National accreditation for customer and business services

Teesside University has been awarded the Putting the Customer First Standard accreditation in recognition of its excellent customer and business services for the seventh time in a row.

Launched by Customer First UK, the national accreditation identifies organisations which go above and beyond to deliver outstanding services to customers.

It indicates Teesside University’s ongoing commitment to building exceptional relationships with businesses and providing support to boost growth through training, collaboration and consultancy.

The University has been successful in every attempt to receive accreditation since it received its first Putting the Customer First Standard award in 2010.

This year, Teesside University was praised for its consistent approach in putting the best interest of the customer first to provide timely, appropriate and beneficial support to businesses.

Emma Hoang, Business Information Manager at Teesside University, played a key role in securing the accreditation.

The University impressed with its focus on developing higher and degree apprenticeships (HDAs) which it has grown to be worth £7m with 1,500 apprentices studying 30 different HDAs, resulting in an outstanding rating from Ofsted for its higher apprenticeship provision.

Customer First UK also acknowledged the efforts of Team Teesside in its report, highlighting the vital work by staff and academics in the delivery of customer and business support services.

Organisations must demonstrate improvement each time they attempt to be reaccredited with the award, which lasts two years, and Teesside University was highlighted as exemplary in its customer service delivery following the meticulous evaluation process.

Steph Bales, Interim Director of Research and Business Engagement at Teesside University, said: ‘We are delighted to have been reaccredited with the Putting the Customer First standard for the seventh consecutive period.

‘As a business-facing University, this external recognition is very important to us and is testament to the hard work of our staff who are dedicated to ensuring that our services to business are continuously improved.’

Customer First UK has been dedicated to improving the quality of customer and business services since its inception in 2004 and has worked closely with over 600 organisations to evaluate customer services.

It measures organisations against its comprehensive standard in an assessment process culminating in a report which outlines key strengths and offers guidance on areas for future development to help organisations deliver the best possible services to their clients.

Ted Stone, Chief Executive of Customer First UK, said: ‘Customer First UK is proud to list Teesside University as an accredited organisation against the Customer First standard.

‘With an unblemished record of accreditation TU demonstrates their continued commitment to embed an ethos of customer service and continuous improvement that is a genuine exemplar of an organisation that continues to be Putting the Customer First.’

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