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.

Dear Prime Minister...can we have more houses please

With the General Election just 65 days away – the issue of housing seems to be creeping back up the political agenda.

Over the past few days we’ve seen housing re-enter the top 10 list of voter concerns according the pollsters at Ipsos Mori. I’m delighted to see housing enter the political fray again. Over the last six months it seemed to have dropped off the radar but now it’s back; and the political parties seem to be taking note. All of the parties have been talking about it over the past few weeks and if the polls are to be believed, we could be heading for another coalition; so maybe it’s a good sign that there’s common ground amongst them when it comes to recognising that more needs to be done to tackle the housing crisis.

Later this month I’m heading down to London to take part in what’s being billed as one of the largest housing rally’s for a generation. The Homes For Britain campaign is uniting the housing sector as one voice – for the first time projecting one simple message – whoever has the keys to Number 10 in May – they need to set out a plan to solve the country’s housing crisis within a generation.

Some will say we need more aspiring homeowners, others will say we need more affordable homes and people like me will say we need lots more council housing to solve the problem. After all, in cities like Wolverhampton where there are 12,000 wanting a council house, there’s clearly a supply and demand deficit which only the government can address. The reality is, we probably need a little bit of all of these things – throw in a more regulated private landlord sector too - and you’d be well on the way.

But what we often seem to do is talk about housing as an asset or commodity – and what we really need to do is remind ourselves of the human impact housing has. Having somewhere to call home is, for me, a basic human necessity. Having somewhere that’s warm, safe – and that people can afford is a must for our society. What we do know is that the local will to make a difference is already there. Our council is an ambitious one and the 40 new homes they’ve just built in the city are a sign that locally we’re doing what we can – it’s the political will at Westminster that’s really needed now.

Not enough homes have been built over the year across the country. I think there’s been a recognition from all parties that this is an area they’ve struggled to deal with. And to be fair to them – it’s not necessarily an issue which has been at the forefront of the electorate’s mind either. The housing sector hasn’t pressed this forcefully enough – we haven’t got our message out there to the public.

But the tide is turning. Thanks to campaigns like Homes For Britain, more and more people recognise we’ve got a problem. Whether it’s young people looking to start a family, families getting bigger or older people desperate for a more suitably-sized home – people are more aware than ever that more needs to be done.

A lot can be achieved in five years - whoever enters Downing Street on 8th May may have just five years to leave their lasting legacy – wouldn’t it be something if that legacy was the solution to our country’s housing crisis?

You can find out more about Homes For Britain at http://homesforbritain.org.uk/.

Credit where it's due this Christmas

Credit where it’s due this Christmas

I have to admit I’d never really heard of the shopping phenomenon that is Black Friday until last week.

But the news coverage and some of the, quite frankly bizarre, footage we’ve seen of people literally fighting over the last item on the shelf really shows something quite worrying.

We all love a bargain; especially in the lead up to Christmas. Apparently, on average, we’ll all fork out more than £500 on festivities and present buying this year.

It’s easy to get carried away. But then I look at some of the tenants I’ve met in recent months. Struggling to pay their rent, not eating meals themselves so they can feed their children, relying on food parcels, struggling to find work.

Affordable borrowing with the credit union

The pressure to spend at Christmas - and to spend way beyond our means is there for everyone to see. Whether it’s scrapping over a bargain at Asda or desperately trying to find a few extra pounds from anywhere to get that present that you know that someone you care about really wants. And quite often it’s the really important bills, like rent, which suffer.

And that’s where pay day lenders make their money. They know that people are desperate and they know that people are borrowing more than they can afford. So they hand out the cash, at extortionate rates, and create what feels like a perpetual cycle of debt…a cycle, which for many tenants in Wolverhampton it feels near impossible to break.

Earlier today the Wolverhampton City Credit Union launched a campaign to get 10,000 members.

I know some people will say that encouraging people to take out loans full-stop is irresponsible. But borrowing money, sensibly and affordably is fine. That’s exactly what the credit union allows people to do. It allows them to access affordable credit - to buy things like school uniforms, their football season tickets or maybe even a holiday. Or to help them out when something goes wrong – like the car breaking down. It’s a community-based ethical bank who estimate that last year alone saved its 5,000+ members more than £655,000 compared to if they’d borrowed from the likes of Wonga.

I’m delighted that my colleagues at Wolverhampton Homes are saving with the credit union. Through our payroll, more than 10% of my colleagues pay in to a credit union account every month. As indeed do I and the Chair of our board, Sue Roberts MBE.

Christmas is an expensive time of the year. But if there’s one thing I’d like for Christmas this year, it’s to see the back of unscrupulous money lending.

Forget Black Friday bargains – opening an account with the credit union could just be the best investment you’ll make.

50 - It's a magic number

50 – it’s a magic number

Give people an opportunity and they’ll make the most of it – it’s just a shame that more people don’t do just that.

Deborah and I all kitted-up!

I was delighted to meet up with Deborah Porter earlier this week. Chances are you haven’t heard of Deborah. But for me – Deborah is a symbol. She’s a symbol of what someone can do when they’re given a chance to succeed. Deborah is the 50^th apprentice who we’ve taken on through our double-award winning LEAP programme.

She’s the latest in what is becoming a long line of tenants who we’ve been able to help by giving training, work experience - and in some cases, full time work.

Deb makes it 50 apprentices

Deborah joined us a few months ago – after being out of work for ten years. She’s worked in different factories over the years but never really had the chance to excel. What I really like about Deborah is her determination to be better. Off her own back, she enrolled at college and became a qualified carpenter; a profession that too few women have taken up. But she could never put those skills into practice because there was no-one who was willing to take a chance on her. She enrolled in our LEAP programme and I’m delighted that she’s our 50^th apprentice! She’s thriving in her new role on our handyperson scheme.

She seems to be really enjoying herself as well. And that’s what makes apprenticeships so rewarding for a company like ours. Seeing people who no-one else would take a chance on, really enjoying their work and really making the most of the opportunity which has come their way.

Ignore those who continually knock our city or who seem to take a perverse enjoyment in demonising those who live in council houses, Wolverhampton has a wealth of people who are desperate to do a good job – they just need to be given the chance and the confidence to succeed; and I couldn’t be prouder that LEAP is giving some of them that very chance.

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.

To the ballot box and beyond

If you listen really carefully you can faintly hear the cogs turning as the political parties shift up a gear into full blown General Election mode.

With the clock ticking down to the next General Election – you can already feel the mood and the perhaps, less than subtle, subliminal electioneering messages emanating from Westminster.

Whoever has the key to Downing Street in 2015 has the chance to shape housing

But with 16 months to go until polling day – now’s the opportunity for everyone – politicians, prospective politicians, housing professionals and, most importantly, tenants and local families – to help shape the debate around our country’s (and indeed our city’s) future housing need.

I think most people agree – we need to build more affordable homes to stimulate the economy and ease the social and welfare system pressures. But where we can’t seem to find a consensus is around how we do that, how we fund that – and who does it.

Earlier this week, the NationalFederation of ALMOs, of which Wolverhampton Homes is a proud member, became the first housing group to launch it Election Manifesto.

It’s an easy read – with a series of very simple messages.

We all know the stark financial and economic realities we’re operating in – and in which the new government, whoever it may be, will find themselves in.  Whether it’s cuts to local council services or the real human costs where we see hundreds of local people in our city visiting Food Banks every week just to get a hot meal for their families. What’s even more alarming is that an increasing number of those are people are in fulltime paid work, but who still desperately struggle to make ends meet.

But our aspirations and drive in the ALMO-sector needn’t be dampened by the financial constraints we find ourselves operating in. There are new challenges and new opportunities out there to support and encourage economic growth in our towns and cities. Providing decent affordable homes, great customer service and empowering tenants to build for themselves a better future needn’t break the bank. There are in fact lots of ways in which the new government can kick-start a housing revolution in this country.

Building new houses creates new jobs, boosts the economy and provides much needed homes. ALMOs have a great track record of delivering new builds. And why are ALMOs well placed to do this? I think it’s because we’re in a unique position where it’s our tenants who drive the agenda. What better way to drive success and raise standards than having those who are directly affected by what we do, at the helm.

But it’s not just about building new homes – it’s about:

• being more energy efficient 
• driving up standards in the private rented sector 
• tackling fuel poverty

• tackling the challenges of welfare reform
•  providing more skills and training opportunities 
• getting more people online 
• offering more debt advice services and support to credit unions.

The full NFA Manifesto is available to read online. Take a few minutes to take a look and decide for yourselves whether you think your elected representatives should be looking closer at the NFAs proposals to build a brighter future for our local communities.

So, now’s the time to contact your local MPs and local candidates to explain that it can be done – and, importantly, for economic and social prosperity, it desperately needs to be done.

The best gift you can give this Christmas…a roof over your family’s head

I know it still feels a bit too early to start talking about Christmas but now the Coca Cola and John Lewis adverts are on, I thought I better start giving some thought to this year’s festivities.

Sadly, for some families in Wolverhampton – and across the whole country – Christmas is going to be a tough time where some will genuinely be debating whether they choose to heat their homes or buy a meal. In 2013 it’s heartbreaking to think that so many people still live in these conditions.

The homeless charity Shelter has just launched an emergency Christmas campaign. According to their figures, 80,000 children will be classed as homeless this Christmas. “One homeless child at Christmas is a tragedy…80,000 is a disgrace”. It’s a sobering thought.

Our Rent First campaign launches on Monday

Having a roof over our heads is one of the most basic needs any person can have. Yet sadly we still see people with nowhere to call home.

At Wolverhampton Homes, we’re just about to kick-start our annual ‘Rent First Please’ campaign.  For the next few weeks we’ll be knocking on hundreds of tenants’ doors, making thousands of phone calls and working flat out to speak to as many tenants as we can to encourage them to clear their rent arrears before Christmas. I’ve even got a call sheet of numbers so I’ll be mucking in to help the cause as well! We’ll be trying to sort out payment plans and collect owed rent - but we’ll also be showing people where they can get financial and debt advice too.

I saw on the news this week that, on average, people will spend around £29 on each present they buy this. The pressure to buy the latest gadgets and toys for children is overwhelming. For the first time this year, we’ve arranged a Toy Swap for tenants so they can come along and exchange one toy for another as a way of making Christmas more affordable.

Our message is simple – the best gift you can give your family this Christmas is a roof over their head and a place to call home. It might not be glamorous and you certainly can’t wrap it up in paper – but it’ll be there long after the toys and computer games have been put away in a cupboard, never to be seen again.

Our message couldn't really be more simple.

Rent arrears in Wolverhampton are up by nearly £250,000 compared to this time last year. Welfare reforms, a stuttering economy, unemployment and years of debts and credit spending are having a huge impact on the city and local people. But, sadly, the reality is; people are at risk from losing their home if they don’t pay their rent. 

The overwhelming majority of our tenants pay their rent, on time, religiously and have done for years. But we know it’s getting tougher. But we are here to help if people come and talk to us.

It’s going to be a busy few weeks for everyone here. But if we can help tenants clear their arrears so they can have a more relaxed Christmas then that will be a good job well done.

If you want to find out more about Shelter’s campaign or even donate a few pounds to the cause, visit www.shelter.org.uk.