Recognising Great Customer Service
Celebrating Great Customer Service
At Novus, we encourage our colleagues to always give great customer service.
Every month anyone who works for Novus can be nominated for “The Award,” a Hall of Fame for Novus colleagues or subcontractors who have gone above and beyond in delivering outstanding customer service.
Whether they are a directly employed colleague or a subcontractor, everyone is eligible for “The Award”.
Check out the Hall of Fame below:
December 2022 Winner
Teri Robert
Working on our contract with Scarborough Borough Council, Teri has been assisting our trades teams with the coordination of a wet room installation for a resident with learning difficulties. To help make the process as seamless and stress-free as possible, Teri is working closely with the resident’s Occupational Therapist, Social Workers, and Carers on a daily basis.
The resident is uncomfortable with strangers in their home, and loud noises cause a lot of anxiety. So, their Social Worker initially looked into increasing their care provision or providing respite away from their home during the work, however, unfortunately, these options were unavailable.
After successful pre-visits from Teri, the resident expressed they were comfortable with her and happy for her to act as a chaperone while the works are in progress. Teri is now on-site daily, introducing the resident to each contractor as they arrive, keeping her informed on what works are taking place, explaining what the operatives are doing and ensuring they provide notice prior to any loud noises.
The resident has expressed their gratitude for everything Teri has done, and has said how they will miss the team when they’ve finished.
This is fantastic work from Teri in ensuring the resident’s comfort and wellbeing are a top priority. We’re delighted to have you out representing Novus and you are a very worthy winner of the It’s Our Job Award!
October 2022 Winner
Thomas Reid
As part of recent works for our Scotland team, Thomas was working on a bathroom refit contract with East Renfrewshire Council when he met a vulnerable resident in need of assistance.
Following the refurbishment of their bathroom, the resident was unable to fit their bathroom fixtures independently, nor were they in a financial position to employ a tradesperson to do this on their behalf. To help make this a pain-free process, Thomas stepped in and installed these items – including a toilet roll holder and towel rail – as a goodwill gesture.
Our job isn’t always about simply replacing the baths, toilets and sinks – it’s about making sure the customer is happy, comfortable and able to use their home to its full potential.
A big thanks to Thomas for stepping in and going the extra mile for this resident.
August 2022 Winners
Leigh Coulton and Nathan Preston
North East Contracts Manager Leigh Coulton and Quantity Surveyor Nathan Preston were carrying out post-completion checks at our Scarborough wet rooms contract when they came across a resident in distress.
The resident, a 101-year-old war veteran, had fallen over after tripping on loose carpet while using their walking frame. Trapped in their house, Leigh and Nathan verbally supported the resident from outside the front door as they struggled to remove the chain lock.
Once they could get inside the property, Leigh and Nathan helped the resident to their chair, got them settled and ensured they were not injured in any way. They then contacted their Customer Liaison Officer who arranged for the accommodation’s care providers to check on the resident further.
Our team ensured the carers were on their way to the resident’s home before leaving the property. A massive thank you to both Leigh and Nathan for going the extra mile to help this resident in need!
July 2022 Winner
Nathan O’Neil
While completing a number of cyclical works for a resident, Nathan learned that they were experiencing issues with poor mental health. Throughout the programme of works, Nathan visited the resident regularly to ensure they were ok, and that they were able to cope with the external works which they could have found unsettling.
Nathan covered some distance in his mission to support this resident, even encouraging them to contact him by phone should they need him to ease their anxiety about the works at any time. Through his kind and consistent nature, Nathan made the works process far more manageable for the resident, who whole heartedly thanked him for his support.
We are proud to have Nathan as part of the Novus team. He well and truly deserves the “It’s Our Job” award title – congratulations!
April 2022 Winner
Nick Rogers
While attending a weekly afternoon tea event hosted by residents at their sheltered accommodation block, one of the elderly residents mentioned that she was looking for help with digging over a small vegetable patch to the rear of the scheme.
Despite not being a huge vegetable patch, spanning the size of a small greenhouse, it was too big a task for her to handle on her own. Without a moment’s hesitation, Nick stepped in and volunteered to help.
What may seem like a quick task for many really made a difference to this tenant, providing a revitalised vegetable patch for her and the other residents to begin using once again. A big thank you to Nick for his kindness and good will. Small gestures like this often go unnoticed, however we are pleased to be able to give thanks and gratitude where it is very well deserved!
March 2022 Winners
Ashley Jewsbury and Ian Whitwell
While delivering works at Southlands Court in Runcorn for Riverside extra care, the fire brigade attended site and issued an enforcement notice – separate to the work being completed by Novus – in relation to penetrations above the building’s ceiling line.
With the notice being delivered mid-afternoon, it resulted in the need to move 14 elderly residents to a nearby hotel late at night. After a poor response from the client’s Management Team, both Ian and Ashley were instrumental in organising the transportation of the residents. They both gave up their evenings, working until midnight to ensure everyone was well looked after and had somewhere safe and warm to sleep.
Putting the tenants at the heart of their decisions, Ashley and Ian chose to deliver positive actions as a result of something that was not their making. This is gold standard customer service and a great example to all. We can’t thank the pair enough for their hard work and dedication!
February 2022 Winner
Karl Bradshaw
While delivering roofing works for East Midlands Housing, there was a local resident who had unfortunately taken a nasty fall down some stairs near to our site compound. Badly injured, they were lying there for a number of hours until a friend found them and raised the alarm, asking subcontractor operative Karl Bradshaw – of Bradshaw Roofing – for help.
Without hesitation, Karl went straight to the injured resident, called an ambulance, and helped them as best he could until medical assistance arrived. The resident suffered some serious injuries, however due to Karl’s quick actions, he really helped make a difference to their wellbeing, ensuring that any further damage was minimal.
Site Manager Kym Mellott commented ‘It is with great pride that I commend Karl’s actions. This accident could have cost the resident their life due to the severity of the fall. The world needs more people like Karl – it would be a much better place!’
January 2022 Winners
Trent & Dove Site Team
While working on a roofing contract for Trent and Dove Housing, the Novus team were having difficulty contacting one of the properties for pre-works communications – which prepares residents for the up-and-coming planned works. After several attempts of knocking with no answer, Customer Liaison Officer Michelle Eden contacted a neighbour to ask if they knew the resident, and if there were any known reasons why we couldn’t make contact.
At this point, the neighbour highlighted that the elderly resident was hard of hearing and would probably not hear the door being knocked. Our team were informed that the resident has a phone that flashes when it rings – which is how their friends and family let them know when someone is at the door.
Low and behold, Michelle called the number, and the resident answered the door! From here on in, a bespoke Customer Journey Plan was made specifically for this resident to take into account their individual requirements. From initial conversations, the resident talked about how they can lip read and explained how best the Novus team could communicate with them going forward. These helpful tips were then communicated to everyone working on the property, and through these steps, the team ensured the resident was kept fully updated with everything they needed to know.
This is a fantastic example of how Novus colleagues adapt their delivery to the individual needs of the customer, ensuring we always provide the highest levels of customer service. A big thank you to Michelle, Simon Ward – Site Manager – and the whole site team for their exceptional efforts.
It's Our Job Hall of Fame
Has Someone Gone the Extra Mile For You?
Make Someone’s Day
Have you witnessed some outstanding customer service? Perhaps one of our colleagues went ‘above and beyond’ for someone whilst working on a project.
Here’s your chance to make their day with a recognition nomination!
Each month we collate positive customer feedback and select one outstanding employee to be recognised and rewarded.
Their name and deeds will also be forever immortalised as they are inducted into our It’s Our Job Hall of Fame.
Send us your nomination using the form >>
