We’re listening
On this page you can read the feedback that we’ve received from our customers and some examples of how we’re responding to it.
For more information about our other customer engagement activities, visit our main customer involvement pages.
Customer Voice
Customer Voice is our customer Board. They work in partnership with Hyde’s senior managers, looking at Hyde’s performance and finding ways for services to be improved for everyone. The agenda for the June meeting included
- Regulatory updates
- Governance Review
- Complaints Service (HOS Paragraph 49)
- Performance updates
- New customer website
- Customer Involvement and Scrutiny
- Members were briefed on the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and Awaab’s Law. Concerns were raised about added financial pressures and the importance of effective vulnerability assessments. A resident-led vulnerability toolkit was proposed
- 9 new members have been recruited and joined the meeting for the first time, boosting membership and widening representation from different geographical areas and tenures
- Following the resignation of the former chairperson, an interim chair and vice chair were endorsed by the membership while we recruit to permanent positions
- Members challenged areas of customer feedback needing faster response times and welcomed the continued focus on improving complaint handling
- On transactional customer satisfaction, concerns were raised around low satisfaction with ASB services and the need for clearer service standards and case updates
- A CV scrutiny sub-group and annual planning day are being considered · A summary of the discussion topics is published on their webpage.
We met with our Vulnerability Group
This group meet with us regularly to support us in our work to make services fairer and more accessible to all, especially those with additional or specific needs.
In this meeting the group received an overview of the new two-year Vulnerability Strategy, which focuses on improved data, customer insight, and staff training.
The group provided feedback and challenge about different areas of service which will feed into the delivery plan for the strategy. These included:
- Delays in our adaptations process and how frustrating and difficult this can be for residents
- Communication, and how sometimes it’s not easy for residents to understand our letters. As a result, a reminder is being sent to staff around the importance of acknowledging verbal communication preferences
- The process around reporting and managing antisocial behaviour when it’s caused by someone with mental health problems
- Issues with mobility scooter parking and storage – as a result the Later Living Team are carrying out a wider consultation about this to try and improve our approach
- How we record and keep data up to date, including how residents can access and update their own data and what information is shared with operatives. Residents want to be able to update their own data on MyAccount, so this is going to be considered in later updates on that system.
We met with our Digital Engagement Group
We demonstrated some new MyAccount functionality to the group including raising communal repairs and the ability for customers to update their own contact details. These changes have come from previous feedback from the group.
Attendees also provided feedback on other aspects of our digital services including:
- MyAccount doesn’t offer residents the ability to keep a copy of the chat history as an audit trail
- Residents asked us to consider enabling them to dispute closed work orders, report incomplete jobs and to ensure follow-on work is raised as a follow-on job instead of a new job
- TRA reps for an estate want to be able to report issues for blocks other than their own
- Not everyone is receiving a customer survey after they call.
- These issues and ideas for improvements were taken away by the development team to be implemented in future versions of the app.
Local events and engagement activities
We consulted with residents in North London about a neighbourhood patrol service we provide in partnership with other landlords in the area. Customers pay for the service through their service charges, so we were keen to:
- Understand what feedback residents had about the current service
- Make sure residents know about the service and how much it costs
- Find out if residents wanted the service to continue.
We sent a survey to all residents in the area and asked them the above questions. The survey was sent by letter and by email
- 58% wanted the service to continue
- 83% wanted the service to be more visible in their neighbourhood, with more communication
As a result, an information sheet/poster about the service is being produced to be displayed on noticeboards. Going forward, operatives will wear uniform and patrol in branded vehicles as well as carry photo ID – to be more noticeable and offer more reassurance.
There were some additional requests for operatives to be able to report repairs, but an explanation was given for why this is not possible.
Following the launch of the new neighbourhood service, a drop-in event was held to reconnect with residents, share updates on improvements being made, gather feedback about the ballpark, gauge support for a Tenants' and Residents' Association, and promote MyAccount.
- Residents told us that they’re happy with the work carried out so far to improve the estate
- Top concerns include repairs, general upkeep of communal areas, damp and mould and tenancy issues
- The majority said they know their Neighbourhood Officer, who is visible and approachable
- As a result, we’re now looking at introducing a regular bulky waste collection. Other issues have been included in a multi-service action plan.