Beyond accreditation: what’s changed over the past year
Thursday 9th of July 2026
Written by Natalia Hadfield, Head of Customer Experience, VIVID
A year on from achieving Tpas accreditation, the question for us hasn’t been what did we achieve? It’s been what’s changed because of it?
The accreditation recognised our approach to customer engagement. Since then, we’ve focused on building on that, strengthening and evolving how customer influence shows up in our day-to-day work. Rather than treating it as something separate, we’ve looked at how it shapes decisions, services, and everyday interactions.
Building on strong foundations
Customer influence was already a key part of how we worked before the accreditation. Over the past year, our focus has been on taking that further, making sure the same approach runs through everything we do rather than sitting in pockets of good practice.
In practical terms, that has meant bringing customer insight in earlier. Conversations are happening at the start of projects, not just at the end. Teams are testing ideas, sense-checking proposals and using feedback to shape direction, not just validate decisions already made.
We’ve seen this most clearly in policy and service review work, where customers are shaping content from the outset. For example, feedback on key policies led to clearer language, fewer abbreviations, and better explanations of processes, so expectations are easier to understand. It’s a shift from engagement as an activity to something that shapes the work itself. In practice, this means engagement plays a direct role in shaping decisions, helping ensure services reflect real experiences rather than assumptions.
Keeping it grounded in real conversations
Over the past 12 months, we’ve continued to expand on how we hear from customers. The biggest difference has been in how those conversations happen and who we’re hearing from. Alongside more structured engagement, we’ve spent more time out in communities, having direct conversations with our customers, through local roadshows and door knocking. This has helped us reach customers who would not usually take part in panels or surveys and hear a more honest view of their experience.
Through this approach, we’ve heard from hundreds of customers whose views might otherwise not be captured. Their feedback is already shaping local priorities and action plans, as well as giving teams a clearer understanding of what matters most at a neighbourhood level. It’s helped keep engagement grounded in real experiences rather than one-off feedback.
It’s also helping build more open and honest conversations, particularly with customers who may not usually feel comfortable sharing their experiences. It’s not just about where conversations happen, but how they happen, creating a consistent approach that feels approachable, respectful and free from judgement across all interactions. As a result, we’re hearing more open feedback and gaining a clearer understanding of how customers feel when engaging with us, helping us identify where we need to improve.
Turning feedback into visible change
A key focus for us has been making sure customers can see the difference their input is making. We’ve strengthened how we close the loop, being clearer about what has changed because of feedback and what hasn’t. That includes sharing regular updates and being more transparent about decisions.
In some cases, the changes are small but important. For example, feedback on complaints led to clearer communication during investigations, with more regular updates so customers know what is happening and when. In others, customer input has shaped wider service standards, helping set clearer expectations around communication, response times and how customers are treated. This includes developing customer promises, shaped by what matters most to customers, giving clearer and more consistent expectations of the service they receive. We’re continuing to build this visibility through ‘You said, we did’ updates, so customers can clearly see how their feedback is influencing decisions and services.
Strengthening how teams work
We’ve worked to make it easier for teams to involve customers as part of their everyday work, rather than seeing engagement as something separate. That includes testing ideas earlier, involving customers in shaping communications, and sense-checking decisions before they are finalised.
Structures like our scrutiny panel and customer groups continue to play an important role here. They provide space for challenge, bring different perspectives, and help keep customer experience central to the decisions we make.
What we’ve learned along the way
A year on, a few things are clearer. Momentum matters. The Tpas Accreditation provides a strong foundation, but it’s what happens afterwards that really makes the difference. Customer influence is not about doing more, but about doing things differently. Using insight earlier, being open to challenge, and creating space for real conversations leads to better outcomes. And it must stay real. The most effective engagement is straightforward, consistent, and focused on what matters most to customers.
Continuing to move forward
We’re proud of the progress made over the past year, but we do not see this as finished. There is more to do, particularly in reaching a wider range of voices and continuing to show the impact of customer involvement more clearly. We’ll keep building on what is already in place and evolving how we work with customers over time. The focus remains the same: making sure customer influence continues to shape what we do in ways people can genuinely see and feel.