One Vision Housing
Customer Voice
Scrutiny Review - Tenant Satisfaction and Void Lettings 23/24
Background information
A Scrutiny Review provides customers with an opportunity to delve deep into housing matters which they may be concerned about or underperforming areas where they feel there is room for improvement. By involving customers in our decision-making, we are able to enhance our services, increase satisfaction, and become more efficient. Scrutiny Reviews strengthen the relationship between tenant and landlord, fostering trust and improving our reputation in the process. We believe that effective communication is key, and we are dedicated to providing an open and honest forum where customers can have their questions answered and suggestions respected.
The topic of tenant satisfaction with void lettings was raised as part of our quarterly Service Review Group (SRG) in January 2023. During SRG meetings, managers from One Vision Housing (OVH) teams share performance figures with customers and answer any questions they may have.
Following this, our Scrutiny Panel noted that with regards to tenant satisfaction with void lettings, performance figures had decreased from the previous year. As a result, the panel decided to carry out a Scrutiny Review to find out why the figures had decreased and what improvements could be made.
Our approach
During Scrutiny Reviews, our panel meet regularly in order to thoroughly investigate service areas which need improvement. A presentation is given to the panel from the service area manager, after which the panel will raise questions and request further documentation if required. They then establish Areas of Challenge and further information is gathered before they suggest recommendations which are reviewed by members of One Vision Housing's Executive Management Team. Approved recommendations are then monitored through our performance monitoring software to ensure they are completed.
Scrutiny Panel Review
In order to establish how tenant satisfaction with void lettings could be improved, our Scrutiny Panel carried out a full review of the New Tenant Satisfaction Survey, wider tenant services, communication methods, and property standards.
A New Tenant Satisfaction Survey is completed when a customer moves into a new property. Survey questions include:
- How satisfied are you with the condition of the property?
- Do you have enough money to keep your home in a decent state of decoration?
- If you were given a paint pack, do you have any feedback about the delivery and quality?
- Do you feel like you received enough support during the lettings process?
- When you moved into your home, were you given information about safeguarding?
- Would you be interested in getting involved with One Vision Housing?
In addition to reviewing the survey, the panel also looked at the survey size, communication methods, void standards and more. This is what they observed:
Survey questions:
- Question three - The Scrutiny Panel felt that this was a missed opportunity to identify potential needs and help where necessary.
- Question six - This question was encouraging and they would consider rewording this question to improve customer involvement.
Survey size:
The existing number of surveys was considered in relation to current void turnaround. The panel found the target of 30 surveys to be satisfactory in relation to the average number of monthly lettings. However, this number can vary as some months there are as few as 10 successful surveys completed which creates a larger fluctuation in monthly reported statistics.
Survey methods:
The way in which customer satisfaction surveys were conducted was examined, and the panel found the most used approach was via telephone. They felt that this excluded new customers who had not yet provided a telephone number or those who had requested an alternative method of contact.
Void standards:
The panel identified that satisfaction with the void’s standard declined after March 2021. They considered what operational changes had taken place. It was established that no operational changes had occurred, and that staff turnover was also reported as being consistent. They also checked if the specification to voids had changed in the same period and discovered there had been no changes.
Customer communications:
The ease in which new customers could report repairs and/or contact their relevant housing services team was considered. They found that although there were multiple options for customers to report repairs, it was difficult to contact the relevant housing services team as Neighbourhood Service Officers were not made known to customers. The panel identified that historically this information had been available on the OVH website but this was no longer the case.
The panel also looked at current contact methods and recommended that OVH asks customers to identify their preferred contact method so that OVH can tailor their services accordingly.
Survey timeframe:
The panel examined the timeframe between when a new customer signs up and when they complete the satisfaction survey, which stands at one week. OVH explained that the survey is conducted early to capture the customer's fresh impressions of the sign-up process.
Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM's)
It was also identified that the incoming new Tenant Satisfaction Measures will not overlap with the current process.
Outcomes
As a result of customer feedback, five recommendations were approved and have either been implemented or are in the process of being implemented by One Vision Housing. These actions were included in the company's performance tracking software to ensure outcomes were completed within the agreed timescales
1. Question on the New Tenant Survey should be re-worded to: OVH are committed to involving its tenants in shaping how we deliver our services. Would you be interested in assisting OVH in achieving this?-This action was completed on 4 January 2024.
2. Where there are low levels of New Tenant Surveys completed, OVH should consider selecting a higher sample of residents to contact to reach the target of 30. - We are introducing Microsoft Customer Voice in 24/25, which will allow OVH to survey customers via different methods (e-mail/SMS, etc). By using a multi-channel approach, it will be easier to reach all targets. We will continue to monitor this as the new system is introduced.
3. Going forward when conducting surveys, OVH should expand their reach via preferred contact which includes emails and texts. - A solution has been agreed with the implementation of Microsoft Customer Voice in 24/25. This will make it possible to survey customers via their preferred method of contact.
4. It is recommend that OVH's Neighbourhood Service Officers details are available on the OVH website. - Our Neighbourhoods Team is currently undergoing a patch change. Once completed this information will be updated on the website.
5. OVH could use the customer's preferred method of contact within the design of future surveys and marketing opportunities to establish meaningful communications. - We are collating our customers' preferred contact methods in a new EDI form. While we aim to use these preferences, urgent situations (e.g. lift breakdowns) may require other methods, such as text or phone. We currently utilise preferred method of contact where applicable, particularly as part of our complaints process. For instance, if a customer wishes to communicate via email as part of the complaint process, we will aim to do this where reasonably possible.
We would like to thank our dedicated Scrutiny Panel for helping us during this Scrutiny Review. We are confident that these recommendations will help us to improve customer relationships and strengthen our service offer.