Ambition 1: Customers are our strongest advocates
We’re transforming our services and the way we work to improve customer experience
This is about building trust in our services. It means customers know what to expect from us more clearly than ever before, we keep them updated at every stage of their enquiry or repair, and it's effortless for customers to interact with us. This is what any of us need and expect in our day to day lives.
Our customers have provided us with invaluable insight on what’s most important to them in respect of the homes and services we provide. This feedback has always been and continues to be fundamental in helping us shape our services and, by working even more collaboratively together, we’re raising the bar to modernise and transform them.
"We're committed to developing our services to improve customer experience, and build trust and confidence in everything we do. We're listening carefully to customers so they can influence both what we do and how we do it. We've started to co-create a new customer influence strategy to build on the strong foundations we have in place."
- Margaret Dodwell, Chief Operating Officer
New and easier ways to contact us
In November 2023 we introduced new easier ways for customers to get in touch with us, including a new and improved online account, chatbot, live chat, WhatsApp, and a help and support section on our website. Within the first 5 months we saw great results with call wait times reducing from 15 minutes to averaging between 5 to 7 minutes, and use of new channels continuing to rise. We've also seen an increase in customers choosing to set up their own direct debits online, giving them more control over how they pay their rent. We’ll continue to communicate these new channels and the benefits to empower customers, and we’re excited about transforming other aspects of our online offering that will, for example, enable customers to book and track every stage of repairs to their homes. Ultimately, it’s about giving customers the information and functionality they need at their fingertips 24/7, and building capacity to continue helping ever increasing numbers of those who are experiencing more complex situations on the phone or in person.
Clearer service standards
We've ensured greater clarity and transparency on the services we provide. During the year we consulted with our involved customers to develop a new set of service standards. The new standards are designed to be easier for customers to understand the high level of service to expect from us and help them hold us to account. We regularly check we’re meeting our service standards and provide quarterly updates on our performance.
Listening and working with customers
Our customers’ views matter to us, they help us to improve the way we design and deliver good quality homes and services. We give customers an opportunity to get involved and influence change. There are a variety of ways a customer can get involved, based around interests, preferences and the time available to give.
This year we’ve started to shape a customer influence strategy to build on the strong foundations we already have in place. We're also working towards TPAS Resident Involvement Accreditation for Landlords. By completing this accreditation, we'll demonstrate our commitment to customer involvement and ensure our approach is effective and offers the best value for money.
We have a diverse group of involved customers who currently work with us in a range of ways, including our Customer Service Committee, Neighbourhood Volunteers, resident groups, our scrutiny panel VIVID Impact, and more. Over the coming year we're looking forward to working with customers to develop and implement our new customer influence strategy, and experiencing the positive outcomes that this brings.
Here are a few examples of how customers have helped shape our services during 2023-24:
- We worked with customers to develop new service standards to ensure they’re based on the areas that they have said are most important. We're clear and transparent on the services that we offer.
- We introduced a project team to address our level of outstanding repairs. We hired extra contractor trade staff who continue to work hard to reduce the volume, while being well managed to ensure we meet expectations and service standards.
- Customers told us that it’s important to be able to contact us easily and answer queries quickly, which resulted in us launching our new and improved ways to contact us in November 2023. This included a new online account, live chat on our website and WhatsApp to enable photos and video calls. Their views and feedback were sought at stages throughout the process.
Transparency in our performance
From April 2023, all housing associations have been required to collect information from customers on how satisfied they are with their landlord. These 12 perception measures, along with 10 management information measures, make up the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) and fall under 5 themes: repairs, building safety, engagement, complaints handling and neighbourhood management. We’ll be publishing this information to our customers for the first time in July, providing greater transparency about our performance.
We also measure our performance against our service standards through transactional surveys sent to customers following key interactions with us, whether it be a repair or contact with our customer experience team. We use this feedback, alongside the TSM surveys and complaints, to help us make improvements to our service. We're open and honest about our performance against these measures so our customers can hold us to account. Our progress is scrutinised by our Customer Service Committee, made up of customers, staff and Board members, and a review of our performance is published on our website every quarter.
A clear approach to complaints
Everyone wants and expects great customer service. While we may not always get it right, we are striving to deliver the best we can. We’ve continued to comply with The Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) complaint handling code, which became statutory from April 2024, to ensure when we haven’t met our customers' expectations, we’re responding to their complaints effectively and fairly. Our Customer Service Committee regularly reviews how we’re doing, and we publish our performance on our website here
Supporting and empowering customers to stay in their homes
VIVID Plus, our charitable arm, helps our customers and communities thrive. The reason for being and core themes remain - to provide customers with tailored, individual tenancy sustainment services, and support community-led priorities to ensure people feel proud of where they live. With the continued high cost of living, our focus over the past year has been on doing everything we can to help people through this, with targeted support, funding and partnerships to maximise positive impact on people’s lives.
Housing Perks
During the year we teamed up with Housing Perks to provide an exclusive discount app for customers. Through the app, we’re helping customers save money on their supermarkets and grocery stores, amongst other things. The Housing Perks app offers discounts of up to 20% at over 100 supermarkets, high street shops and online, helping save money on groceries, fuel and clothing. We continue to promote and encourage customers to sign up to the free app if they haven’t already, to help their money go even further.
Our dedicated tenancy support and place shaping teams
Demand especially for our money advice and benefits service rose significantly over the last year. In response to this, we boosted the capacity of the team which provides customers who need it with help to manage their income and outgoings, checking what benefits they may be eligible for and advising how to put payment plans in place with companies such as utility providers.
We also provided funding for targeted place shaping activities, to create opportunities and drive positive change in specific localities. It’s about empowering communities to organise and take action together to address the things that matter to them in their households, communities and neighbourhoods.
Here are some examples of our positive impact.
Robin's story
Our money advice and benefits team helps customers to create what can be hugely positive life-changing results. Robin had been experiencing the impact of rising energy costs over the last year. After an injury meant he could no longer work, Robin began to struggle to afford essentials and entered rent arrears.
Supporting customers with digital skills
Our Digital Inclusion Officer, Wendy, has been helping Tina use a smartphone and computer - particularly how to scan in documents. Tina needed to send off some documents for her housing benefits but wasn’t sure what to do. Her local post office is over a mile away, and the bus doesn’t go all the way there, so posting physical documents can be a challenge.
