Manningham Housing Association (MHA) has received glowing praise in two independent reports as its Customer Service Excellence accreditation was re-confirmed alongside its status as the first housing association in the country to be officially accredited for its work in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
MHA manages more than 1,400 homes for over 6,000 residents in Bradford and Keighley.
The Customer Service Excellence quality mark is awarded to public and private sector organisations deemed to provide services that are efficient, effective, and place customers at the heart of the service provision following a thorough external assessment.
National certification body Centre for Assessment (CfA) has informed MHA that it has met all the criteria for the Customer Service Excellence accreditation - and attained Compliance Plus status in 15 separate areas.
In its assessment report, the CfA said: “The organisation was clearly focussed on providing the best service for its customers. Staff that worked for Manningham Housing Association came across as being firmly committed to the success of the organisation through the provision of effective services to the many people that came into contact with them.”
In a separate report, the CfA also declared that MHA should again be awarded the British Standard for Valuing People through Diversity and Inclusion, known as BS76005. It was already the first housing association nationally to achieve this.
The report said: “The assessor felt it was a pleasure to speak to such absolutely committed staff who really were committed to the provision of excellent customer services through valuing inclusion and recognising that people have different needs.”
The CfA inspections were co-ordinated by MHA Assistant Chief Executive and Director of Operations Ulfat Hussain who said he was especially proud of the association’s efforts given the challenges to service delivery posed by the pandemic.
Ulfat Hussain, MHA Assistant Chief Executive and Director of Operations
He said: “Our staff have been incredible this year and I am delighted that their hard work and professionalism have been acknowledged by the assessor.
“In his written conclusions, he praises the team for going the extra mile to support people and ensure that our absolute commitment to inclusion was maintained despite the Covid-19 restrictions.
“We see the renewed accreditations as confirmation that we are continuing to deliver for our customers, stakeholders and communities we serve in Bradford and Keighley.
“With the pandemic likely to dominate everyone’s lives for some time to come, everyone can be assured that MHA’s determination to do the very best job we can is undiminished.”
MHA Chief Executive Lee Bloomfield said the fact that the association had been awarded a Compliance Plus rating for so many different aspects of Customer Service Excellence underlined the vast array of skills possessed by his staff.
He said: “The customer always comes first and, over recent times, we have implemented a number of targetted strategies to further enhance the effectiveness of our work.
“Better understanding customer needs, reaching disadvantaged groups, supporting local communities and ensuring our customers receive the information they need -including about our own performance – are just some of the specific areas of activity recognised by the assessor.
“I am proud of every single member of the team. They should be equally proud of themselves.”
MHA Chair Barrington Billings praised the culture of positivity and high energy at the association which had helped to carry staff and customers through the long months of the pandemic.
He said: “The extra Covid-19 restrictions on Bradford and Keighley have made life particularly tough locally.
“But because of our cherished position as a community-based organisation, we are succeeding in partnership with those whose needs we strive to cater for
“The award of these prestigious accreditations are accolades to be shared by all.”