Our award winning approach to customer experience
We caught up with our InsightXchange, part of our broader customer network, this week alongside colleagues who have played a key role in our collaborative approach to shaping services - recognised with the 'Best Customer Experience' award at the Northern Housing Awards 2026.
The awards are a major annual programme that recognises excellence across the social housing sector in the North of England and North Wales, showcasing best practice, encouraging innovation and recognising high-performing services across the sector.
Our submission demonstrated how we’ve re‑designed our customer experience to be truly customer‑led—combining digital innovation, real‑time insight and meaningful tenant involvement to shape services. By embedding feedback across 18 service areas through a three‑tier engagement model, we ensure services are proactively improved, inclusive and accessible. From co‑creating our My Livin app to using data to personalise communication and drive decisions, our approach goes beyond traditional engagement. The result is a seamless, transparent and responsive service, with customers influencing change at every level and satisfaction performance ranking among the best nationally.
Judges said: "Livin has a deeply embedded customer engagement model and commitment to co-designing services alongside residents. Their use of real-time insight, targeted engagement and digital innovation demonstrated a genuinely resident-led approach to customer experience."
Mark Appleby, tenant and InsightXchange member, said: “Livin has really raised the bar. It’s not just about repairs being done quickly – which they are – but about the whole service. From keeping us informed to making sure our homes are safe and well maintained, you can see the effort they put in. I feel listened to, and it’s clear our feedback matters because things have improved year on year. It makes a big difference knowing we’re part of a community where the landlord genuinely cares.”
Alan Black, our tenant and InsightXchange member said: “As the longest-serving member of InsightXchange, I get involved in scrutinising how my social landlord does things and have made a real difference to the services, procedures, and policies they provide. The cost-of-living review was a great example of that. Our input helped improve clarity, increase support, and make services more accessible to those who need them most."
Pictured: Chris Nixon (Operations Director IMP North) Paul Thompson (Head of Property Services) Camilla Race (People and Organisational Development Manager) Philip Turner (Repairs and Maintenance Surveyor) Reece O'dwyer (Digital Process Analyst) David Forrest (Housing Adviser) Abi Wilson (Digital Technology Analyst) Rebecca Rutherford (Housing Adviser) Kieran Brownson (Digital Transformation Manager) Keira Mullin (Customer Services Adviser) Daniel Kivil (Customer Services Adviser) Amy Wilson (Customer Insight and Engagement Manager) Elisha Ornsby (Customer Voice Adviser) Ange Smurthwaite (Customer Experience Manager) Paul Stephens (Chair of Insight Exchange) Becci Kidd (Complaints and Feedback Manager) Sophie Stradling (Building Surveyor Apprentice) Louise Fildes (Partnership Delivery Lead) Adelle Barnett (Insight Exchange) Michelle Hoggins (Tenant) Hazel Kennedy (Tenant) Sheila Appleton (Tenant) Kevin Finnon (Tenant) Alan Black (Tenant) Caroline Sinclair (Tenant) Mark Appleby (Tenant) Carole Hodgson (Tenant) Kathryn Goldsmith (Planner/Works Programmer) Kelly Cairns (Planner/Works Programmer) Harrison Scott ( Rent Adviser) Louise Greaves (Money Support Adviser)