The importance of engaging with tenants

What is clear, though, is that this tragedy changes everything. Things will never be the same again. There are implications for governance, asset management, customer service, and community cohesion.
A good place to start is our approach to community cohesion. If this is about breaking down perceived barriers and moving towards a society where there is tolerance and mutual respect, then nowhere is this more needed than areas such as Kensington and Chelsea.
The occupants of Grenfell Tower were some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in society, including migrants and refugees, with experiences and life chances in stark contrast to those of the wealthy individuals living in the shadow of the tower.

"The occupants of Grenfell Tower were some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in society."

If we really want to break down barriers and be true agents of change in our communities, we must also reach out with our messages of diversity and inclusion to our neighbouring communities as well.
A key element of this is knowledge about the people who live in our homes and communities. This is not easy given the dynamic nature of such communities, so it means that we must use every contact with our customers as an opportunity to learn about them. This must go beyond profile characteristics to aspirations and what they expect from their landlord; only then can we tailor and target our services to have the most effective outcomes.
Housing organisations are ideally placed to lead on locally-based initiatives to improve cohesion. Our position as anchors in the community means we can work alongside local authorities and other agencies to develop and deliver a joined-up approach. This is not just about people from different ethnic backgrounds; it is just as much about gender, age, class, and economic status. It must also extend beyond our homes and into the wider community.
One of the most telling aspects of the tragedy was during the initial media coverage, when the wide gulf between the authorities and the tenants was so glaringly revealed. On one hand, the authorities were saying that a full investigation would be carried out and lessons learned. On the other hand, a representative of the tenants was saying that they had been warning the landlord of the dangers for months, if not years. Clearly, the lesson was already there to be learned, but it had seemingly been falling on deaf ears.
For me, one of the biggest lessons from Grenfell is that trust in public institutions is generally low, perhaps because we have not been listening properly, particularly to inconvenient truths. We need to work hard to regain that trust, which means engaging fully with our tenants and communities and not just paying them lip service.

"We owe it to our customers to have meaningful, constructive conversations."

We may not always agree, but we owe it to our customers to have meaningful, constructive conversations, particularly as the success of any new venture relies heavily upon their buy-in. As we reshape our services towards a more digital approach, we must also guard against becoming too remote from our customers. I will not pretend we always get it right. Here at EMH Group, we are asking the question about what we need to do differently to get closer to our customers.
The ability to learn from our mistakes and implement service recovery measures is a good tool to regain the trust of our customers. It is ultimately about what we do as leaders and I must admit that every time I receive a complaint on my desk I tend to take it personally. How I choose to deal with that complaint and what we do as a result is entirely in my hands.
Chan Kataria, group chief executive, EMH Group