CX Chat May 2024
Welcome to CX Chat May 2024, where we're sharing what we learned at our recent Customer Experience Committee (CXC) meeting. CXC is where tenants and Group Board members have their say on important matters. Branda Stirling, member of the CXC talks us through the highlights from the latest session.
“Hello, my name’s Branda. I’m a member of the Customer Experience Committee and I’m also the Chair of the tenant-only Scrutiny Group. Scrutiny Group does reviews of different areas of Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG). We then make recommendations for improvement.
In May, Scrutiny Group reported to the Customer Experience Committee about two recent reviews. In one, we looked at complaint responses. We also reviewed if a new repairs computer system delivered the benefits for tenants, WCHG managers said it would.
Complaint responses review findings
We looked at all Stage 2 complaint responses sent last year. We checked to see if they had been replied to within the correct time, if the manager had spoken to the resident and what the quality of reply was. We found the complaints were answered well and all but one had met the deadlines. The one that was late, was late by one day. We're pleased to see this progress and think WCHG continues to handle complaints well. In a future review we’ll review why, when and how much compensation is given to tenants to make sure it’s fair.
New repairs computer system
We wanted to check the benefits WCHG managers had hoped for, from a new repairs computer system, had been delivered to residents. The system went live in July 2023. The main benefit for residents is to get a text messages to remind you of the repairs appointment and to let you know when WCHG are on their way. We found this was a good benefit for residents. 92% of residents are now satisfied or very satisfied with their repair. This is a big increase from previous years. We also saw almost 90% of jobs are being completed on the first visit, this is another increase. We think the new system has delivered the benefits managers hoped it would. There is some evidence to suggest repairs reported during office hours are dealt with better than those reported out of office hours. We’ve asked managers to review the Out of Hours service with us.
Leaseholders and Shared Owners
We looked at the experience of leaseholders and shared owners. We know from surveys, leaseholders and shared owners are not as satisfied as tenants with WCHG services. We wanted to know why, and what was being done about it. We discussed why leaseholders find it harder to get a response, and they don't always get the right response. We saw there is very little communication with shared owners. We've agreed some actions with the manager responsible and will check progress.
Do you have a Tenants' and Residents' Association near you?
A big thank you to all residents who volunteer their time to attend or run a Tenants' and Residents' Association (TARA). These groups are the 'eyes and ears' in the community and can often spot things going wrong, and right!. There are five active TARAs in Wythenshawe and WCHG managers are working with them to review support. Findings will be reported to us in September.
If you'd like to find out more about scrutinising and influencing the way WCHG does things, we'd love to hear from you. You can call 0800 633 5500 and speak to the Resident Involvement team or send an email to getinvolved@wchg.org.uk. From Service Inspectors to being part of the Scrutiny Group, there are plenty of ways to be part of it.”
