It is the Group’s aim to always provide tenants and customers with the best possible service but recognise that we don’t always get things right.
As a board, it is extremely important for us to receive information about how we are performing and to hear directly from tenants and customers. We receive regular reports and hear from tenants through the Tenants Voice – Improving Services Group reporting and their scrutiny reviews. This year, we also approved the introduction of two tenant committees with a defined purpose:
- To hear the customer and tenant voice.
- To shape, influence and review service delivery and performance based on tenant experiences when compared alongside outcome measures e.g. Key Performance Indicators and Tenant Satisfaction Measures, with a focus on continuous improvement.
- To recommend / report to Board how the tenants voice can be heard through insight and engagement activity to influence the strategic plan.
We have reviewed the annual complaints performance report and self-assessment (against the Housing Ombudsman complaints handling code).
We consider that the number of complaints the Group receives (87.7 at stage 1 per 1000 homes) to be a significant number, but importantly, we are pleased that tenants have the confidence to report concerns to us and provide an opportunity for us to review and put things right.
During the course of this year, there has been a lot of activity undertaken to ensure that we continuously improve services to tenants and to hear the voice of customers. This has been done through:
- a consultation on changes to the Group complaints, feedback and redress policy
- a deep dive into complaints by the Group Audit and Risk committee
- the introduction of two additional complaints resolution officers
- development of a new customer service-style developed with colleagues and tenants for the Group (RAMP)
- a change in national contractor to improve repairs service delivery
- the introduction of healthy homes inspections
- a focus on the top priorities for tenants, which includes complaints and communication
- learning from complaints embedded in operational service delivery
- the introduction of tenant committees with a focus on learning from complaints (due autumn 2024)
- the appointment of two NED leads for complaints (also will chair the tenant committees when established)
Complaints remain a key performance indicator that we monitor to ensure that the voice of the tenant is listened to and acted on to continuously improve.
May 2024