How housing boards can turn digital investment into real world impact

This journey reflects a wider shift across the sector. Boards are now engaging with data and digital at a far more strategic level than even a few years ago. At the same time, the pace of technological change continues to accelerate, particularly with the emergence of artificial intelligence and more advanced analytics. To thrive in this world, our governance needs to remain adaptive, forward-looking and grounded in purpose.

One area where we have strengthened our capability significantly is data quality and assurance. At Raven, we placed early emphasis on ensuring that data is accurate, well-governed and secure. Confidence in decision-making depends on confidence in the data itself.

Alongside this, cybersecurity has become an essential board level consideration. As organisations rely more heavily on digital systems, resilience and protection of customer information are fundamental to maintaining trust.

“Too often, boards are presented with large volumes of reporting that focuses on compliance rather than insight”

However, the real value of data lies beyond assurance. Too often, boards are presented with large volumes of reporting that focuses on compliance rather than insight. Data becomes something to note rather than something to act on. Shifting from reporting to insight requires a change in mindset as much as a change in systems.

At Raven, we have focused on using data to understand customer experience and drive improvement. This includes combining traditional performance measures with qualitative insight such as sentiment analysis.

Looking at sentiment across different stages of the customer journey allows us to identify precisely where services are working well and where intervention is needed. This enables more targeted investment and more effective use of scarce resources.

This approach has also reshaped how we report to our board. Insight to action reporting is now central to our governance. Rather than relying on retrospective indicators alone, we focus on how customer experience is changing over time and what actions are being taken in response. This creates a clearer line of sight between data, decision-making and service improvement.

One of the most powerful developments has been bringing customer and property data together. Historically, these datasets have often been treated separately. When combined, they provide a much richer understanding of demand, risk and opportunity.

We recently used this integrated approach to inform the redesign of our customer experience directorate, shaping housing officer patch sizes according to real patterns of service demand rather than allocating an average number of homes to each patch, as we might have done five years ago.

“Detailed analysis of stock condition and future investment requirements informed a strategic shift towards regenerating existing homes and neighbourhoods”

Asset data has also played a critical role in shaping long-term strategy. Detailed analysis of stock condition and future investment requirements informed a strategic shift towards regenerating existing homes and neighbourhoods. This data-led approach ensured that investment decisions were aligned with both customer need and long-term sustainability, and it continues to guide major regeneration programmes.

Digital investment inevitably raises questions for boards, particularly around balance and affordability. A common concern is that investment in digital services may come at the expense of face-to-face provision. In practice, customers value choice. Many prefer digital access for convenience, while others rely on personal interaction. Organisations need to be capable of delivering both to a high standard.

Another consideration is setting expectations. Digital transformation is not a short-term exercise. Some benefits emerge earlier than others. Improvements in risk management and control are often seen first, followed by gains in employee experience and then customer outcomes. Financial efficiencies tend to take longer to become apparent, and in our experience are often overtaken by wider regulatory and service expectations.

As pressures on resources increase, boards must be increasingly selective about where they invest. This makes clarity of purpose essential. At Raven, data and culture have sat at the heart of our strategy for over a decade. These two elements are inseparable. Data enables better questions to be asked, while culture determines whether people feel confident and curious enough to ask them.

We have invested in building data capability across the organisation, tailored to different roles. Everyone has a part to play in recording, using and protecting data. Alongside this, our culture encourages curiosity. Colleagues are expected to ask how services can improve and to use data to support that thinking. Data without curiosity lacks impact. Curiosity without data lacks direction.

For me, a data-literate housing association is one that looks ahead. Understanding what has happened matters but predicting what comes next matters more. Using data to anticipate challenges and intervene earlier, whether in arrears, antisocial behaviour or damp and mould, allows organisations to reduce risk and improve outcomes before problems escalate.

The opportunity for boards is clear. When data is trusted, understood and embedded into everyday decision-making, it becomes a powerful driver of better homes, more robust services and transparent governance. Data with purpose is not about technology alone. It is about using insight to deliver lasting value for customers and communities.

Jonathan Higgs, chief executive, Raven Housing Trust