Marvin OnumonuVIVID has launched a customer skills credential for all staff, becoming the first housing association to do so under City & Guilds Assured.
The programme covers every team and is designed to bring staff together around a shared approach to customer experience.
Employees complete only the learning relevant to their role and use examples from their daily work.
At the end, staff are assessed and those who pass get a City & Guilds Assured digital badge and certificate.
Everyone at VIVID will complete the credential over two years, with new starters required to finish it within six months.
The programme is part of VIVID’s customer experience strategy.
Susan Noone, director of people at VIVID, said: “We’ve always made sure our teams have the technical skills they need to do their jobs well, and they already bring a huge amount of experience and dedication to supporting our customers.
“What we haven’t had until now is a company-wide customer-focused learning programme that brings all our expectations and promises together.
“The Customer Advocate credential does exactly that.”
Noone added: “It develops our teams and gives staff the chance to earn something with real value – both here at VIVID and throughout their careers.
“Just as importantly, it reinforces that customer skills are every bit as essential to our success as technical expertise.”
Alex Nagle, customer service director at VIVID, said: “Great customer experience is something we create together.
“It isn’t just shaped by our customer facing staff – it’s influenced by how we work with each other.
“That’s why everyone’s getting involved in the Customer Advocate credential.”
Nagle added: “It brings our Customer Promises to life by giving all our teams a shared understanding of what good looks like.
“It celebrates the strong customer skills we already have and helps us build on them, so we can keep improving the experience we deliver every day.”
Mandy Smith, executive director, awarding and assessment customer solutions at City & Guilds, said: “Building the City & Guilds Customer Advocate credential into its customer-focused training programme is an excellent way for VIVID to focus on how best to meet the needs of its customers both in their home and neighbourhood, and to tailor its services to support this aim.”
