24 September 2013
Portakabin Achieves Independent Accreditation for Customer Service Excellence
Portakabin has been awarded Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation - the Government standard which assesses and recognises organisations with outstanding performance in customer service. Portakabin is believed to be the first modular building specialist to achieve this milestone.
The CSE framework is an in-depth and independent assessment of an organisation's service delivery, professionalism, customer insight, and service satisfaction against demanding qualifying criteria. It also helps to drive continuous improvement in relation to customer-focused delivery and customer engagement.
Commenting on the award, David Shaw, Marketing Director of the Portakabin Group, said, "Our aim has always been to have the customer at the heart of everything we do, and we have a host of initiatives and processes in place to help us deliver a truly customer-focused service and culture across the business. This latest accreditation gives us independent recognition of our performance excellence in this area and against national standards."
"Most importantly, it provides our customers with even greater peace of mind that we are continually striving for excellence in all aspects of the delivery of modular buildings for interim and permanent use. This is critical in the construction industry where too many projects are still delivered late, over budget and to inconsistent quality standards."
To help it deliver customer service excellence at every level, the initiatives and systems in place at Portakabin include:
- A ground-breaking Customer Charter - another first in the modular construction sector - which sets out clearly defined service standards that have been developed in consultation with customers.
- Performance measures such as the number of projects delivered on time and on budget are closely monitored and set out in regular KPI reports. Over the past 10 years, Portakabin has delivered a staggering 99.7 per cent of buildings on time and on budget. This compares to construction industry statistics of only 34 per cent of projects on programme and 58 per cent to cost (source: Constructing Excellence/Glenigan).
- Portakabin surveys around 1,800 customers every year, providing clear feedback about how it is meeting customer needs and expectations. Its average score for customer satisfaction is 92 per cent and its year-to-date score for business referrals under the Net Promoter benchmarking system is 82 per cent. A further reflection of its customer satisfaction performance is that around 55 per cent of its business is from repeat customers.
- In-depth research is carried out with customers every two years to help ensure products and services continue to meet customer requirements. An example of an initiative in progress as a result of this research is the development of new eco-building solutions.
- A customer focus group meets every two months to review customer satisfaction scores and assess their impact on future activities. Products developed following feedback from customers include a range of multi-faith toilet and washing facilities, the introduction of damage waiver and the launch of an energy-efficient A-rated building.
- Mystery Shopper projects assess and verify that customers are treated well and receive what they need.
- Staff are encouraged to develop and maintain good working relationships with customers, which is recognised in the development of Values Champions and the work of an Employee Communications Forum.
- Every modular building project has a single point of contact to simplify communications and ensure effective service delivery.
Portakabin has the reassurance of other independent accreditations which include Government Procurement Service framework; Dun & Bradstreet financial rating; ISO 9001 for quality assurance, ISO 14001 for environmental performance, as well as Zurich, BBA, LABC, and CE approvals for its modular buildings.
Portakabin buildings can be supplied and installed to the tightest lead times, complete with fire and security systems, access ramps, claddings and entrance canopies, and can remain in use for as long as required. Modular accommodation can also be easily extended, reconfigured or relocated to meet an organisation's changing needs. The buildings are designed to:
- Easily accommodate more than 1,000 people
- Be manufactured to permanent building standards and in line with the latest Building Regulations
- Feature floor-to-ceiling glazing to maximise natural light and create attractive and productive environments
- Use a technically advanced building system with no internal columns for ease of space planning
- Be available in single and multi-storey configurations to meet specific project requirements.
For further information about modular buildings for permanent and interim applications, visit www.portanews.co.uk, email information@portakabin.co.uk or call 0845 401 0020.
Editor's Notes
1. If you would be interested in further information about best practice in customer service and how Portakabin has achieved such a high standard in customer service excellence, please let us know if you would like us to set up an interview with a Portakabin director.
2. The Portakabin Group offers a series of market-leading modular brands which includes:
- Portakabin modular buildings for permanent and interim use
- Yorkon off-site design and build solutions
- Portaloo toilet, shower and changing room facilities
- Konstructa site accommodation hire
- Foremans Relocatable Building Systems supplying highly sustainable refurbished Portakabin buildings.
3. Portakabin, Portakabin Group, Yorkon, Foremans, Portaloo and Konstructa are registered trademarks.
