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We need complaints justice
Housing providers need a complete rethink of how they respond to customer complaints and measure satisfaction, writes Chris Holloway, executive director at Greatwell Homes
Chris Holloway is executive director of Greatwell Homes
Housing providers need a complete rethink of how they respond to customer complaints, writes Chris Holloway, executive director at Greatwell Homes #UKhousingI recently had my first experience of jury service. While waiting for the evidence, actions, fault and reparation to play out before me, I reached a verdict of my own: that it is time for a total re-set of the way housing organisations view and handle complaints.
A few months ago, I wrote a LinkedIn post about the apparent mismatch between what customers perceive and say about their experience of making a complaint, and the persistently low scores most providers achieve for TP09 – the relevant Tenant Satisfaction Measure. Last year, my association nudged up to 42.8% satisfaction for this indicator. Yes, above the 34.5% national average, but still far below what we should be scoring, and a glaringly obvious performance outlier. Meanwhile, our direct feedback from customers who had made complaints was much more positive – so something is askew.
Comments on my post showed that I am not the only one who is concerned about the established approach to complaints, which clearly is not working. I think it actually makes some problems worse and can seriously damage relationships. So it is time for change.
Much of the effort currently devoted to complaints, focuses on the transactional dimension. From the Housing Ombudsman Service’s Complaint Handling Code to policies, procedures, processes and metrics, we largely concentrate on what has happened and what we need to do about it. These are important elements of course, but only part of what a truly effective approach should include.
“I think we must acknowledge and become much better at working with the emotional aspects of both complaints and everyday service requests”
I think we must acknowledge and become much better at working with the emotional aspects of both complaints and everyday service requests. We need to show that we understand what drives customers to tell us when something has gone wrong, the barriers they face in doing this, and the underlying psychological needs we have to address to help recharge people’s trust batteries.
If a customer gets in touch about a faulty boiler or a noisy neighbour, I would suggest they are probably not too bothered about whether this constitutes a service request or ‘dissatisfaction’ according to the ombudsman’s definition of a complaint. But housing providers are preoccupied with this distinction and the outputs that follow. What is missing is recognition of the emotional impact (frustration, irritation, lack of sleep and so on) of these problems. How well do we acknowledge people’s emotions when we book a repair, or when customers self-serve?
While sitting at the court, I noticed the parallels between our nation’s judicial system, and the way housing providers respond to service failures and dissatisfaction. We talk of ‘cases’, ‘investigations’ and ‘decisions’ that ‘uphold’ or ‘don’t uphold’ what residents report. Only rarely do we stop to ask if this is what customers actually want. And we seem to forget that homes are emotional places. We need instead to thoroughly engage with how people feel, the effects of difficulties on their lives and the long-term results of being wronged, let down or ignored.
It is an odd thing that a housing provider can be the offender, judge, jury, executioner and appeal court all rolled into one. This goes against the norms of natural justice, so it is hardly surprising customers aren’t satisfied.
“Housing should upend its traditional model to adopt a more human culture and fresh habits around complaints”
As one comment on my blog put it: “Empathy is missing, along with a ton of other emotions.” Too often, providers are content to simply crank the handle on another one-size-fits-none, soulless template reply that traps the dialogue in adversarial negativity, leaving the customer as just a passive recipient, waiting for judgement to be handed down.
I believe the answer to these woes is startlingly simple. Housing should upend its traditional model to adopt a more human culture and fresh habits around complaints. The foundations for this are nothing more than straightforward, friendly customer service – responding to problems in a prompt, personal and open way that puts people and how they feel at the heart of the answer. When something goes wrong, residents need to be active, joint problem solvers; empowered and encouraged to bring their insights, experiences and wants to an agreed, final resolution.
Above all, as a profession and industry I think we need to be much bolder and more ambitious. While having a dedicated ombudsman with statutory powers is a good thing, it is evident that at the moment, compliance is coming before compassion, and process before people. It is fine to have a code and consumer standards to set baseline requirements, but what is to stop us doing more or better? By turning things the other way up, organisations should find themselves having far fewer stage 2 appeals and little or no ombudsman enforcement.
Natural justice demands this, as do social justice and the need to do ourselves justice. The good news is that this costs nothing.
Chris Holloway, executive director, Greatwell Homes
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