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From the frontline – customer engagement officer Kate Ratcliffe
Kate Ratcliffe, customer engagement officer at Vivid, on liaising with tenants, learning about different roles in housing and the film that makes her cry
Tell us about your job.
My role is to assist our customers to share their views and have their say. I work in a team which runs pop-up roadshows in different communities. This provides a chance to meet customers face to face so they can tell us what it’s like living in the area.
I also create surveys which enable customers to provide feedback on our service, I assist with the formation of resident groups along with the actions raised at their meetings and I help to oversee our scrutiny panel. I listen to our residents and try to act on their suggestions as best I can.
How did you get into housing?
I applied to join the Charityworks graduate scheme which trains you for a career in the public sector. Charityworks helped me secure a placement at Vivid, where I worked in various frontline departments ranging from tenancy support to enforcement. This gave me excellent insight into the different housing association roles and I really enjoyed it.
I took on a permanent role in the customer engagement team and have just completed my first year in housing.
What is the best part of your job?
I like working with our customers, particularly those who want to get involved and make a difference. I love providing an open and accessible platform for them to share ideas and then working to make them a reality. You can see how proud and passionate they are about their local community when their recommendations are approved by the board.
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What’s the worst part?
I want to help customers and implement their ideas, but sometimes we’re unable to make promises. I want to say “yes, we’ll sort it” to everything.
What would your superpower be?
I’d like to be able to parallel park under pressure.
What would you change about the housing sector?
I would want to remove the deep-rooted stigma associated with social housing.
If you could be prime minister for the day, what would you do?
Aside from increasing funding in housing and stopping Brexit, I’d drastically reduce student tuition fees and improve life skills education at school, covering how to budget your money, write a CV and understanding the importance of voting. It would be a busy day!
What’s the most private thing you’d be willing to admit to your colleagues?
I cry every time I watch the film Forrest Gump.
