Who are Longhurst Group?
Longhurst Group are a leading housing group based in the Midlands and East of England. They provide 23,500 homes with a wide range of care and support services.
What project have Longhurst Group selected Appello for?
In February 2022 Longhurst Group went out to tender for an Out of Hours call handling contract; initially for 3 years, but with a possible 2-year extension.
As part of this contract the proposed contact centre would provide first point of contact for all Out of Hours emergency calls and contacts related to the service, including diagnostics, raising repair orders, and providing business continuity for the Longhurst team during meetings, training, etc.
Providing an “efficient and effective” repairs reporting service was the aim and it was “vital” that the service provider would deliver a seamless service whenever customers called, whether during office hours or outside. Longhurst Group were, therefore, looking for an organisation that was experienced and highly customer-focussed and would deal with emergency repair enquiries with their customers’ best interests at heart.
After the tendering exercise Appello were offered the contract.
Why have Longhurst Group selected Appello?
As detailed above, Longhurst Group were seeking suitably qualified and experienced Service Providers who shared a common vision of putting residents and customers first, with a focus on improving the communities they work in. We spoke to Jackie Harris, Head of Customer Contact Centre at Longhurst Group about why they chose to work with Appello. In summary their reasons for choosing Appello were:
1. Appello had extensive experience in delivering an Out of Hours repairs call handling service
2. Appello shared Longhurst Groups “vision to improve the lives of our customers”
3. Appello demonstrated a strong customer focus
4. Longhurst Group take the view that working relationships should be partnerships in style with a collaborative approach, and Appello evidenced working in this way
5. Longhurst Group needed an efficient repair reporting service and data insights/technology-based reporting is one of the key features of the Appello service
Our thoughts on the contract
We’re excited to provide services to organisations who put their customers at the centre of their business strategies. Our out of hours service offering provides person-centred solutions for repairs and business continuity requirements.
“We are really pleased that Longhurst Group selected Appello to provide critical Out of Hours services. Our aims as an organisation are to provide safter, happier and enriched communities and working with organisations such as Longhurst Group ensures that we meet those shared goals. We’ve recently successfully enabled the service and we’re looking forward to the next 5 years’ working relationship and to see how the relationship and service develops.”
Mark Stratford, Commercial Director, Appello
The future
The Appello/Longhurst Group partnership should evolve over time, and we will implement new services as the relationship matures.
“We’re really pleased to be working with Appello and looking forward to what can be achieved for our customers by working in partnership, with regular performance meetings and ongoing communication helping to ensure that, together, we deliver the service our customers deserve.
We’ll also work closely with Appello to explore expanded services in the future that will really add value and further improve the overall experience for our customers.
With Appello’s support, we’ll ensure our customers receive a seamless and efficient service that meets their needs, whenever they call us”.
Jackie Harris, Head of Customer Contact Centre, Longhurst Group