Vita Student, the UK’s only experience-led accommodation brand, has beat off competition from a host of leading businesses to be crowned winner of the ‘Insight and Feedback – A Different Perspective’ award at the national Customer Experience Awards 2016.
The UK Customer Experience Awards recognises companies which effectively listen to customers and demonstrate exceptional evidence of applying insights and learnings to make a high impact difference to their services.
Fighting off competition from food box brand Gousto, life insurance and pensions giant Royal London, recruiters Nicoll Curtin, share dealing site The Share Centre and online betting business Unibet, the judges highlighted Vita Student’s dedication to listening to students and treating them as valued customers, putting them at the heart of everything it does.
Vita Student, which prides itself on offering the best possible student accommodation experience, places as much emphasis on customer service as it does offering stylish residences.
Feedback from residents is an integral part of the business. Face to face meetings, monthly focus groups, a national survey and an easy to use mobile app all ensure feedback is captured, with managers given autonomy to make positive changes based on customer input.
Examples of taking feedback through to implementation is Manchester’s breakfast offering which started as a Breakfast Club event initiated by Vita Student’s events committee. Following further input a Grab n Go breakfast was introduced with extended hours. For this year’s intake, the Vita Student team has further enhanced this service by teaming up with Chorlton favourite Launderette Coffee Co to introduce a freshly prepared, complimentary breakfast option across its entire portfolio.
The introduction of bikes, additional study rooms and larger private dining rooms have all been rolled out following customer feedback. Across Vita Student’s eight residences in Bristol, Exeter, Liverpool, Manchester, Southampton, Glasgow, Newcastle and Sheffield, the mobile app has collected more than 25,000 pieces of feedback from customers.
Speaking about the accolade from the ceremony which was held at the Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge, London, MD of Vita Student, Lee McLean, said:
“We are proud to have been recognised for the second year running at the Customer Experience Awards – it’s testament to the fantastic team we have here at Vita Student. Each and every aspect of our offer and services is specifically tailored to students’ needs and we constantly evolve this according to their feedback. From ensuring our teams know key phrases and customs to help our international students feel at home at Vita Student, to arranging regular activities to help create community spirit, we always go the extra mile for our customers.”
Vita Student is a Select Property Group brand. Select is a global developer, retailer and operator of market-leading property investment brands.