Customers influence all that we do
Over the past year, our focus has been on strengthening customer influence and making sure it leads to real, visible change. Rather than concentrating on one‑off activity, we’ve built on the work already underway, taking a consistent approach to how customer views shape decisions and improvements. This has meant taking the time to listen properly and involving customers early enough for their views to make a difference. We’ve kept things clear and straightforward, asking for input where it matters, using it to guide decisions, and following things through rather than letting feedback stop at a conversation. We’ve also widened who we hear from, reaching people who don’t usually get involved, and offered different ways to take part so involvement works for more people. Alongside this, we’ve been more open about what’s changed and why, and honest where progress takes time. This is helping customers see that their views are valued and can lead to changes they notice.
Customer involvement has remained at the centre of our work, confirmed by the retention of our Tpas accreditation for a second year. Tpas are England’s tenant engagement experts. They promote, support and champion tenant involvement and empowerment in social housing. Since achieving Tpas Landlord Accreditation last year, and with reaccreditation now secured, customer influence is firmly embedded across the organisation. The accreditation strengthened our approach by providing a clear framework for good practice, while still allowing flexibility to involve customers in ways that are meaningful and relevant. As one of a small number of housing organisations nationally to hold this accreditation, it gives us continued confidence in how customer influence is built into decision‑making.
Over the year, we’ve made particular progress in broadening who gets involved. Our customer influence activity has grown and diversified to better reflect the communities we serve, including the introduction of an inclusive service group alongside established service improvement groups, scrutiny work, consultations and co‑creation sessions. Together, these forums are helping customers shape change across a wide range of services.
The inclusive service group plays an important role in shaping service and policy changes through an accessibility and inclusion lens. Drawing on lived experience, equality, diversity and inclusion principles and insight, the group helps spot barriers early and sense‑check whether proposed changes will work for a wide range of customers.
We’ve also widened how customers can get involved. Using a mix of workshops, focus groups, surveys, panels and collaborative review sessions, we make it easier for people to take part in ways that suit them, helping us hear from a broader range of voices.
In addition, we’ve strengthened how we close the loop. Clear ‘You said, we did’ updates show how feedback leads to real change, reinforcing openness and demonstrating that customer insight is valued. Across the organisation, teams are involving customers earlier and using insight more effectively, something customers tell us they appreciate.
Highlights from this year
More conversations, earlier
Customers helped shape major projects from the very beginning, giving us practical insight before decisions were made.
Better ways to listen
We improved how we collect, understand and share customer feedback, helping teams respond more effectively.
Closing the loop
We made it easier for customers to see the difference their feedback makes, helping build trust and transparency.
What we did and what we changed
Listening locally through door‑knocking and roadshows
We held door‑knocking and roadshow events across Cherrywood (Farnborough), Sandy Hill, Upper Hale (Farnham) and Rowner (Gosport). These events gave customers the chance to talk with our teams about their communities - what they enjoy, what works well and where they feel improvements are needed.
These face‑to‑face moments really matter. Spending time talking with customers in their own communities helps build trust, openness and genuine connection. It’s not about one‑off conversations - it’s about building relationships over time and keeping those conversations going.
This work forms part of our Community Connected approach, which focuses on reaching customers whose voices are less often heard. By going out into communities, we’re able to engage with customers who don’t usually take part in surveys, panels or formal involvement activity.
So far, 289 customers who wouldn’t typically get involved have shared their insights on current services and future plans. Their feedback has informed clear action plans that are now underway, including estate enhancements supported through the VIVID Plus plan.
VIVID customer scrutiny panel (VCSP)
The VIVID customer scrutiny panel (VCSP), previously known as VIVID Impact, is a group of customers who take an independent look at how we’re doing. Their role is to step back, ask honest questions and help check whether services, decisions and changes really work from a customer point of view.
The panel looks at how customer views are reflected in service reviews and decision‑making, and whether changes could affect some customer groups more than others. Where improvements are needed, they make practical recommendations to help strengthen involvement and improve outcomes for customers.
The VCSP has been involved in a range of activity, including taking a close look at corporate communications such as social media, the website and customer newsletters. Customer insight has helped highlight what works well, where information could be clearer, and how communication can better meet customer needs.
The panel also carries out deeper reviews of specific areas of the organisation, comparing VIVID’s approach with other housing associations and identifying opportunities to learn and improve. Supported by clear governance arrangements, the VCSP is able to challenge openly and constructively, helping keep customer experience front of mind.
Over the year, the VCSP has been actively involved in looking at how we work from a customer perspective and helping identify where things could be clearer or improved.
The panel has:
- Reviewed corporate communications, including social media, the website and customer newsletters, highlighting where information could be easier to understand
- Challenged the clarity and accessibility of customer communications, helping improve how key messages are shared
- Reviewed customer satisfaction and performance information, asking questions about what the data shows and how it’s used
- Looked closely at complaints and lessons learned, reinforcing the importance of keeping customers informed
- Shared learning from other housing organisations and Tpas events, helping bring fresh ideas in
- Focused on making sure customer feedback leads to real change, not just actions on paper
Policy reviews shaped by customers
Customers reviewed 10 key policies, including housing management, lettings, complaints and compensation. Each policy was given an understanding score to help identify where content could be clearer.
As a result, we:
- removed jargon and abbreviations
- added clearer definitions and examples
- clarified processes so expectations are easier to understand
- helped policies work better for the people who rely on them
Customer feedback also led to clearer commitments. For example, customers reviewing the complaints policy told us they wanted better communication while complaints were being investigated. We now provide weekly updates, unless customers prefer otherwise, to help bring clarity and reassurance.
Our customer promises
To understand what a good experience truly means, we spent time having in‑depth conversations with customers and listening closely to the insight shared through everyday interactions. Customers told us what matters most to them, what makes the biggest difference to how they feel about their home, and what helps neighbourhoods feel like places where people belong. Their input is guiding everyday decisions, behaviours and service delivery across VIVID.
What customers shared was used to shape a clear and simple overarching aim for our customer promises:
That every customer feels we provide a good place to live
At first glance, this may sound straightforward. In practice, it is ambitious in two important ways. Firstly, it is a commitment we want to be true for everyone — and we recognise that this is not always the case today. Secondly, while some aspects of a good place to live sit within our direct control, the promises also reflect the wider experience of neighbourhoods and communities, which matters just as much.
In everyday terms, a good place to live is about feeling comfortable and secure at home, knowing support is there when needed, receiving clear and timely updates, having repairs done properly, and being treated with kindness and respect. Most of all, it’s about the everyday moments, big and small, that help a home and neighbourhood feel like somewhere people are happy to live.
Things don’t always go right, and we’re open about that. We’ll keep an eye on how well we’re living up to our customer promises, share what’s going well and where we need to do better, and keep learning from customer feedback. These promises set a clear direction for the choices we make and how services are delivered, helping create more consistent, positive experiences over time.
Together, this work has helped customer influence feel more joined‑up, more inclusive and more clearly connected to outcomes. Customer feedback is shaping policies, service standards, leadership and local action in practical, meaningful ways.
That influence really does make a difference. It might take time, but these voices continue to shape real changes, not just conversations.
Customer influence beyond services and policies
Customer involvement this year has gone beyond shaping services, policies and standards. Customers have also been involved in the recruitment of key senior roles at VIVID, including the Head of Customer Experience and the Head of Building Maintenance.
Their involvement helped bring a customer perspective into the recruitment process, ensuring customer values, expectations and priorities are reflected at senior leadership level.
We offer a wide range of involvement, engagement and participation opportunities for customers, such as our customer service committee, panels and select groups, neighbourhood volunteers, resident groups and surveys.
Service standards shaped with
customers
To make sure our service standards work in practice, we looked closely at what’s working day to day and where it could be better. This has included working with customers to strengthen our service standards across the services they rely on, from rents and service charges to repairs, planned works, support and how we keep in touch. By testing what’s working and what isn’t, we’re making practical changes, particularly around communication, follow through and making sure customers know what to expect, helping make things more reliable.
Together, this work is helping things feel more joined up and inclusive, with a clearer link between what customers tell us and what we do differently as a result. Feedback is shaping services, policies and local action in practical, meaningful ways.
By getting involved, you’ll be supporting communities, co-developing our service, learning new skills and ensuring the customer voice is being heard and acted upon.
Why not join the 5,240 customers who have given a remarkable 3,284 hours to VIVID this year, already making a difference to the services that we offer?
