Our 2023 ‘Make It Happen’ survey results and what happens next
Thank you to everyone who completed our ‘Make It Happen’ (The Tenancy Satisfaction Measures ‘TSM’) survey last year – it’s now our biggest survey yet!
In total, 72% of customers said they were happy with the overall service we provide, and 75% said they were happy with the quality of the repairs service. We’re reassured that 81% of our customers told us that they trust us too.
However, we’re keen to improve, and we recognise there is always more we can and should do. From this ‘Make it Happen ‘survey, we’ve developed a plan to focus on the issues that matter to you the most.
Above all, we want all customers to know that our colleagues understand where you’re coming from, and that we’ll always work with you to put things right.
Our Board accepted the findings and approved a plan of action that aims to address your biggest priorities, including the quality of our housing stock and the impact we aim to have within each neighbourhood.
In total, we had a whopping 1700 responses, and since then, we’ve followed up with 600 customers to gain a deeper understanding of their specific concerns.
Six themes were identified, and a working group have been meeting regularly to track the progress of this work – and we’ve summarised everything for you below.
Together, we can ‘Make it Happen’.
The six areas we’re focusing on are:
1. Our repair service
15.2% of written feedback we received was about our repairs service. The biggest issues were: the length of time repairs take, confusion over which Calico team is carrying out the repair, and when appointments are rearranged.
What are we doing to ‘Make it Happen’?
• We’re investing the digital technology to help us better manage the repairs process and make it more effective for you
• We’re reviewing and simplifying the repairs categories to make it easier to book the right jobs
• We’re reviewing our supplier arrangements to make sure you get a better quality service.
Action taken so far…
To improve repairs, we’re updating things on our end that will allow appointments to be booked at first point of contact for our customers. To do this, a new customer portal has been selected and will be implemented in autumn 2024 for our customers, including booking of repairs appointments.
Not only that, but we’ve also updated our materials contract and our three new suppliers are being used from the 1st of April 2024.
Our Repairs Manager now has more capacity to spend more time working on our repairs process.
2. Our customer service
5.7% of customers fed back on customer service. The main feedback was about: the empathy in our tone and language, lack of knowledge from our colleagues, too many queries being passed on, and the general tone of letters across the service.
What are we doing to ‘Make it Happen’?
• We’re carrying out a full review of our customer service and the skills development of our team
• We’re reviewing communications tone and language in letters/emails and voice and we’re updating the content on the Homes website too.
Action taken so far…
Firstly, all of our standard letters have been reviewed for tone and language and updated – our website has also been fully updated.
Our Customer Service Review Project established new leadership, developed a detailed knowledge library, developed new customer service training, introduced new performance measures for the contact centre, introduced new call quality listening and end of call satisfaction surveying with customers.
Not only that, but our new Customer Experience Network also offers opportunities to customers to develop our services across a range of improvement activities, for example: website review, Complaints Scrutiny Group, feeding back on new policy.
3. The quality of our homes
6.7% of feedback was about the quality of your homes, or the modernisation/improvement you would like to see. The biggest issues were lack of clarity about when investments will take place, dissatisfaction over repairs that resulted in mismatching kitchens, and the state of many double glazed windows.
What are we doing to ‘Make it Happen’?
• We’re using your feedback to shape our five year investment programme
• We’re reviewing the standard of our homes when people move in
• We’re reviewing our approach for blown windows and matching kitchen units
• We’re considering how we can make sure we best personalise our approach for people’s needs.
Action taken so far…
We’ve developed our 5-year investment programme with specific investment programmes for doors, windows, kitchens, bathrooms, boilers and roofs. This programme also allows a degree of flexibility for ad hoc requirements that will arise. We will now ensure that we communicate this plan to our customers.
4. Caretaking & ground maintenance
4.6% of our customers have given us written feedback about our caretaking and ground maintenance services. The biggest items were grass cutting quality and scheduling, and issues around tree maintenance and responsibility.
What are we doing to ‘Make it Happen’?
• We’re bringing our grounds maintenance service back in house to make it more visible and better quality
• We’re updating our records about all the trees and green spaces we need to manage
Action taken so far…
Following feedback from customers, we launched our new in-house Grounds Maintenance team, who started work this Spring. We have also began tagging our trees and green spaces, so we know what we need to take responsibility for.
5. Anti-social behaviour (ASB)
2.7% of our customers have given us written feedback about anti-social behaviour, including customers living with complex needs, the consideration of more technology (such as CCTV), and a desire for Calico to deal with issues rather than pass to the police to resolve.
What are we doing to ‘Make it Happen’?
• We’re ensuring colleagues are trained and have resources to help people who are experiencing domestic abuse
• We’re looking at ways to work more closely with partners like the Police and Burnley Council
• We’re going to share more information about the action we take to tackle ASB.
We’ll bring you more information about the survey and action plan in the coming months and in our Annual Report.
Action taken so far…
We’ve now got our DAHA (Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance) accreditation. This has been taken Calico wide with a communications campaign, ensuring all colleagues are aware of what they need to do.
We now talk about the successes of tackling antisocial behaviour, following our customers wanting to know more about outcomes of their ASB complaints. For added safety, we’ve also introduced body cameras for the safety of our customers and our colleagues.
6. Communication
4.9% of customers fed back on poor communication, which included needing to chase up services and a general lack of knowledge amongst colleagues.
What are we doing to ‘Make it Happen’?
- Encouraging colleagues to take the responsibility to find out
- Creating a more in-depth knowledge library in our contact centre
- Reviewing our processes with a customer lens and taking opportunities to work together with customers to improve things.
Action taken so far…
Our teams, in particular the contact centre, are now taking greater ownership of customers’ needs rather than passing through to other teams.
We’ve also brought in our new ‘IMPACT’ training and briefing programme to ensure all colleagues are informed and trained on the way we work and aware of new standards for our customers. Training is recorded and attendance is tracked to ensure we’re making changes. Finally, we’re also identifying opportunities to work with customers to improve the way we work with ‘to be’ processes.
New approach for our annual Make it Happen Survey (TSMs) for 2024
We are committed to continuously improving through action led change from customer feedback. Following the successful Make it Happen survey last year, which is our annual approach to Tenancy Satisfaction Measures, we have opened more ways to get the customer voice into all the work we do at Calico Homes.
As we now continue to develop deeper customer engagement, we are partnering with a Research Agency (Acuity) to undertake the annual Make it Happen (Tenancy Satisfaction Measures) on our behalf. This approach will see 800 customers approached for feedback each year.
We will ensure customers that are selected are representative of the communities we serve. If you are chosen to complete the Make it Happen Survey, you will either be contacted by telephone (however you can opt to receive the survey digitally) or you will receive the survey digitally to your email address.
All responses are anonymous. However, if an issue is identified, you have the option to provide your details so we can make things right again.
All customers are always welcome to give us feedback and our new 3C process is where you can feedback a compliment, concern or raise a complaint.