How to change the repairs process to better support vulnerable customers
Paul Walker, executive director of repairs and maintenance at Home Group, shares how a tweak in the repairs approach has made a difference in supporting customers with vulnerabilities
Paul Walker is executive director of repairs and maintenance at Home Group.
Last year, the Housing Ombudsman published its Spotlight report on equal treatment for customers, highlighting vulnerability among customers. It said that some housing associations’ approaches to customers with vulnerabilities needed much more focus.
The report outlined the complexity of vulnerability and the many forms it takes. For example, a customer can be vulnerable in the traditional understanding of the word, but it can also encompass short-term vulnerability, such as grief, financial distress or their environment.
When the ombudsman identified the issues for customers with vulnerabilities, they stemmed from breakdown in communication or relationships. These mostly fell into two categories: people and processes.
Before the ombudsman embarked on the Spotlight report, a close review of the approach to supporting more vulnerable customers had already been undertaken, with the aim of identifying opportunities for improvement.
The process began with the newly formed in-house repairs and maintenance team, which was integrated into the organisation and closely connected with housing colleagues.
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Repair colleagues are often the first point of contact with vulnerable customers, and processes and safeguards are now in place to respond effectively, as well as to report and escalate unrecorded vulnerabilities.
Repair and maintenance colleagues receive training to handle difficult situations that may arise and have access to colleague support when needed.
But these colleagues are first and foremost there to do a specific job. They do not necessarily have the pre-existing relationship or information about that customer to be closely connected enough to support a customer with vulnerabilities.
That is why it is so important that they are integrated into a wider support network. By working more closely with housing managers, for example, it has proven to be a much better experience for vulnerable customers.
“By working more closely with housing managers… it has proven to be a much better experience for vulnerable customers”
Another area in which support for customers with varying vulnerabilities has been enhanced is with the estate liaison officers (ELO).
Within Home Group, an opportunity was identified to improve customers’ experiences by focusing ELO roles on earlier, more front-end involvement in the repairs process. By involving ELOs earlier, the requirements of a job can be understood not only on paper but also in terms of the potential impact on customers, particularly those with vulnerabilities.
The same job can have very different implications for two customers. For example, lifting a floor in a property can have a much bigger impact on an older person or someone with mobility issues. This approach means that if additional steps are needed to meet a customer’s needs, it reduces the burden on the maintenance colleague specifically assigned to the job, which has a positive knock-on effect for the customer.
The simple mental shift we as an organisation adopted – which reflects the advice we often see from the Housing Ombudsman – is not to cherry-pick which jobs get an ELO’s involvement. Instead, it is to ask the question on every single maintenance job: does this need or benefit from having an ELO involved?
In most cases, the answer is still no, but it means we know we won’t miss the opportunities where it will make a difference, and we can accommodate any need. Setting out with that simple ask before each job works to keep us always in check. It keeps the customer’s needs at the heart of what we do, not just the repair job on paper.
Particularly when working with customers with vulnerabilities, which can be relatively common and at times quite complex, sharing that responsibility across the best qualified colleagues within the business can make a significant difference.
“Tweaking these processes and behaviours, however small, can make a significant difference to both colleagues and customers, particularly those who are most vulnerable”
In practice, this collaboration across different business functions means a smoother, safer repair for customers.
For instance, when carrying out a repair in a customer’s home that requires lifting the flooring, asking if involving an ELO from the outset would be beneficial ensures that any known vulnerabilities or additional considerations are identified to correctly support the customer. The ELO is able to consider what additional steps might be needed, schedule any follow-on works to minimise disruption and timeframes for the customer, and provide better clarity to the customer.
None of this is groundbreaking. It is about creating the environment and processes where colleagues are handling the part of the repair or customer journey that best suits their skillsets. Most of it comes from simply taking that step back, challenging how the process has always been done and, crucially, putting oneself in the customer’s shoes.
From both experience and the Housing Ombudsman, it is known that failings in the sector regarding vulnerability are rarely the result of malice. Too often, they stem from complacency.
Tweaking these processes and behaviours, however small, can make a significant difference to both colleagues and customers, particularly those who are most vulnerable.
For maintenance teams, it may only be one of many repair tasks completed in a given day, but for customers, these repairs represent a major disruption in their lives and affect their livelihoods. It’s essential that they are done right.
Paul Walker, executive director of repairs and maintenance, Home Group
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