Delivering digital - why we need a message which resonates

This month I've invited Jamie Angus, he's our Head of Communications to share his thoughts about why we need to be getting more people using the internet...

Jamie Angus

 

Last week saw the publication, probably for the first time, of a detailed state of play of the UK housing sector when it comes to delivering digital services.

 

All-in-all it doesn’t make for great reading in terms of the sector’s success of transforming service delivery in the digital age. Yet if you read the bloggersphere and believe the hype of the Twitteratti you’d think that the Jetsons’ hovercrafts were just weeks away.

The reality, which the self service report draws out, is that clunky IT systems, a lack of credible data on accessibility for tenants and a reluctance to promote a service which is far from Amazon-standard is holding us back.

But what strikes me the most is that as a sector we still haven’t nailed down why we’re doing this. We haven’t constructed the narrative as to why this is so important.
It reminds me of a great blog by Kate Bentham (@katebentham) where she refers to Channel Shove rather than Channel Shift.

We’ve all seen the transactional costs data and in a time where financially, we’re scrambling to strangle the last drop of value from every penny spent, we can see why online is such an attractive proposition. But if you go to any estate in Wolverhampton, or indeed any estate across the country, and tell tenants that going online is great – it’ll save us a fortune, then you can probably guess what most reactions will be. And this feels like the challenge we’re grappling with.

But the truth is, and this is the message which needs to resonate with tenants, they risk getting left behind if they’re not online. With Universal Credit on the horizon it’s never been more important that tenants, especially those of working age, get ready by being online. The stark reality could well be that no internet access equals no Universal Credit payment. I of course over simplify, but when you think about the message of missing out, it fits better with the raison d’etre of social housing. By not being online, tenants are missing out on job opportunities, financial savings, better energy deals, the chance to connect with friends and family. All of a sudden, the digital agenda ticks the moral boxes of financial and social inclusion, fuel poverty and social mobility.

At Wolverhampton Homes we’ve been grappling with the challenges of Channel Shift. It’s been an uncomfortable process but we’re making progress. And, in fact, although we may not have shouted the loudest, our statistics are credible and show we’re up there. The Yorkshire Housing report pretty much states there are no real pioneers yet. Yes, some are better than others at promoting it, but as a sector, we’re still finding our feet – but think of the potential if we all worked together to nail this.

In Wolverhampton, with a tenant-base of 23,000 – nearly 6,000 are signed up to our do-it-online account. Last month, we had nearly 1,000 active users logging-in to either make a payment, change their details or book a repair. Interestingly, our repairs booking system (although it’s far from perfect) is fully automated into our back office systems and allows tenants to pick a time which suits them. No e-forms which go to a customer service advisor to manually input; it’s fully automated self-service.

 

But we know that for most people they’d still pick up the phone. As proud as we are of our website and its mobile-responsive design, booking a repair online isn’t sexy enough to drive thousands of tenants there.

 

But the challenge isn’t so much getting people to report repairs online; that should come later. Just being online is the key. People won’t come to our websites excited by the fact that the internet means they can book repairs or update their personal details. But they will be excited when they’re saving money, switching energy suppliers, helping their kids with their homework and applying for jobs and training. But that’s not a message we can deliver on our own – so we’re looking to work with schools and businesses in the city to promote that message too.

It’s a long digital road ahead, and although the technology will no doubt improve, if we can’t win the hearts and minds of tenants and colleagues then it’s going to be an arduous journey.

But we can and will win the debate, we have to, our tenants have got too much to lose if we don’t.

Universal Credit - a bit like England losing on penalties

Mark Hendeson, Director of Housing at Wolverhampton Homes

Every so often it's nice to get the views and opinions of other people on my blog so I'm handing over the reins today to my Director of Housing, Mark Henderson - and he's already talking about football!

Preparing for Universal Credit over the past eighteen months or so has felt a little bit like England losing on penalties to Germany – it’s an inevitability; it will happen in the future; we’re just not too sure when.

So earlier this week when it was announced that we’ll be part of the final tranche of West Midlands authorities transferring over, there was a strange element of relief that at least we now know.

For some time now we’ve been bombarding our staff and our tenants with the message that Universal Credit is on the horizon - it’s on its way! But it’s a tough sell when you can’t say for definite when. The definition of ‘Coming Soon’ has been stretched somewhat – given that the start for new, single person claimants in Wolverhampton will be sometime between December 2015 and April 2016. 

But despite the frustrations of not knowing exactly when this is happening – what it does do is provide us with an opportunity. We’ve got a little bit more time than most to prepare as best we can. Unlike the under-occupancy charge where we had data and knew 90% of those who were likely to be affected; with Universal Credit it’s much harder. The first claimants of ours may not even be tenants at the moment and could well be in work and not claiming a penny of benefits right now.

What we do know though is that eventually, as claims for other benefits such as Job seekers allowance and tax credits are closed, around 1 in 3 tenants – that’s 8,500 – will end up transferring to Universal Credit; that’s a logistically tough challenge (and a huge business risk).

So without knowing who our first Universal Credit applicants will be, being focussed and targeted is tricky. What we can do though is set out three clear messages:

1) You need to be online

2) You need a bank or credit union account

3) You need to put a bit aside each month in preparation for Universal Credit being paid monthly.

For how long can you say 'coming soon'?

But what we do have already is buy-in from across the company. Colleagues know how this could impact our customers and our business so we’re drawing Universal Credit champions from tenants, staff members and customers alike to make sure that we’re as ready as we can be. And as part of our preparation, where customers may struggle, we’ll be encouraging them to apply for a short-term benefits advance, to give a buffer, and not allow arrears to build up, in advance of their first Universal Credit payment.

We’re also working with our neighbouring authorities – and that’s key. It’s like a Universal Credit self-help group. But aside from the opportunity to vent frustrations - it’s actually a really useful way of learning, sharing ideas and building effective networks.

We’re also re-focussing our business objectives. More than 5,000 tenants are signed up to our do-it-online account and we’re making a big push to get more and more services accessible through our website. No doubt mobile-apps and so on will follow – the next two or three years will see a revolution in housing terms when it comes to technology, of that I’m sure.

Employability is right at the top of the agenda too. We’re already linking in with local job clubs and utilising our double-award winning LEAP apprenticeship programme to get more tenants ready to get back into work and training.

But to a degree there’s only so much preparation you can do. At some stage you just need to get your head down and get on with it and see what quirks the new system will throw up.

But – with an election on the horizon – maybe there will be some tweaks and changes before our live date. The NFA’s call this week for payments to go directly to landlords for those tenants who’d prefer it to is a sensible suggestion. After all, individual choice is important – and if a direct payment to landlords is the best way for them to make sure their rent is paid and their home is secured, then surely that’s a win-win all round?

Whatever happens in the next 12 months – we’ll be as ready as we can be.

Thirty years in the making

Thirty years in the making

I can’t describe the excitement amongst my colleagues when the council announced that it was going to be building its first new council houses for more than thirty years.

Sue (centre) and I were delighted to join Emma Reynolds MP  last October.

With more than 12,000 on the waiting list – there’s a chronic shortage of council housing in our city. There are a plethora of reasons for this – the evolution of Right To Buy being one – but I’ll leave the whys and wherefors to the politicians to debate.

What I do know though is that the 40 or so new homes being built at Thompson Avenue in the Parkfields area of the city are going to make wonderful homes for the families who received their keys earlier this week.

I’ve watched with real interest as the site has developed over the past few months and back in October I went for a tour around the development with the Chair of our Board, Sue Roberts MBE. We’re going to be managing the new homes so it was quite fitting that the day we went was the day before her wedding anniversary (she won’t thank me if I say how long ago her wedding was!) But what was fascinating is that her wedding reception took place at the pub where the new houses will now stand. I thought that was quite fitting. Council housing must run through Sue’s DNA!

It was lovely to see the new homes being built. They were modern and energy efficient with lovely garden areas and I’m sure there’ll make wonderful family homes for many years to come. But of course what we really need now is more.

Massive credit needs to be given to the council for building these new homes and I’m delighted that we’re going to play a small role in some small new-build projects with the council over the next couple of years. But of course this is really only tinkering around the edges when it comes to solving the housing crisis in the UK. The National Federation of ALMOs say that the next government has the ability to free council’s up to build more homes. In fact, they reckon that councils could build up to 60,000 much needed new homes over the next five years – just by increasing the amount of debt councils can borrow against their housing stock. The case is compelling. It says that 92p out of every £1 spent on building stays in the UK and that 56p of this returns to the Exchequer - with 36p of that bringing direct savings in tax and benefits. In times of austerity – building things seems like a very sensible thing to do!

Now of course Wolverhampton Homes is apolitical - but with less than 100 days until the general election you’ll no doubt be getting letters, phone calls and leaflets from your local candidates. It’s no up to me to say who you should vote for (but please make sure you go out and vote for someone) but if you get the chance to speak to your candidates ask them what their views are on the housing situation and what they’d do to help solve the crisis. I’ll certainly be asking candidates who knock on my door that very question.

Stay Safe. Stay Put

Earlier this week we launched a new fire safety campaign on our high rise estates.

We’ve got 48 high rise tower blocks in Wolverhampton and the nightmare for every housing organisation or local council is that a tower block goes up in flames.

Lakanal House in 2009

The Lakanal House fire in Southwark in 2009 is a lasting reminder about how fires in tower blocks can be so dangerous. Six people died as a fire spread through a flat on the 9^th floor. There were a multitude of failings that day.

The advice from fire safety experts is fairly simple - if there’s a fire in a communal area in a tower block…stay put. We all know that our natural instincts are to try and get out but in these instances, unless you’re told by the fire service to move – you should stay put.

That’s because the flats were built to withstand fire. The concrete shells of each flat can withstand heat of several hundred degrees. And with the latest standard fire doors installed, the odds of the fire coming into a flat from a communal area is greatly reduced.

We’ve seen for ourselves how much damage fire can cause in a high rise block. Last year there was a fire in the communal lobby at Longfield House in Wednesfield. It’s sobering viewing when you see the CCTV footage to think how quickly the fire spread and how lucky we were that no one was hurt – let alone killed.

Stay Safe. Stay Put.

We also saw a fire in another block of flats in Wednesfield last year. This was confined to one flat – but it really hits home about how important it is to have a plan for when fire strikes in your home.

So this week we’re launching our Stay Safe, Stay Put message for tenants living in high rise blocks. Before we started the campaign we did a quick survey and this is what we found:

• 40% of people don’t check their fire alarm weekly 
• Nearly half had never heard of the stay put policy

This tells me that there’s still work or us to do.

That’s why every high rise flat will be getting a leaflet, a sticker for their front door and a phone call over the next 6 weeks.

With people’s lives at risk – it’s so important we get that message out there.

I’ll let you know how the campaign goes – but in the meantime, let me leave you with this footage from Longfield House…how long do you think it takes for the fire to spread?

Fuel Poverty Awareness week

If you live on the Somerset Levels I suspect you’ll disagree with this statement, but certainly in Wolverhampton, we’ve been quite lucky in the sense that it’s been a very mild winter this year.

I think I can count on one hand the number of mornings I’ve had to scrape the ice from my windscreen and our boiler repair teams don’t look quite as tired as they did two years ago when I think every boiler condenser pipe in the city froze over!

So why, even despite a relatively mild few months, are some people in our city still having to choose whether to ‘eat’ or ‘heat’?

The cost of living is clearly going to be a big topic of debate as the political parties gear up for next year’s General Election.

Without question, for thousands living in Wolverhampton – and millions of others across the UK – the cost of living is increasing, and the price hikes this winter from the ‘big six’ energy companies, is making a difficult situation even harder.

Last week we took part in National Fuel Poverty Awareness Day. In Wolverhampton – statistics suggest that an astounding 14,700 homes are still living in fuel poverty. That’s thousands of families with young children or vulnerable older people who are struggling to pay to heat their homes.

Picture of Councillor Reynolds with our
Climate Change Team

We’ve spent millions in recent years helping to make our housing stock warmer and more energy efficient. The Decent Homes work we’ve done on nearly 20,000 homes in the city has definitely helped, from loft and cavity wall insulation to photovoltaic cells on roofs (I know they’re not technically solar panels but it seems easier to call them that!).

Last week, our climate change team met up with a leading local councillor to encourage our tenants to take up our free home energy visits in a bid to save a few pounds on their energy bills.

They spoke with one tenant, Diane, who reckons she’s saving more than £200 a year on her fuel bills after we’d helped install solar panels on her roof and completed the insulation of her home. That’s actually a huge saving when you come to think of it. Couple that with other energy saving measures like new light bulbs and knocking the thermostat down a bit, and it all adds up.

But with the rising price of energy seemingly unstoppable, it just feels a shame that we risk wiping out those savings from the pockets of those who need it most.

We’ll continue to do our bit to make sure that our homes are as warm as they can be and that help is available to anyone who’s having to choose between eating and heating – perhaps it’s time energy companies did the same?

Proud to be a Best Company

Last week was one of my proudest as Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes.

For the second year running we’ve been named as one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK in a list published by The Sunday Times and employee engagement specialists, Best Companies.

More than 900 UK-based companies took part in the Best Companies survey this year where employees were asked to rate the company they worked for through in-depth questionnaires.

Our first ever staff volunteering project last summer

Two and half years ago we started out on a new journey to make Wolverhampton Homes one of the best places to work for in the public sector. And last week, we were named as a two-star ‘outstanding’ company when it comes to employee engagement. We’re ranked as the 42^nd best not-for-profit company to work for and the 2^nd best ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation) too.

There are plenty of blogs, websites, Twitter feeds and text books which talk about the virtues of good employee engagement. In fact, there are so many, I won’t bother trying to replicate them all here!

But, as a Chief Executive, what I do know is that in reality, it boils down to this; an engaged workforce who buy into the ethos of your company and who are proud of what you do will perform better.

• They’re less likely to be sick (our sickness rates are down to 6 days compared to 15 a few years ago!)
  
• They’re more likely to stay with you
  
• They tend to have less accidents (we lost just 29 days last year compared to 632 in 2006)
  
• You’re going to get new recruits who really want to work for you
  
• They’re likely to go that extra mile because they really believe in what it is you’re trying to do.

Plus – quite frankly, it’s the right thing to do.

Our employee engagement journey continues

Are we perfect? Of course we’re not. There’s still a long way to go and, ultimately, we’re here to serve our tenants and leaseholders and to deliver the great service they expect from us.

But one thing I do know – a disengaged workforce isn’t going to deliver that level of service.

So we’re a two-star ‘outstanding’ company and the 2^nd best ALMO to work for…and I’m immensely proud of my colleagues for helping us to achieve that. Their enthusiasm to get on board with what we’re trying to do is incredible.

I feel I should point out that whilst we’re 42^nd on the list (we were 40^th last time); to some it could look as if we’ve taken a step back. We most certainly haven’t. The important thing here is that we’ve improved on our overall scoring (going from one star to two) and if anything, shows that more companies are getting on board with the notion that effective employee engagement is good business sense. Importantly, our journey continues along the right trajectory.

For me, this isn’t rocket science and needn’t cost the earth. As long as you truly and authentically believe in it then it can make a huge difference. It’s about making people feel part of the wider vision, treating people fairly, with respect, and rewarding people when they do a good job. From my experience this isn’t anything to do with money either…in the public sector we can vouch for that! 

Sometimes the most powerful reward is simply two words…thank you.