You said, we did
This year, we listened to customer feedback and made changes as a result. We provided new ways to contact us, involved tenants in our complaints self-assessment and improved the way we communicate rent updates.
You said you wanted more ways to communicate with us
This year involved customers were consulted in the development of a new service, that will offer another way of communicating with us.
They were involved in testing our new chatbot, which will provide automated responses to customer questions, with referrals where necessary to service experts.
You will still be able to contact us through telephone and email if you prefer, but the chatbot can give you instant answers to your questions.
It will sit on our Homes Plus website and will be a new way of helping customers to find answers to their questions and give them quick access to information.
We really appreciate our involved customers taking the time to test the chatbot and providing us with valuable feedback.
You said important rent information needed to be easy to understand
This year, involved customers helped us to take a fresh look at the way we let you know about changes to your rent payments and the support that is available to you.
Your rent is reviewed in-line with your tenancy. We send you letters to advise you about any changes to rent levels and explain what this means for your own rent account. Customers also receive a rent calendar and a My Homes Plus bulletin, giving more information about where you can find help and support.
These are really important messages and we are very grateful to the customers who worked with us to make sure that you got the information you need and the answers to questions you might have.
You said you want to help shape our services and hold us to account
We asked involved customers to participate in the complaints self-assessment, which the Housing Ombudsman requires all housing associations to complete.
The Complaints Handling Code sets out good assessment against the code’s key complaint handling principles.
The Customer Partnership Panel undertook a rigorous assessment to ensure Homes Plus is meeting all our responsibilities against this code.
The panel has been invaluable in supporting us to provide an honest account of our progress.
Thank you to these customers for holding us to account and helping to ensure that we are responding to complaints quickly and effectively.