NHBC, the UK's leading standard-raising and consumer protection body for new homes, has joined forces with John Callcutt to launch a new initiative aimed at supporting the house-building industry in its quest to make further improvements in the standards of finishing and customer service it offers to new home buyers.

The remit of the Callcutt Task Group on Customer Satisfaction will be to address market surveys which show that customer expectations are rising in a climate where the Callcutt Review of Housebuilding Delivery and the OFT market study have put the spotlight on customer satisfaction.

John Callcutt, Chair of the Task Group, said: "I am pleased to able to work with NHBC on customer satisfaction. I am passionate about the challenge for the industry to meet the ever-increasing expectations of its customers.

"The Task Group will be dedicated to supporting the industry in continuously improving customer service and will deliver definitive standards for the finished quality of new homes, best practice guidance, benchmarking tools, systems, and processes to improve satisfaction levels. NHBC's involvement means that we can make a real impact on housing as the vast majority of housebuilding is carried out in accordance with its Standards, which are an excellent vehicle for driving change."

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David Pretty CBE, former Chief Executive of Barratt Developments plc and current Chair of the New Homes Marketing Board, who has joined the Task Group said: "There is a clear need for direction in the industry to bring together the various strands of work which have targeted customer satisfaction.

"In a competitive market environment where homeowners¿ have become increasingly aspirational and demand greater value for money it is important that all aspects of customer satisfaction are taken fully on board - right from the initial sale, through to snagging, the handover and after-sales service."

Derek Field, Operations Director (North) of McCarthy and Stone, the UK's first builder to achieve a five star rating in the Home Builders Federation annual customer satisfaction survey, said: "We are pleased that NHBC has taken this initiative to work with the industry to continue to improve the experience and satisfaction our customers receive.

"We know from our own business, which serves a particularly demanding customer group, that achieving excellent customer satisfaction results, requires commitment from the very top and the right attitude from all our staff as well as having systems in place to ensure high levels of product quality and service before and after occupation."

(JM)