USS achieves Customer Service Excellence accreditation

Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited (USS) – the trustee company of the largest private pension scheme in the UK by assets – has achieved the Customer Service Excellence (CSE) quality mark.

The CSE accreditation tests in great depth those areas that research has indicated are a priority for customers, with particular focus on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitude.

There is also emphasis placed on developing customer insight, understanding the user’s experience and robust measurement of service satisfaction.

USS’s accreditation follows an independent assessment of the scheme’s performance against five criteria: customer insight, culture, information and access, delivery, and timeliness and quality of service.

Over several months, USS was able to demonstrate that it met the standards required across 57 areas in total, ranging from how it deals with members on the telephone through to how it takes forward feedback to constantly enhance the member experience.

Helen McEwan, USS’s Chief Pensions Officer, said: "This has been a key objective for us and reflects how passionate we are about supporting members on their journey to and through retirement. It mirrors our core values of acting with integrity and striving towards excellence every single day.

"Our assessment report found that we have 'a deep understanding of, and commitment to, customer service excellence' and that 'the commitment was displayed from senior management through to operations and frontline staff'.

"So, this isn’t just a reflection of our excellent member-facing teams, but of everyone at USS. It is a testament to the culture we have cultivated across the organisation and our commitment to putting our members at the heart of everything we do."