<b><b>The Institute of Customer Service has been established to pursue excellence in the field of customer care. Three major housebuilders have enrolled, and, given the service satisfaction levels in the latest industry survey, others would do well to follow suit. Steve Menary looks at the work of the ICS</b></b><br><b>Acomplaint is a gift to a company with a good customer service team according to TMI, the global training consultant that carried out the 2002 industry-wide national customer complaints culture survey.</b><br><b><b>listening to complaints</b></b><br> TMI managing director Richard Brennan explained: &amp;“We shouldn&amp;’t be afraid to complain and companies should be prepared to listen - the best ones do and their products and customer services are usually better as a result.&amp;”<p></p><p>Try telling that to the major housebuilders left with red faces after coming up short in the Housing Forum&amp;’s customer satisfaction survey published in February.</p><p>Major players such as Barratt, Charles Church and Wilcon all fared worse than expected, while, in contrast, smaller firms proved surprisingly adept at providing home buyers with what they need.</p><p>Staff that work in the customer service departments at major housebuilders insist that the problem of poor customer service remains endemic.</p><p>A customer services director at one leading firm, who asked not …