Over the last year the group carried out reviews of
- Planned maintenance
- Communication
- Aids and adaptations
This is the difference their review made.
We are delighted to have a group of tenants who volunteer their time to look at the services we provide from a tenant's perspective.
We are delighted to have a group of tenants who volunteer their time to look at the services we provide from a tenants’ perspective.
Our Tenants’ Voice – improving services group carries out a vital role to make sure;
- Our services meet the needs of our tenants
- We provide good customer service
- We meet the standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing
The group has helped to create this review of their activities during 2023-24. We hope by providing this roundup it will help others to understand the valuable role tenants play in supporting the Group to develop and improve services to meet the needs and expectations of fellow tenants.
Tenants' Voice - Improving Services | Our Annual Report
We chose to carry out a review of the Planned Maintenance service (replacement of kitchens, bathroom, windows and external doors), looking particularly at;
- How effective is communication with tenants before, during and after work has taken place
- How tenant feedback is received and used
To carry out the review we;
- Received a briefing from colleagues at Progress to explain how the service is delivered and what communication is provided to tenants
- Reviewed the letters Progress sends to tenants
- Reviewed the information on the website and compared this with others
- Reviewed how tenant satisfaction is received and used
We found that the following areas were working well;
- The satisfaction survey is sent to all tenants by text message when works are complete. The survey is simple and easy to complete.
We also made 8 recommendations on how the service could be improved further to provide a better experience for tenants.
Since completing the review 6 recommendations have been implemented with 2 being progressed.
The review has seen the following improvmements
- Standard letters rewritten to make sure they are easy to understand and provide tenants with the information they need.
- Clear contact details are provided to tenants should they need to make contact before, during or after works are completed.
- Kitchens are measured across the year with appointments for fitting being made with tenants during the measurement appointment
- Tenants are offered bathroom redecoration following new bathrooms being fitted.
Here is a quote from Andy (Planned Investment Manager) who told us how the service has benefited from the tenants review.
“I feel the Tenants’ Voice was a fantastic opportunity to learn where we could be better. Working with tenants in the group allowed me to hear their opinions in their own words. It created a chance for us to make changes and with their guidance improve the service for all our tenants.”
We decided to carry out a review of Communication as this is an issue highlighted in most of the reviews we carry out.
We decided to focus our review on;
The guiding principles for good communications
- How tenants have been involved in developing these principles
- How strategies for improving communications will be embedded across the organisation and the timeframe for this
- What measures PHG will use to identify where improvement has been made
To carry out the review we;
- Received a briefing from the Head of Customer Experience and Marketing and Communication Team.
- Reviewed the Customer Access Strategy
- Reviewed the Customer Service Style project
- Reviewed the brand guidelines, including tone of voice and accessibility
We found that the following areas were working well;
- Key communication issues have already been identified and are being addressed by Progress.
- We support the Customer Access Strategy and the Customer Service Style project. We feel that the actions will improve communication with tenants.
- Feedback from tenants via a Tenants Talk has informed the Customer Access Strategy and the Customer Service Style project.
We also made 6 recommendation on how the approach to communication could be improved further.
Since completing the review 1 recommendations have been implemented with 5 being progressed.
We appreciate that due to the nature of the recommendations it is going to take some time to see the benefits of the review.
Neil Bergin-Faragher (Head of Customer Experience) told us why he valued the review carried out by tenants.
“It was such a great opportunity to talk to our Tenants’ Voice group about how we can improve communication with our tenants and customers. It is such a hot topic at the moment as we have heard our tenants tell us via the Tenant Satisfaction Measure surveys, other transactional surveys, complaints and various face to face events and activities, that communication is something we can get better at.
We’re committed to delivering against the 6 recommendations made by the Tenants’ Voice members and have ensured this is reflected in a number of projects and initiative such as RAMP over the coming months.”
Over the next year we will be carrying out a scrutiny review on the planned maintenance service and communication.
We decided to carry out a review of the Aids and adaptation service because of the focus in the Housing Act about maintaining independence and supporting tenants with specific needs.
We decided to focus our review on;
- How tenants are made aware of the service.
- Communication methods in place for tenants.
- How tenant expectations are managed.
- How tenants provide feedback on the service and how this is used to improve it.
To carry out the review we;
- Received a briefing from the team responsible for the aids and adaptations service.
- Reviewed the policy and procedure with a focus on tenant communication.
- Reviewed letters that are sent to tenants.
- Reviewed the information available on the website.
- Reviewed how tenant satisfaction is obtained and used.
We found that the following areas were working well;
- We recognise that Progress is reliant on external partners to deliver the service, which can lead to delays in processing requests.
- When requests are approved, Progress are quick to respond and communicate well when they have all the information they need.
- Satisfaction with the service is high.
We also made 9 recommendations on how the service can be improved further. Since completing the review 3 recommendations have been implemented with 6 being progressed.
This has seen changes being made to;
- Satisfaction survey being sent to all tenants receiving the service.
- Inclusion of a question about the standard of communication in the satisfaction survey.
- Double check to make sure only aids and adaptations are coded to the budget.
Carly Mustoe (Head of Housing Operations) told us “Supporting our tenants through tailored aid and adaptations is not just about accessibility, but enabling independence. Having our tenants involved in improving our processes helps us better understand how to best deliver our services”
If you would like to find out more about the work of the Tenants’ Voice – improving services group, including how you can get involved or suggest a service for a scrutiny review please see www.progressgroup.org.uk/scrutiny or contact Diane from the Customer Voice Team at community@progressgroup.org.uk or phone 07870 900991.
Here are what some of our tenants told us about why they are involved.
Ron
“I got involved because I thought I could make a difference and bring to the meeting my experience in various aspects of using meetings to getting things done. I feel that together as a group we have made significant contributions when asked to scrutinise and review the services of Progress.
I feel that I have made contributions that have helped make a difference to reviews we have done. I feel that I am listened to by Progress staff and that they value my opinions and have used my comments in a positive way.
I have had a happy time coming to the meetings and meetings other tenants. It keeps my brain working.”
Julie
“I am a proud to be an involved tenant, not only is it a way of giving back, Progress values align very much with my own in life.
We are given support and training throughout, covering a variety of issues. As a volunteer staff and tenants work together to shape policies and to make a positive difference to tenants life.
I find it interesting and have been involved in so many events such as improving policies, looking at contracts, judging, interviewing, to name but a few. All staff are open and transparent, giving assistance when needed.
I love the Progress slogan if we don’t know about it we can’t fix it. I can say with all honesty all staff are doing their very best to improve the lives of their tenants and customers.”
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