Ideal Heating takes customer service to the next level with retained A Company That Cares status

Ideal Heating has raised the bar for excellence in customer service by retaining sought-after A Company That Cares status with improved scores across the board.

The Hull-based UK heating market leader has again been ranked among the very best businesses for consistently delivering exceptional customer service and satisfaction.

The coveted A Company That Cares award places Ideal among the highest-rated organisations assessed by leading customer experience consultancy Investor in Customers (IIC).

Ideal first received the prestigious award in 2025 and has now repeated the success in 2026, improving its score in all areas of the accreditation.

Ideal Heating is part of Groupe Atlantic UK and Republic of Ireland, which employs around 1,500 people in the UK, including 800 based at its headquarters site in National Avenue, Hull, where the business was founded more than 100 years ago.

Ideal also has its flagship National Training and Technology Centre at the Bridgehead business park in Hessle, East Yorkshire.

The manufacturer once again scored “Excellent” across all performance areas by IIC, with Ideal praised for understanding and meeting its customers’ needs, for building trusted relationships, and for strong, multi-channel communications.

Awarding a total score of 9.44 out of 10, IIC heralded Ideal as “a strong example of a business that places customer care at the heart of its operations”.

Chris Jessop, Ideal Heating’s Customer Services Director, said: “We’ve worked hard across the business to ensure our customers are at the heart of everything we do.

“That is reflected in so many ways, including how we design products to be easily installed and operated, our best-in-class installer training, our comprehensive service and support package, and the many user-friendly channels we have to communicate with customers.

“To retain A Company That Cares status while improving in all aspects of the accreditation is a tremendous achievement. It demonstrates that we’re delivering on our That’s Ideal ethos, by doing all we can to help our customers do what they do so well.”

The independently-verified A Company That Cares award recognises organisations that deliver exceptional service and satisfaction.

In its latest assessment, Ideal received Excellent scores across all four key criteria:

• Meeting Customer Needs – 9.63
• Delighting Customers – 9.50
• Engendering Loyalty – 9.50
• Understanding Customer Needs – 9.13

It means Ideal achieved an overall score of 9.44 out of 10 – a significant increase on the already Excellent 9.02 received in 2025.

IIC said customers “regularly recognise the professionalism, helpfulness and reliability of Ideal’s people and services”.

Ideal was praised for its breadth of communications channels, which “make it easier for customers to access help in the way that best suits them”. Those channels include phone, webchat, social media, SMS, WhatsApp and video remote assistance.

The company was found to have “a mature and well-embedded” understanding of its customers’ needs and expectations, from homeowners and installers to developers and social housing providers.

Ideal was also praised by IIC for its investment in product quality, technical support, training and innovation.
Installer Carl Goddard runs CG Plumbing and Home Services, based in Goole, East Yorkshire, and is a loyal Ideal customer.

He said: “Ideal has been my manufacturer of choice for more than 15 years. The level of support and service you get from the company is second to none, and they go above and beyond what you get from other players in the market.”

Sharon Clapp, Operations Director at Investor in Customers, said: “Ideal Heating has not only retained its A Company That Cares status but improved across every area. This is a fantastic achievement and clear evidence that customer care is embedded throughout the business.”

The retention of the A Company That Cares status is the latest high-profile accolade for Ideal. Earlier this year, the business received royal recognition with The King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.