How your feedback makes a difference

As Chair of Stonewater’s Customer Experience Challenge and Assurance Panel (CX CAP), I am proud to champion the voice of customers in order to improve services.

The panel includes board members, customers and senior business leaders and our focus is on Stonewater’s customer promise; ‘if it matters to you, it matters to us’. We look at customer surveys, complaints and other feedback you give us to identify ways to change and improve services to better meet customers’ needs.

Adapting to a changing world

In the last year, with Covid19, the panel was very busy making sure we could still keep improving services to meet customer needs while working under the restrictions of the pandemic.

It shouldn’t be underestimated as to how much Covid has changed the world, and in some cases, it has accelerated change. The initial shift to working remotely for the majority of Stonewater colleagues in order to keep everyone safe has developed into permanent hybrid working, with people now placed in specialist teams all over the country.

This is allowing Stonewater to create a more expert and consistent service for you, moving away from localised people and teams, cutting down on travel times and making us much more agile and flexible.

Big challenges

During the year we identified both new and existing customers who were facing particular challenges who might have been in need of additional support, For example those trapped at home and facing domestic abuse who needed a safe place to live, people who were struggling to pay their bills or those having to self-isolate and needing help with their shopping and other tasks.

Outside of Covid-related problems, we’ve also been looking at reducing the impact we have on the environment and making sure that Stonewater has sustainability high up on its agenda.

It was also an important year in recognising and celebrating diversity, ensuring everyone is treated fairly and I felt inspired by watching the recent Paralympics; a fantastic example of what can be achieved when people are given support to take part and not excluded.

We need you

As you can see Stonewater has some big issues to tackle and we want to face them with you, our customers. We want you to work with us to shape how we respond and continue to deliver services that meet your needs.

You can get involved in many different ways: Rant & Rave feedback, Facebook, surveys, one of our working groups, volunteer as a community champion or join the scrutiny panel. There’s always a way for you to have your say and make a difference.

Whatever your experience is as a Stonewater customer, your voice could make a difference to thousands of other customers across the country.

I wish everyone all the best in the next year and the panel look forward to hearing from you or even welcoming you as a new member.

Best wishes, Juliana Crowe