Tenant involvement and empowerment
Every year we measure our performance so we know what we’re doing well, and where we need to improve. These are the performance indicators for the regulator’s ‘tenant involvement and empowerment’ standards.
| Performance measure | 2021 to 2022 | 2022 to 2023 | Target 2022 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Centre – percentage of calls answered | 88.67% | 88.08% | >=95% |
| Number of new complaints received | 708 | 684 | - |
| Average number of working days to respond to a Stage One complaint | 10.4 | 10.1 | - |
What we’ve been doing
Resident involvement
We welcomed the return of in-person meetings after the restrictions of the previous years. The highlight of our calendar was a well-attended Residents’ Summit held in July 2022. We also held numerous roadshow events and summer estate parties to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee. Trellick Tower celebrated its 50th anniversary with a successful festival.
The Tenants Consultative Committee now meets alternately online and in person, and continues to carefully consider and provide input into all policy reviews. Task and Finish groups continued to work on a range of projects, including the Asset Management Strategy and the Tenancy Conditions Review.
We helped 3 tenants take part in the Tenant Participation Advisory Service’s national conference in Birmingham, and 15 tenant to take part in the Phoenix Housing course, where they received an accreditation.
We established a resident scrutiny group that has been examining our workforce culture. The Disability Forum was revived with a new pattern of lunchtime meetings featuring external guest speakers, including the disabled activist Lucy Webster.
Communication
We surveyed residents about Housing Matters magazine and other channels we use to communicate. We received 360 responses and the main findings are summarised below:
- 85% of respondents felt the length of the magazine was just right.
- 65% of respondents said they prefer the paper magazine to a digital version.
- 65% of respondents said the Council is good at keeping them informed.
- 73% agreed that the content in Housing Matters was useful and relevant and 72% agreed that they trust the information they read in the magazine.
The subjects residents wanted to hear about most were repairs, major works, sustainability, and fire safety. Most residents said they prefer us to contact them by post or email if we need to get in touch.
Customer service centre
Our Customer Service Centre performance has stayed consistent despite several personnel changes in the last year. With staff retention being a problem, we have started developing a career grade structure for Housing Response team members, coaching and personal development opportunities. This has already shown a positive improvement in this year’s call-answering figures (currently 96.17%).
Compensation and complaints
Last year we reviewed our compensation and redress policy. Following the review, we increased the amount of money we pay to cover extra electrical costs (temporary storage heaters, dehumidifiers, heating water etc) in line with the rising costs of energy. We also increased the overall rate of compensation by 7%, to reflect the increase in rent. We increased payments for missed appointments, so that if we miss a number of appointments for the same repair, compensation is now paid at a higher rate.
We reviewed our complaints policy, to help us provide greater clarity around our ‘quick resolution process’. We also reviewed complaints response timeframes in line with the Ombudsman's Code of Conduct and corporate requirements.
Digital and access to services
In 2022 to 2023 we improved our digital offer to residents:
- We made it so residents can set up Direct Debits online, making the process paperless, quick and easy.
- We replaced the outdated computers at our Sheltered Schemes to ensure our residents there have easy access to the internet.
- We launched a new, digital way for people looking for a place to live to view their options, request assistance and book an appointment to speak to an officer.
- We also began work on a self-service portal, where residents will be able to check their rent balance and log repairs, rather than having to phone us or visit the office.
Internally, we made significant steps towards working digitally – using far less paper and increasing the use of digital platforms to communicate and collaborate. This helps reduce the time it takes to resolve matters and improves the way we can provide services to our customers.
What we need to improve
At the Residents’ Summit, many of you told us that you feel more listened to and respected, and that you feel staff are friendlier and more approachable. However there were some areas where you wanted to see improvement, primarily repairs and communication. Residents asked us to publicise meetings better, and make sure information was shared beyond Resident Association level.
Some immediate actions have already been taken, such as restructuring the Resident Engagement team and widening our communications through better use of social media. We’re continuing to work on other elements of the feedback you gave us.