Kent Fire Service Makes History with Top Customer Service Award
Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) has become the first fire and rescue team in the UK to snag the prestigious ServiceMark accreditation. This is a national stamp of approval recognising outstanding customer service excellence.
KFRS Praised for Overhauling Customer Care
The ServiceMark assessment hailed KFRS for “turning customer culture completely on its head in the most positive way.” Every team member – from first responders to volunteers to education specialists – now focuses on the entire customer journey. They go beyond just tackling incidents, offering support and working hard to prevent emergencies before they happen.
The report praised KFRS’s “commitment to delivering great service” with passion and dedication to creating “a safer, more inclusive, and engaged world.”
Staff Passion Shines Through
Assessors interviewed staff who were described as “friendly, professional and very open.” One ICS assessor noted: “The passion for helping people and looking after each other came through in every conversation.”
“Caring about customers is at the heart of what draws people to join Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Employees genuinely put themselves in their customers’ shoes, going above and beyond to ensure positive outcomes and great experiences.”
Leadership Commends Team Effort and Future Drive
KFRS earned the ServiceMark thanks to glowing feedback from both staff and customers earlier this year. Chief Executive Ann Millington said: “I am immensely proud to achieve ServiceMark accreditation. This reflects the hard work and wholehearted shift towards focusing on customers and their needs.”
She added: “We’re not complacent. We’ll keep pushing to improve even more.”
Ann defended using the word “customer” to describe those they serve: “We’re not just emergency responders. We engage with people at home, work, school, and online to stop emergencies before they happen. Everyone who accesses our services deserves to be treated as a valued customer.”
Industry Praise for Kent Fire’s Customer Focus
Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service, congratulated KFRS: “By acting on customer feedback through ServiceMark, KFRS is stronger than ever at giving customers what they want, when and how they want it.”
Kent’s firefighters have clearly sparked a customer service revolution – and it’s saving lives too.
