Making improvements to our core services
Providing excellent customer service is extremely important to us and we are always looking at how we can make our service smoother and easier for customers. As part of the Abri group we’ve been able to make additional targeted investment using the customer dividend (£1.5 million per year, with £3 million allocated in the first year of the partnership). We want to prioritise what matters most to our customers. To do this we’ve listened to customer feedback from the partnership customer consultation and our regular surveys to influence where the investment has been made so far. You can find out more about some of the improvements we have seen in our core services below.
Silva’s contact centre has seen fantastic improvements with average waiting times decreased by 69% since October 2023
We’re currently working on improving resolution for customers at first point of contact through improving processes and training for our team.
The partnership has already shown fantastic benefits for Silva’s repairs and maintenance performance, with roofing and voids both improving significantly.
Between October 2023 and April 2024, we reduced the number of “live voids” (which is what we call currently empty homes) by 74%
We’d never expect the number of empty homes to be zero, as there will always be time between a customer leaving a property and re-letting the property. During this time, we carry out detailed checks and any works needed in the property. We’re extremely pleased to have reduced this number which means that customers are able to move into their new homes faster.
We’ve improved our processes around damp and mould to deliver a faster service whilst also being committed to tackling the issues long term
Tackling any damp and mould in our customers’ homes is extremely important to us as our priority is for customers to be happy and safe within their homes. We’ve been able to make the process more efficient at tacking the hazard within homes whilst also looking to make long-term improvements.
Our tenancy patch sizes have been reduced to focus on ASB and visibility within communities
We’ve reduced patch sizes for our tenancy team and recruited additional housing colleagues in order to allow more time for the team to be out in the community working directly with customers. We’re also working on other ways to improve our visibility in the community and how we can provide the best support.
The south east regional strategy
We’re committed to providing local services and progress with the new regional model approach has been moving on, with the south east leading as a pathfinder for the model. This approach is being designed to make sure that local needs and priorities are at the heart of what we do. The south east regional board have used customer feedback to outline the strategic priorities for the region and you can read the first Abri group south east regional strategy by clicking below.