We're all ears, and sometimes that turns into actions to make things better. Listening to what our customers think, and spotting areas that need attention to improve is one way we can really make a difference. We use the data we have, whether it's from our Tenant Satisfaction Measures or from conversations and feedback from customers, to influence what we do.
Events, workshops and community partnerships all get the thumbs up from us, and more importantly our customers too!
Building trust and engagement in Manningham
The Tenant Satisfaction Measures are a way of comparing how landlords across the country are performing, and the results show us how you think we’re doing.
This year the results showed that customers from ethnic minority communities were less engaged with us, and reported lower satisfaction levels compared to other customer groups.
We used the results to find a community in Manningham where we could really make a difference.
We connected with community organisations including Bradford Education and Employment Partnership (BEAP), Bradford Youth Outreach (BYO), and other local partnerships active in the area. And together, we came up with some ways we can engage with our customers to understand the barriers they’re facing.
We also spoke to our Diversity Counts members, who shared some really useful ideas on how we could become more visible and accessible to underrepresented communities.
We started ‘showing up’ more. Going along to community events hosted by BEAP and BYO over the summer gave us chance to speak to more customers and build relationships.
It built ties with key organisations which can help support our customers.
By introducing BEAP drop-in sessions, it gave customers regular opportunities to speak to us in familiar, trusted settings.
It linked customers up with the services they needed. We resolved a long-standing repair issue for one customer who had limited English, this personal contact at a drop-in session was exactly what they needed!
Customers are now more comfortable getting in touch when they need us, and because we’re more involved with community events it’s easier for them to reach out in a way that works for them.
We’re not stopping here, we’ll continue going along to events and community spaces to keep these relationships going. And we’ll be bringing what we’ve learnt from Manningham to other areas with lower satisfaction among ethnic minority communities too.
Tackling loneliness in Flockton
Flockton had been highlighted as an area that had some longstanding challenges that needed dealing with, and it was affecting customer satisfaction.
We knew we needed to increase our presence and visibility at Flockton, which meant hosting some regular drop-in sessions so we could understand any frustrations our customers had, and see what we could do to fix them.
Once we had feedback from customers, we created a calendar of events and sessions customers could get involved in, working with some external organisations too. Like redecorating the communal room so it was a better space for everyone to use, and seeing how we could get involved with events like their games and food nights.
We hosted some sessions of our own to tackle loneliness in the area, and put on a summer BBQ to help with the sense of community too.
And to spark conversations, we introduced ‘iconic photos of Sheffield’ as taken and chosen by customers. We loved hearing the stories behind some of them!
Then to keep the lines of communication open and make sure their voices continued to be heard, we introduced two community champions for Flockton Court and Flockton House.
We built genuine relationships with customers and key community organisations, which we hope will continue.
And with more events taking place, it’s empowered customers to run their own sessions in the community to strengthen the bonds between Flockton Court and Flockton House, and tackle loneliness.
We got some fantastic feedback from customers too:
“It’s been fantastic, I was a little hesitant to join at first, but I’m really pleased I did. It’s the first time I have left the flat since Christmas, except for when I go shopping”.
“Seeing more and more people coming down and being introduced to new people. I’ve never seen so many people using the communal space”.
“Seeing how many people attended the session – everyone enjoyed themselves and was chatting with each other”.
We’ll keep the drop-in sessions going to make sure customers know we’re here when they need us, and to tackle loneliness we’ll be bringing in external partners.
The events will continue too, with a new ‘Swap Shop’ being introduced which will be run by a customer with the support of a volunteer coordinator. And we’ll keep helping out with events our customers are running themselves too.
We’ll take what we’ve learnt from Flockton to other areas with similar challenges too.
Halloween engagement in York
Customers told us that they liked community events, giving them a chance to build connections and celebrate their community spirit. We also knew that there were some customers who were interested in volunteering their time to support events like these, so we knew there would be some willing hands to help.
We looked at the calendar and decided to host some Halloween themed events in York over October half term, picking locations where we knew we had a lot of family housing.
Using some social value funding pledged from our contractor ISG Fleet allowed us to take the events to the next level with some spooky activities and prizes.
Two families got in touch to ask if they could get involved, and we put their brilliant artistic skills to good to use with some event posters to encourage as many customers to come along.
We had all sorts going on, from fancy dress and pumpkin competitions, to crafting and temporary tattoo fun. We also had a volunteer from Jigsaw Conferences join us to help run the event, we loved seeing everyone’s enthusiasm on the day and customers taking ownership of the area they live in.
More than just costumes and sweets, the events showcased how creative and inclusive activities can strengthen customer relationships, improve satisfaction, and open up conversations about estate improvements.
The events gave us chance to speak to customers, and for them to have a relaxed setting to talk to us about any issues, concerns or share ideas for improvement. And anything that was mentioned, we took away with us to shape improvements for the future. We know that one size doesn’t fit all, so having these insights from different communities means we can tailor our services.
Opening the door for engagement in Soothill
The Tenant Satisfaction Measures are a way of comparing how landlords across the country are performing, and the results show us how you think we’re doing.
This year the results showed that customers from ethnic minority communities were less engaged with us, and reported lower satisfaction levels compared to other customer groups.
Listening to what customers were saying, we worked with local partners in the Soothill community to really make a difference in an area that needed change.
We developed partnerships with The Soothill Community Association & Dawatal Islam Mosque, where we hosted drop-in sessions and connected with wider partners like Community Plus, Huddersfield University, Huddersfield Town Foundation and the local scouts group.
We hosted some initial drop-in sessions to speak to customers about what they need, and what we can do to help. Things that came up in the session included:
- Health and well-being sessions
- Physical activity for younger people
- Employability skills
- Community clean-ups
Using this feedback we hosted sessions to tackle each area for improvement, and worked with a range of partners to make sure they were successful.
They also meant we could reach customers who we might not have had the chance to speak to face to face.
We built relationships with customers and key community organisations.
We received positive feedback for the sessions we delivered, which was great to hear!
And for customers that had outstanding cases or had struggled to report their challenges, we set the wheels in motion to get things sorted for them.
We’ll continue to host drop-in sessions at Soothill so we can continue the work and keeping having impact in the area, and we’ll be using what we’ve learnt from Soothill to bring to other areas with lower satisfaction among ethnic minority communities too.