Learning from complaints: how our customers are influencing and helping us improve

Listening to our customers and acting on what they tell us is one of the most important ways we can improve our services and overall customer experience.  

Our Customer Scrutiny Panel to carried out an in depth review, (December 2024-25), of complaints relating to missed appointments. This is a key pain point for our customers. The panel was made up of nine customers from different tenures and areas of England and Scotland.  

They gave us independent, customer-led insight, into one of the biggest causes of dissatisfaction for customers: missed repairs appointments. Missed appointments can be frustrating and disruptive. We know they can have a big impact on trust and experience. 

• Appointment scheduling
• How we communicate with customers
• How we support customers with vulnerabilities
• How we work with our contractors 

They did this using a range of methods including reviewing data and processes, call listening and interviews with our colleagues. 

The panel found some key areas for improvement, including: 

Better scheduling and coordination

This is especially needed when a customer needs more than one repair, to reduce the number of visits and the risk of missed appointments. 

Improved communication

For example, clearer updates, more consistent contact, and better use of technology. 

Stronger support for vulnerable customers

We need to ensure we understand individual needs and share this information at the right time. 

Real-time customer feedback

If we capture customers’ experiences of their repair more quickly, we can respond and improve faster.

Effective contract management

We should work more closely with contractors to improve performance and accountability. 

Based on what they found, the panel suggested some recommendations to help us improve: 

• Share performance updates with the panel so they can see the impact of changes 
• Involve customers in procurement processes and contract decisions 
• Improve how we design and ask questions about customer care and communication when selecting contractors 
• Bring customer voice directly into contract management meetings 
• Explore new technology to allow: 
  • Real-time appointment tracking and updates 
  • Easier to rescheduling 
  • Follow up surveys after repairs to gather feedback 

These recommendations give us clear ideas on how to improve the experience for customers.

We’ve already started to make changes based on the panel’s feedback.  

For example: 

• Introducing proactive calls to customers when appointments are missed. This helps us resolve issues more quickly 
• Improving how we capture customers’ communication preferences and additional needs 
• Strengthening how we manage contractor performance. Customers attended and observed an operational contract management meeting for East Coast and Yorkshire 
• Our procurement team will include customer-focused questions on vulnerabilities and communication in contractor interviews, shaped by scrutiny panel members 

We know there’s more to do and we are on a journey.

We really appreciate the time and effort from the panel. Their review shows the real value of customer scrutiny. Our customers will continue to play a key role in shaping our services. We are committed to listening, learning and improving together.