a presentation about securing feedback from residents, how and why

1. SHEILA ADAMSON ASSOCIATES LIMITEDHOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS Tenant Feedback…… leading to service improvement

2. In the 70’s - TP was an idea 1980 Act introduced the obligation to consult = NEED TO Then lots of guidance on process = HOW TO Next we had tenure blindness – customers/residents/service users = WHO TO Then, finally we got to standards, inspection, accountability, service improvement and choice = WHY TO And now, demise of TSA and AC = DO WE NEED TO?

3. DO WE NEED TO? Yes, only the best will survive the next 10 years DO WE KNOW HOW TO? Most people know how to involve residents, BUT too few outcomes – and too many surveys? DO WE KNOW WHO TO? We know but we don’t reach them all WHY TO? Getting better, but nowhere near good enough. Lots of talking, surveying, too little change

4. USING TENANT FEEDBACK - HOW TO….. COMMON BARRIERS Reaching the harder to engage Over reliance on the “involved residents” IT capacity Poor tracking of impact of feedback Lack of knowledge of what techniques are possible Knowing how many surveys to use, which types, how often Cynicism about resident involvement Capturing intelligence from the front line Departmental silos Not learning from others performance + own complaints Gathering but not using data

5. How the customer explained it How the project leader understood it How the analyst designed it How the programmer wrote it How the consultant described it How the project was documented What operations installed What the customer was billed How the project was supported What the customer really needed

6. USING TENANT FEEDBACK - HOW TO….. THE MAIN TOOLS AT YOUR DISPOSAL SURVEYS Postal, face to face (e.g. shopping centre or door to door), telephone, web based, text based, on-line voting on statements, fb etc COMPLAINTS, COMPLIMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS RESIDENT AND COMMUNITY GROUP FEEDBACK FOCUS GROUPS SERVICE REVIEWS RESIDENT SOUNDING BOARD RESIDENT MYSTERY SHOPPERS RESIDENT SERVICE MONITORS RESIDENT INSPECTORS RESIDENT SCRUTINY STAFF FEEDBACK

7. TENANT FEEDBACK - HOW TO….. USE TOOLS WISELY FOCUS, TARGET, PRIORITISE Develop a strategy for the use you will make of feedback mechanisms Develop an annual Consultation and Communication diary – schedule in what you want to find out and which tools you will use Make best use of your Customer Sounding Board or Resident Pool to get feedback – don’t go straight to involved residents – keep them involved strategically and present feedback to them towards end of process Make sure that each service area runs 2 focus groups a year (or combine services or work geographically) – one with a good cross section of tenants and the other with recent, (preferably disgruntled) service users

8. USING TENANT FEEDBACK - HOW TO….. Be clear what surveys you will use – across all teams, combine these wherever possible to avoid survey fatigue In hot spots, have a local strategy – what will you measure in order to judge improvement Try to co-ordinate what resident scrutiny and service reviews are going on and feed information into these from all of your feedback gathering activities Don’t constantly add to the range of questions you are always asking people – refine this as you go along One off questions can be asked in many different ways – match with people/area concerned

9. USING TENANT FEEDBACK - HOW TO….. Stop asking people to tell you their name and address – one sure way to put them off completing anything for you, you contacted them, don’t you know? Encourage tenant aspirations…….. What would they want their home, neighbourhood – your services to look like in future Raise awareness of standards and related costs – and value for money, don’t just ask if they like what they have now Test views on being offered more choice and paying extra for an extra service If use of a particular tool is not securing the feedback you need, fix it or dump it

10. If services are not improving as a result of all of your resident involvement, analyse why, and do it sooner, rather than later EXTERNAL SCRUTINY IS ON THE WAY OUT FOR MOST OF US, BUT RESIDENT LED SELF REGULATION IS THE ROAD TO EXCELLENCE……. OR FOR SOME……… SIMPLE SURVIVAL RESIDENT EMPOWERMENT

11. Any questions? Blah, blah, blah …………. and ACT