Student accommodation platform – aparto – which is fully owned by international real estate firm – Hines – has won an award for the Best Customer Service at the National Student Housing Awards (NSHA).
In a strong category, alongside Fresh, Hello Student, The Student Housing Company and Ulster University, aparto won the Best Customer Service award due to excellent service delivery and a market-leading experience programme placing its student residents at the front and centre of every action it takes. In addition, Michael Hogan won the Accommodation Hero award for his work at Beckett House, Dublin which recognises staff excellence and going above and beyond for residents.
Voted by students for students, the NSHA are uniquely respected in the industry with the awards based on 100% direct feedback from tens of thousands of home and international students across the UK and Ireland, in place of judging panels.
“It’s an honour to receive the Best Customer Service award and be recognised for the third year in a row by the National Student Housing Awards. The award win is testament to the consistently high level of service we provide our residents, and our experience driven ethos is championed by our teams, who continually provide support and guidance to both current and potential residents.
“Fittingly, our staff also received four separate nominations from our residents recognising their outstanding individual achievements. We’re delighted for Michael Hogan for his work at Beckett House. Together, the award win and hero nominations mirror the strength and commitment of our teams operating across the UK and Ireland to ensure we continue to provide a market leading service with a best-in-class experience and wellbeing programme alongside fantastic amenities.”
Tom Rix, Managing Director – Operations at aparto
In what continues to be a challenging year in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, for the purpose-built student accommodation sector (PBSA), aparto was shortlisted in a total of six categories: Best Private Halls, Best Customer Service, Best Environmental Management, Best Student Wellbeing, Best Individual Accommodation and Best Learning Environment for The Combworksin Aberdeen- and received four Accommodation Hero nominations for staff excellence. This is testament to the platform’s ongoing mission to create a home experience that supports students during a key period in their lives.
aparto’s state-of-the-art residences span 13 locations across the UK and Ireland – with two new sites launched in Milan, Italy – offering award winning amenities, a first-class operational service including a revered experience and wellbeing programme, alongside genuine community creation.
In April 2021, aparto made a ground-breaking step by joining forces with Kooth plc, and is the first PBSA provider in the UK and Ireland to partner with them. The Kooth platform provides free, safe and anonymous access to counselling, drop-in chats, content and self-help tools – 365 days a year for all aparto residents.
In the UK and Ireland, aparto has been recognised as an exceptional provider of student accommodation, with a track record of outstanding support for students and the provision of a welcoming, communal atmosphere which empowers residents to get the most out of university. As a result, aparto has achieved a market-leading Net Promoter Score (NPS) three years in a row – which is also measured by the NSHA. aparto’s NPS score this year was +33, with the average in the PBSA sector standing at +9. In terms of service delivery, aparto is competing with much-loved consumer brands in technology and retail for the NPS.
