Putting the customer first comes naturally to James

As we reach the end of national Customer Service Week, Redrow’s James Rodi is settling into a new role in Yorkshire.

The former sales consultant is using his experience and expertise to help new customers prepare for their move and to make sure those who’ve already moved in can enjoy and make the most of their new home.

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Now a customer service manager, 25-year-old James is responsible for all customer related issues at four Yorkshire developments, The Granary and Lancaster Mews, in York, and The Rectory and St Andrew’s Place, in Newton Kyme.

“Looking after our customers doesn’t stop once we’ve sold them a home,” says James who, until recently, was the sales consultant at Lancaster Mews. “As a customer service manager it’s my role to make sure they enjoy the whole customer journey and that their move runs smoothly from start to finish – and beyond.

“A typical day for me might start with a home inspection, checking to make sure that a new home is ‘customer ready’ before we hand it over. I will be looking to make sure that every little job has been done and the property is the best it can possibly be.

“I might also have a couple of home previews with customers in the two weeks before they are due to move in. Together with the site manager I will show them around their new home, introduce them to the fixtures and fittings they’ve chosen and demonstrate how everything works. This will be the first time the customer has seen their home completely finished and it’s our job to make sure they experience the wow factor. It’s something I really enjoy doing.”

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James will also be responsible for liaising with site teams and sub-contractors to ensure final works are completed and, should any post completion issues arise, he’ll make sure they are dealt with quickly and efficiently.

“I also get to host the welcome parties on developments, where we bring together small groups of customers who have recently exchanged contracts. It’s a chance for them to meet the Redrow team and also the people who will be their neighbours. They know then that they can contact me at any time until they move in – and in the two years afterwards,” James adds.

Originally from Wakefield and now living in Barnsley, James has a wealth of sales experience. He spent four years in retail working for Next, before becoming a Redrow sales consultant in 2013.

“At Next I specialised in the home department and was always very interested in interior design and the home. When I started thinking about career progression it seemed natural to move into selling houses. I love dealing with people, building a rapport with customers, putting them first, and now I can develop that further as a customer service manager,” continues James, who earned Redrow’s coveted sales consultant of the quarter award in his final few months of selling homes.

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Patsy Aicken, sales director for Redrow Homes (Yorkshire), comments: “James’ rapport with our home owners is exceptional. His customers always rated him highly in their post-completion questionnaires and always said they would recommend Redrow to family and friends. We’ve also had customers write to us and phone us to say how James has gone above and beyond the call of duty. When it came to choosing a new customer service manager he was the natural choice.”

Among the customers who commended James to his employer was management consultant Taylor Atkinson, 25, who bought a two-bedroom Newby apartment at Lancaster Mews, in York. She said: “I wrote to Redrow head office to tell them how fantastic James was because, honestly, buying my home wouldn’t have been the same without him. He was so lovely.

“James wasn’t pushy, he didn’t put pressure on, but he went out of his way to help. Buying on your own as I did can be quite overwhelming, but James was there to provide reassurance when I needed it, and he made a point of introducing me to other people so I have got friends – my neighbours.”

Teacher Leah Clayton, 24, who bought at Lancaster Mews with her partner Dale Northcott, said: “From the moment we walked into the sales office James sat us down and made us feel welcome. He wanted to get to know us first of all, and was interested in us – so much so that, after going away to think about things, the second time we went in he remembered our names straight away.

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“He was fantastic. When I completed our post-moving in survey Dale was away and I had exams. I felt I’d rushed it and hadn’t filled it in properly, so I rang Redrow to tell them how good James was because I wanted to make sure he got the credit he deserves. He couldn’t do enough for us.”

Nationally, almost 90% of customers say they would recommend Redrow to family and friends and the business is keenly focused on improving this and other key customer service measures. Redrow has recently restructured all its customer service departments, created new handover policies for finished homes, re-engineered the customer journey to introduce the customer service team earlier and build relationships, updated its website and customer service management system and built new web and app platforms to help customers.

Sales and customer care roles with Redrow are regularly advertised on the homebuilder’s careers website: www.redrowcareers.co.uk whilst details of its homes can be found at www.redrow.co.uk.

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