adam Gould, said, “bpha is at the forefront of innovation when it comes to customer service.”

“Being the first housing association in Bedfordshire to provide service at weekends shows that we listen to our customers and continue to strive to meet their needs.”

Feedback about OneCall has been consistently positive since its launch.  bpha resident Christine Willies said: “It’s easy to get through to a member of staff at bpha.  I never have to wait long on the phone, and when I do get through to a member of staff they’re always polite and generally they can answer my query right away. 

“The team at OneCall are excellent and the new Saturday morning opening times will be very useful to people who aren’t able to contact bpha during the current openings hours due to work or other commitments.”

bpha's commitment to customers has resulted in improved services and, with a dedication to continue to listen to customers, the housing association is aiming to build on its success.