Welsh Housing Awards winner 2023

Excellence in customer service

Monmouthshire Homesearch is a partnership between the local authority and the social landlords operating in Monmouthshire, administered by Monmouthshire Housing Association (MHA). The choice-based scheme is the single point of access for affordable housing under a common allocations policy meaning that all social housing is allocated using the same criteria regardless of landlord. The team is comprised of four staff members who provide an exemplary service to its 3,800 applicants.

Since the launch of Homesearch in 2013, the team have validated 25,000 applications, providing 3,800 high quality homes to applicants in housing need.

Homesearch’s commitment to providing exceptional customer service is driven by a deep understanding of the challenges individuals face in the current housing crisis and their determination to create meaningful solutions. This has been extremely challenging given the explosion of homeless households in the county although Homesearch have responded by prioritising available social housing for homeless households.

We wanted to ensure Homesearch was a transparent and user-friendly service which encouraged applicants to self-serve where possible, at a time and in a way that suited them. We were also extremely conscious that we should support our more vulnerable applicants who may not be familiar with technology by continuing to provide a bespoke person-centred approach where required. We recognised that we needed to manage applicants' expectations in the midst of a housing crisis whilst ensuring we were promoting and achieving our challenging service standards.

We were also conscious that many of the enquiries we received were from applicants asking the same questions or raising the same concerns. Our focus was on empowering applicants to resolve their own transactional queries in order to free up staff time to deal with the increasingly complex cases they now face on a daily basis.

During a comprehensive review of the service in 2021/22, Homesearch engaged directly with applicants to gather insights into their needs. Responding to this feedback, the team went above and beyond to re-design an innovative and intuitive service, meeting expectations and streamlining interactions. Applicants principally told us they wanted:

• Improved online guidance
• Consistent and open information about property adverts and allocations
• Easier access to setup and manage accounts.

Data analysis from applicant enquiries also highlighted the following issues:

• Some areas of the allocations policy were difficult to understand e.g. the way in which medical and welfare priority is awarded
• A sizeable proportion of calls to the team were to reset passwords or to check if a certain piece of information had been received
• Applicants frequently contacted the team to check when assessments would be completed or to enquire where they were ranked on a shortlist.

A total of 59 recommendations for changes to the service were implemented including:

Adverts

• Property advert information was dramatically improved. This included the ability to upload multiple photos and use unlimited text to describe the property and the eligibility criteria.

Application form

• The application form was made easier to complete by:
  • Reducing the length of the form to minimise the time to complete.
  • Reformatting the form into a responsive and familiar design for use on a mobile phone.
  • Including applications for properties ‘to buy’ and ‘to rent’ in one application form.

• The number of housing need bands reduced from seven to four to simplify the scheme.
• An auto-banding system was introduced to minimise the number of housing applications requiring intervention from the team thus speeding up the registration process.

Website

A new website was launched that not only addressed applicants concerns but also offered a seamless and user-friendly experience. Improvements have included:

• A portal for applicants to update circumstances, bid and check the status of bids, encouraging applicants to self-serve. This enables the team to focus on those requiring additional support and advice.

• An ‘upload document’ feature that applicants can access directly from their account. Applicants are able to take a picture of their documents e.g. proof of pregnancy or a driving licence, which are subsequently uploaded to the applicants journal notes with an alert sent to staff that the document requires attention.

Managing expectations

In the face of the ongoing housing crisis and the overwhelming demand for affordable housing, the team recognised the importance of managing customer expectations. They are dedicated to ensuring that applicants receive transparent and accurate information about their housing options. By setting realistic expectations, they build trust and understanding, both directly with applicants and via:

• An auto texting function ensures that a proof of receipt text is sent to any applicant completing a form or uploading a document via the website. This receipt is bespoke to each document type and will provide a timescale for a response based on our service standards.

• An interactive website map, indicating waiting times by band, area, property and type.

• A tailored ‘action plan’ digitally created for all new applicants, advising on all housing options to be explored.

Extra support

Homesearch have a commitment to support applicants with unique housing or additional needs including:

• Coordinating and advocating for solutions to complex and bespoke adapted housing needs with the council and partner landlords.
• Assisted in-person and telephone bidding and application service for individuals who are unable to engage with technology independently.
• Hosting quarterly meetings with occupational therapy teams and coordinating case reviews to ensure complex needs and bespoke adaptations requirements are responded to.

To empower applicants, Homesearch have created a suite of short, informative videos that elucidate various aspects of Homesearch’s processes. These videos serve as valuable resources, helping applicants make informed decisions and engage confidently with the service.

Communication

Homesearch’s communication channels accommodate diverse preferences - applicants can now connect via phone, email and live chat, or send documents directly via the website’s document uploader. This multi-channel approach ensures individuals can reach out in the manner and time that suits them, fostering effective and efficient interactions.

During the last financial year:

• 95 per cent of new tenants stated they were very satisfied with the service they received from Homesearch.
• Incoming calls were answered on average in 23 seconds.
• 95 per cent of all calls presented were answered.
• 100 per cent of applications were validated within the 10 day target enabling applicants to start bidding for available properties.
• Over 82 per cent of applicants now access the service using a mobile phone.
• There has been a 43 per cent reduction in incoming calls to the team due to applicants utilising self-serve options.
• 45 per cent of housing applications received were banded automatically which sped up registration times.