Winner: Berkeley Group

Customers have continued to be at the centre of Berkeley Group’s activity this year, with the firm’s Net Promoter Score – a measure of customer experience – sitting consistently above 70, against an industry average of 42 on a scale of -100 to 100. What’s more, 98.5% of the firm’s customers said that they would recommend it to a friend, compared with the 91% industry average. Research undertaken by Berkeley in the past year to understand customer needs and preferences resulted in the evolution of its digital offer to include personalised virtual tours and video updates.

The housebuilder has also been preparing to start production at its advanced manufacturing facility in Kent, where the manufacturing process will be digitally enabled and highly automated, turning raw materials and components into finished modules for new homes in as little as five days. In fact, 85% of Berkeley’s sites under construction are already incorporating volumetric or component offsite assembly.

The firm is also working to produce a new collaboration platform to provide a digital record of every home from pre-construction to post-completion. And in December 2020, the housebuilder’s environmental targets were validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative. Meanwhile, Berkeley Group launched a new community training hub at Hartland Village in Fleet, providing hands-on experience to local students.

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