The Customer Insight Committee make sure that our customers’ voices are heard loud and clear, at the highest level of our decision-making. They review feedback, performance, and our service standards to make sure we deliver the best possible experience for our customers.
Teaming up with other customers and colleagues, they share our mission to be the UK’s best housing provider, and help us get there by asking the right questions and staying focussed on the bigger picture.
Driving improvements that matter:
And what do they do?
Using their experience as one of our customers, they help shape our services to make a difference. They review how well services are meeting expectations and whether customer voices are being heard where it matters in the decisions that shape the future. Teaming up with our Homes and Places Committee looking into key services and suggest improvements, as well as checking how effective our customer engagement really is.
Get to know the committee members
Sarah has 19 years of experience in corporate affairs, specialising in property communications. She has led strategic stakeholder engagement for a major national grocery retailer, as well as for several prominent property developers.
Most recently, Sarah held a national role overseeing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) for over 100,000 colleagues in the retail and manufacturing sector. In this capacity, she also guided the business in its commitment to serving the diverse needs of its customer and supplier base. Sarah has now transitioned into a DE&I-focused role with IHG Hotels & Resorts.
As a Board Member and member of the Homes and Places Committee, Sarah applies a values-driven, people-centric approach to her role, with a prominent focus on the communities we’re part of.
We asked Sarah some questions:
What was your first job?
A silver service waitress in a hotel restaurant in Bradford. Working in the service industry you learn a lot about people at their best and worst! It’s been good grounding for a career based on understanding people and customer service.
What job would you be doing now if you’d followed your childhood dreams?
A car mechanic. I’d either have my own garage or be working for a Formula 1 team. I’m fascinated by engines and how they work.
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve been given?
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. It gives me the freedom to get on with it!
Lisa lives in Pudsey and has been a Yorkshire Housing customer for almost 17 years. She works as an NHS manager, running a clinical team serving her local community of approximately 70,000 patients. She's very excited to be part of the Customer Insight Committee and hopes to make a difference on behalf of all Yorkshire Housing customers.
We asked Lisa some questions:
If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something overnight, what would it be?
Having a sense of direction! I am truly shocking and it is a miracle I find my way home from work every day! If you left me alone in the Yorkshire Housing HQ I would definitely get lost.
If you could invite anyone in the world to dinner, who would it be and why?
Bob Mortimer. Ever so slightly obsessed with him - I've adored him for decades. Naturally hilarious, utterly benign and a very choochy, cheeky face. My guilty pleasure is Gone Fishing with Mortimer and Whitehouse, I watch that and all is right with the world.
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?
Not advice per se but a very inspirational couple of lines someone sent me once: "So far my track record for getting through really tough days is 100%. That's pretty good". My own life observation is that people in this world generally are not kind enough to each other. Don't miss a chance to redress that balance.
Deanne is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Community Ambition CIC, an organisation dedicated to empowering individuals through advice, advocacy, and education. She specialises in:
- Housing
- Employment
- Domestic Violence
- Welfare Benefits and Rights
- Access to Grants
- Education and Digital Support
Deanne delivers workshops on these issues, helping communities overcome barriers and access vital resources. Her mission is to create equal opportunities for all by tackling digital exclusion and promoting social justice.
Under her leadership, Community Ambition has supported hundreds of individuals to secure housing, access benefits, and gain digital skills.
Deanne believes everyone deserves access to housing, education, and digital resources.
We asked Deane some questions:
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?
Someone once told me, "When life gets tough, remember, it’s all part of your journey toward greatness. Every challenge is shaping you into someone stronger, more resilient, and ready to achieve your dreams. Keep pushing forward, because these tough moments are building the foundation for your success.”
If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something overnight, what would it be?
I'd want to be the master of all languages so I could speak to different people around the world.
What was your first job?
When I was 16, my first job was a paper round but I eventually gave it up as I was terrified of dogs.
Sound like it's up your street?
Simply fill out our 'your voice, your home' form to join one of our groups or drop us a line.
If you need help with joining a group or if you want to find out more before signing up, just let us know. We’re happy to help!
If you don’t fancy the customer insight committee, there’s plenty of other opportunities to get involved! Check out our review crew, feedback forum and our your voice matters group.