Jay Chapman: designing better housing services at Sovereign Network Group

Jay Chapman joined JGA’s Level 6 Service Designer apprenticeship to build on his experience in customer research and journey mapping at Sovereign Network Group (SNG). He has since secured a promotion and applied his learning to a range of housing services, including aftercare for new-build customers and improving how SNG assesses and responds to damp and mould reports.

His experience is also shaping how SNG develops its team. On the day of his September 2026 interview, two of Jay’s colleagues were starting the same apprenticeship, with opportunities to apply their learning to the organisation’s customer experience plans.

Building on customer experience

Service design looks at what happens behind the scenes and how that shapes the experience of the people using a service. It is a user-centred approach to designing and improving services, bringing together customer research, processes and the teams responsible for delivery. Rather than looking at individual departments or interactions in isolation, it considers the whole journey: what people need, where things are not working and how the organisation can deliver a better experience.

As a Customer Experience Manager, Jay was already familiar with user research and customer journey mapping. An earlier short course with the Design Council had introduced him to the wider discipline, but he wanted to develop his skills in more depth.

His manager identified the JGA apprenticeship as a good fit. It offered a way to build on his existing skills while developing a more consistent approach to service improvement across SNG. Jay explains,

“It’s added a level of robustness and credibility to what I do. My colleagues have a better understanding of how we’re going to approach a project, the steps we’ll work through and how we’ll involve customers.”

jay chapman

Learning through live work

With a busy programme of service improvement at SNG, Jay had opportunities to put the teaching into practice.

“What was really great for me was being able to align my projects and the learning outcomes to my day-to-day work, without having to find a ‘unicorn project’ just for the apprenticeship.”

His JGA coach, Sumita Kunashakaran, helped him understand how to recognise and record the learning taking place within his role. Having worked through that process himself, Jay is now helping his own team undertaking the apprenticeship to identify suitable project work from the outset.

Jay’s workplace projects:

Jay’s final assessment project focused on SNG’s aftercare service, which supports customers during their first 12 months in a new-build home. This includes shared ownership and social rented homes, with SNG acting as the link between customers and developers when problems arise.

Following the merger of Sovereign and Network, Jay worked on bringing the two aftercare teams together and redesigning the customer experience. A key issue was how repair requests were first handled. Customers contacted the general call centre, but the specialist nature of aftercare meant some jobs were raised incorrectly and cancelled after review.

Before the change, 35% of raised aftercare repair jobs were being cancelled by SNG or its contractors. Jay explains the effect of the redesign:

“By shifting that first point of contact to somebody who had a greater depth of knowledge and understanding, less than 5% of raised jobs are now being cancelled.”

Jay described a better experience for customers and a more efficient process for colleagues. The wider service blueprint and delivery plan were still being introduced in stages at the time of his interview, with Jay involved again in the digital elements of the service.

Jay also worked on the triage process for damp and mould reports as part of SNG’s response to Awaab’s Law. His focus was the first conversation with a customer and how the organisation could use it to decide on an appropriate response.

“When we’re first contacted by a customer, how do we best understand the level of impact that the issue they’re reporting is having on them?”

The work brought customer needs into the assessment process alongside the organisation’s responsibilities. Jay said the approach was live at the time of his interview, giving him the opportunity to see the design being used within the service.

Jay’s current digitalisation work shows how he is continuing to use service design beyond the apprenticeship. One example is a proposed online payments journey that would help customers access additional support when they need it.

The team tested a design with customers in which someone choosing to pay less than the rent due would be offered a connection to SNG’s financial rights advisers. The message would acknowledge that circumstances can be difficult and explain that support may be available to help them access more income.

This was a design being developed, rather than a confirmed live service. It illustrates how a routine transaction can also become a route to practical help.

From learning to leading

Jay achieved a Distinction in his apprenticeship in December 2025. He secured a promotion during the programme and is now helping two members of his team follow the same route.

Cian and Steph joined his team from other departments in SNG in January 2026 and started the Service Designer apprenticeship in September. They brought transferable skills, which Jay had been helping them develop in their new roles, Jay explains:

“The apprenticeship will give Cian and Steph a depth of learning I wouldn’t have time to provide myself. I want a consistent approach across our team, so people elsewhere in SNG know how we’ll approach their project – whether they’re working with me, Cian or Steph.”

Their learning will support SNG’s programme to digitalise customer journeys. Jay leads the service design and customer experience work. Seven service areas were in discovery at the time of the interview, with Cian and Steph set to take on projects within the programme.

This work forms part of SNG’s corporate plan to 2031 and its ambition to become the UK’s leading housing association for customer experience. Having seen his own aftercare redesign move into delivery, Jay wants his team to have the same opportunity: to build their skills through projects that make a lasting difference to customers.

Inspired by the impact Jay has made at SNG?

Discover how JGA’s Service Designer apprenticeship can help your organisation develop in-house service design expertise and deliver better outcomes for customers. Find out more about the apprenticeship.