Customer Service Standards
Our Customer Service Standards.
At Prima Group we pride ourselves on maintaining a strong and positive relationship with our tenants, which is possible by our colleagues upholding high customer service standards.
We aim to respond to customer contacts promptly and set targets for call answering. We will try to resolve your query at the first point of contact or provide you with details of who can help.
Our employees will be polite, professional, treat customers with respect and will listen to your enquiry following our Customer First approach.
Here we set out what you can expect when using our key services. We are committed to equality; all our services are available to everyone who needs to access them, and we will tailor services where needed.
We offer a range of ways to contact Prima. Although we always aim to reply as quickly as possible, the timescales shown below are the maximum length of time it may take to reply.
Customer Activity Standards
| Customer Activity | How to Access this Service | Timescale/Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Experience Service | Telephone 0333 355 9000 | Monday 09:00-17:00 Tuesday 09:00-17:00 Wednesday 11:00-17:00 Thursday 09:00-17:00 Friday 09:00-17:00 |
| Emergency Repairs | Telephone 033 355 9000 | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Email/Telephone Requests | We will respond within 3 working days | |
| Customer Portal | Register via Website | We will respond within 3 working days to queries raised on the portal |
| Postal/Letter | We very rarely receive letters by post from customers, we will respond within 7 working days upon receiving any correspondence | |
| Prima Website | Enquiry Form (Contact us) | Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a response within 3 working days |
| Live Chat | Monday 09:00-17:00 Tuesday 09:00-17:00 Wednesday 11:00-17:00 Thursday 09:00-17:00 Friday 09:00-17:00 |
|
| Social Media | Facebook | @PrimaGroupHousing X (Formerly Twitter) | @prima_grp Instagram | @prima_grp |
We will respond within 3 working days |
| Home Visit | Any contact method | Appointments between 08:30-17:30 |
| Office Visit 8 Columbus Quay Liverpool, L3 4DB |
Any contact method | Appointments between 08:30-17:30 |
| Leasowe Office Visit 236 Twickenham Drive, CH46 2QE |
Drop in surgery | Monday 10:00-15:00 Thursday 10:00-15:00 |
| Complaints | Any contact method | Acknowledge within 5 working days, Full response within 10 working days |
| Major adaptation request | Any contact method mentioned above | Acknowledge your request for a major adaptation within 10 working days. We will endeavour to carry out all major adaptations within 12 months of being approved. We will work with other agencies such as Social Services and Occupational Therapists to assist, ensuring your property is suitably adapted to your needs where it is possible, practical, and cost effective to do so. |
| Minor adaptation request | Any contact method mentioned above | Carry out all minor adaptations within 15 working days of the request being approved. Annually review our waiting list for adaptations and we will keep you informed as to the current position. |
Applying for Housing
| Applying for Housing | How to Access this Service | Timescale/Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Housing or Transfer | Prima website application (digital support can be provided) | Within 14 working days of receiving all the information required You can apply for housing or a transfer at any time by completing the form on our website. Applications will be processed quickly and fairly We share information on our website on the location and number of properties we have Prima will carry out an annual review to confirm that you wish to remain on the Prima Housing waiting list |
| Rehousing & Mutual Exchange | Free access to Property Pool Plus & House Exchange website | Mutual Exchange requests are handled within 42 days |
Moving in
| Moving In | How to Access this Service | Timescale/Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Safety Check | Arranged by Prima | Completed prior to moving in |
| Gas Safety Check | Arranged by Prima | Turn on & test carried out upon signup to property. Gas service will be completed annually- arranged on a 10 month rolling cycle. |
| Paint packs for homes with a poor standard of decoration | Assessed by Prima | |
| New tenancy visit | Arranged by Prima to ensure your home and needs are being met to your satisfaction | Within four weeks of moving in and at 6-9 months after tenancy start date. |
| Needs assessment | Housing team to ensure you have the support needed | Prior to moving in |
| Minor repairs | Assessed prior to moving in | All repairs are carried out prior to you moving in, any follow on works required will be completed at a convenient time for the resident. |
| Assured tenancy agreement | Explained at sign up with rent payment information | First payment (rent in advance) is discussed prior to moving in |
Anti-Social Behaviour
| Anti-Social Behaviour | How to Access this Service | Timescale/Standard |
|---|---|---|
| If you experience anti-social behaviour | Report via any of the methods stated previously | We will acknowledge your report and contact you within these time scales: Urgent cases- Within 1 working day Non-urgent- Within 3 working days We will carry out an initial risk assessment and begin an investigation to compile evidence. We want our tenants to be good neighbours. When anti-social behaviour does occur, we will work with other agencies to try and resolve these issues quickly. |
| Serious incidents, domestic abuse, or hate crime. | Complainant consent | When the situation is more serious, we may need to work with partners who can offer additional help and support. For more serious situations, we will respond within 1 working day. |
| If further action is necessary | We will interview the alleged perpetrator within 10 working days, an action plan will then be developed. Action that we can take includes Demoted Tenancy Orders, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, extension of introductory tenancy terms and, where necessary, evictions to deal with ASB. |
Customer Finance and Rents
| Payment Options | Timescale |
|---|---|
| Direct Debit | Usually monthly or weekly, agreed during set up |
| Recurring card payment | The payment frequency is agreed during set up |
| Online payment using the Allpay website or Allpay app | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Paypoint sign using your rent card | In accordance with opening hours of Paypoint site |
| Post Office using your rent card | In line with Post Office opening times |
| Standing order | Usually monthly or weekly, agreed during set up |
| Customer Finance and Rents | How to Access this Service | Timescale/Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Rent card | By telephone if requesting a replacement card | These should be supplied within 5 working days of request |
| Rent statement | Prima Customer Portal Email or postal request. |
24 hours a day, 7 days a week Rent statements will be sent out within 2 days of being requested and within 3 working days from the start of your tenancy |
| Review your rent and services charges | We will contact you each year providing details on the costs of of all the services we provide | Annually, with 4 weeks notice of any increase in rent and service charges |
| Financial advice and assistance | We will manage rent arrears in line with our Rent Arrears Policy and Former Tenant Arrears Policy | In addition to any assistance our Income Team can provide, we can also signpost you to specialist agencies we work with to offer you free financial advice and assistance- this includes RAISE benefits advice team, and Energy Projects Plus. |
Customer Involvement
| Customer Involvement | How to Access this Service | Timescale/Standard |
|---|---|---|
| We will consult you on matters which may affect you, such as management, maintenance, improvement, and service delivery. | Telephone SMHS Prima website consultation page In person Resident outreach opportunities. |
We have many opportunities for you to get involved with Prima, built to fit around how much time you have available and your interests We recognise that our customers have a range of reasons why they want to get involved, and strive to offer as many ways as possible for our residents to participate |
| We encourage participation from tenants of all ages, races, ethnic origins, religions/belief, gender, disabilities or sexual orientation. | Prima website's 'Get Involved' page Newsletter Tenant Handbook Expressions of interest via telephone, email, or web pages specified above. |
Open for expressions of interest Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00 Available through our website at anytime Acknowledgment within 5 working days |
| Newsletter | Prima website | Twice a year |
| Annual report | Prima website | Once a year |
| Correspondence | How to Access this Service | Timescale/Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Correspondence | Any recognised correspondence method listed | |
| Communication in jargon-free plain English | Direct request or identified need | |
| Where there is an identified need, key literature is translated into other languages or made available in audio/visual formats upon request | Interpreter to attend within our offices or your own home if necessary | Advance notice is required for this service Online automated translation can be used in emergency situations to help with basic translations |
| Sign language and interpretation | We can arrange for someone to translate over the telephone if necessary | |
| Prima website | Accessibility tool Text reader Magnifier Font size Language translator Full range of tools |
|
| Hearing loop installed at our over 55's schemes. | Installed prior to move in | |
| Telephone interpretation service | ||
| We will respect your privacy | We have private areas for discussion if required and/or same sex interviews. We promise to respect your beliefs and endeavour to meet your individual requirements. We will check that any events or meetings do not conflict with religious holidays. |
Repairs, Maintenance & Gas Safety
| Repairs, Maintenance & Gas Safety | How to Access this Service | Timescale/Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting a repair | Any recognised correspondence method listed When you report a repair we will provide you with an appointment unless otherwise advised You will receive a text confirmation of the appointment (Excluding emergencies) |
Repairs: Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00 Emergency repair: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week |
| Repair appointments | Where tenants live with disabilities, we will make appropriate reasonable adjustments when carrying out repairs- for example, how we work or the timeframes we set | Monday-Friday 08:00-12:00 12:00-16:30 Set to avoid school run and Saturday mornings |
| Quality of repair service | 10% of repairs will be inspected to check the standard of workmanship and satisfactory completion | Completed work- survey by text message so we can get your feedback Telephone satisfaction survey with approximately 100 tenants each month |
| Gas Appliances | Servicing appointments Out of hours appointments |
Once per year Monday-Friday 08:00-17:00 Monday-Friday 17:00-19:00 Saturday 09:00-12:00 |
| Smoke/Carbon monoxide detectors | Servicing appointments | Once per year |
| Planned programmes, such as kitchen or bathroom replacements | Careful assessment of the stock condition survey and feedback from tenants | Planned programmes will be published on the Prima website |
| Types of repairs | Timescale |
|---|---|
| Emergency | Within 24 hours |
| Urgent | Within 48 hours |
| Routine | Within 5 working days |
| Non-urgent | Within 15 working days |
| Major repair | Within 90 working days |