GLASGOW-headquartered Newton Property Management has announced it has become the only private residential, Scottish-owned property factor to receive the Customer Service Excellence (CSE) standard, a quality mark introduced by the UK Government.
Newton, which manages approximately 40,000 properties across Scotland, secured the CSE standard following an independent assessment. Organisations are assessed across five areas: customer insight, organisational culture, information and access, delivery, and connecting with customers.
Leading on the assessment process was Lewis Littlejohn, head of property management at Newton, who said, “Good customer service in factoring isn’t just about being responsive, it’s about being straight with homeowners and helping them understand that most decisions in a shared building sit with them, not us. Our job is to guide, support and communicate clearly, making sure things get done and owners are kept in the loop.
“This accreditation is no mean feat, it reflects the culture and systems we’ve built to support continuous improvement across the business, but ultimately, it’s our people who deliver that service every day. We’ve built a genuinely solid team here at Newton, and I’m really proud of the people we have and the culture that’s grown around them.”
Newton revealed it has embarked on a programme of investment into customer service and operational improvements, including clearer access to support (including its 24/7 emergency helpline), stronger regional engagement, and a continued focus on helping homeowners understand the role and responsibilities of a factor.
The company has set, and subsequently met, internal service targets, including responding to 95% of emails within five working days, with an average response time of three working days.
CEO Vincent Goldie added, “Achieving the Customer Service Excellence standard is a major milestone for Newton and a proud moment for the whole team. Property factoring is a sector that is often heavily scrutinised, and we know that trust and communication are critical for homeowners. This recognition gives independent validation of the work we have been doing to strengthen the customer experience across every part of the business and highlights our commitment to raising the standards across the property factoring sector.”
Newton Property Management was founded in 2001 by Stephen O’Neill, now chairman, and operates across Scotland, with regional offices in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Greenock.
