Shepherds Bush Housing Group is a community-focused social landlord that provides affordable and safe housing in West London. The association owns over 5,000 homes across the area that must be kept to a decent standard, and delivering a high-quality responsive repairs service is one of their biggest drivers of customer satisfaction.
Due to the demographic diversity of their resident population, expectations vary considerably. Recognising the importance of providing services that meet the needs of their resident population, the housing association saw the need to enhance their approach and actively engage with them.
Read on to discover how Shepherds Bush Housing Group gave their team back time to focus on improving resident relations using Voicescape Feedback.
The challenge
In previous years, Shepherds Bush Housing Group relied on paper surveys, which were time-consuming to produce and distribute, and lacked real-time data. Their team had also used a supplier to conduct telephone surveys, which provided useful insight and an indication of satisfaction but didn’t offer real-time feedback.
The social landlord recognised the need for a system that could offer instant feedback to residents regarding the completion status of repairs. This way, residents would be promptly informed, and if the repair wasn’t complete or further work is required, they could reach out to schedule the follow-up work. By implementing such a system, Shepherds Bush Housing Group could prevent any dissatisfaction from escalating further and ensure smoother communication.
“After analysing the market for resident feedback solutions, we chose Voicescape as they offered a very competitive price and seemingly the most simple solution to implement into our current operations. The most valuable feature for us was the real-time feedback and reporting. This allows us to address issues before they escalate further should the visit not go to plan.”
Darren Reynolds, Programme Director for Service Delivery at Shepherds Bush Housing Group
How it works
Voicescape Feedback is designed to make the all-important feedback processes of housing associations much more seamless and engaging. The solution sends out simple phone surveys as soon as a process or service has been completed. As a result, managers can receive instantaneous feedback from residents, providing a clearer picture about how they genuinely feel about repairs, planned maintenance, and other services.
Shepherds Bush Housing Group utilises Voicescape Feedback to survey their residents following their most recent repair. Thanks to the automated voice and/or text message, they receive real-time feedback data which facilitates enhanced engagement with residents and fosters a better mutual understanding between both parties. The survey asks a resident three questions: Are you satisfied with the service you’ve received? Was it completed properly in your opinion? And, if it wasn’t completed, were you informed of the next steps?
“We knew from customer demand insight and complaints data that when jobs required follow-on work, they tended to generate a lot of chaser calls. By having real-time feedback, we are able to address residents’ concerns and book in follow-on work instantly to prevent the chaser demand.”
Darren Reynolds, Programme Director for Service Delivery at Shepherds Bush Housing Group
The results
In 2022, Shepherds Bush Housing Group seamlessly implemented Voicescape Feedback, enabling them to effectively manage growing resident expectations. They found it to be a quick and user-friendly solution that’s preferred among residents due to its voice-led feature. Although it’s still early days, preliminary results indicate a significantly higher response rate (65%) when residents can provide feedback through voice rather than text.
“Since go-live, we’re reporting around 80% customer satisfaction across over 300 customers. A key feature of the product is the follow-up actions, which has seen over 200 customers receive a follow up since go-live.”
Darren Reynolds, Programme Director for Service Delivery at Shepherds Bush Housing Group
Using the solution, Shepherds Bush Housing Group can provide regular updates and keep residents informed of the status of repairs on their home. This contributes significantly to improving their overall relationship. The housing association now has access to a single, user-friendly dashboard where they can instantly view resident insights, saving considerable time.
“For us, it’s not just about the data we’re receiving, it’s about changing perceptions and the quality of engagement too.”
Debbie McCarthy, Head of Customer Service at Shepherds Bush Housing Group
Enhance your feedback process with Voicescape
Want to discover how Voicescape Feedback can benefit your social housing organisation? Book a demo with our experts today.