Developing a social housing customer promise.
Community Housing (Victoria) Ltd (CHVL)
The Work
Community Housing (Victoria) Ltd (CHVL) is a registered housing organisation in Victoria and manages a portfolio of over 2,023 properties across Victoria. CHVL provides both long term housing, transitional housing and a range of homelessness services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in the Eastern Metropolitan region and Gippsland.
In 2016, Community Housing (Victoria) Limited (CHVL) wanted to implement a Customer Promise as part of its accreditation program. The main purpose of the Customer Promise was to provide a framework for defining service delivery standards, the rights and responsibilities of customers, and how complaints from customers will be handled.
Our Approach
CHVL commissioned Survey Matters to conduct research with their customers to give them the opportunity to provide feedback about the proposed levels of service levels they can expect when dealing with CHVL. The research consisted of a focus group, followed by a quantitative survey which was distributed to all CHVL customers.
Outcomes
Feedback from this research lead to the development of the Customer Promise including the inclusion of 2 new statements that reflected the wishes and requirements of CHVL customers. All direct service staff took part in training to highlight the final key elements of the Promise with the aim of improving customer service and staff accountability. Further, CHVL displays an A3 framed poster setting out the Customer Promise in each of the CHVL offices, and all customers were provided with a copy by mail.
The Customer Promise was a very successful exercise that went beyond satisfying the original requirements of program accreditation. As a result, a similar approach is now being rolled out in the other Australian States.
“The project with Survey Matters enabled Community Housing Ltd to consult directly with our customer base and frame a customer promise that truly reflected our clients key concerns and priorities.
Survey Matters was thorough and professional in drafting the client survey and there was clear consultation at every stage. The final report provided the framework for the customer promise that has been adopted across all CHL services in Victoria. The project has strengthened our customer relations and guided staff training and awareness of customer service. A similar approach is now being adopted by CHL in other States. The project outcomes exceeded our expectations, and we have no hesitation in recommending Survey Matters to other agencies."
— Grant McNeill - Community Housing (Victoria) Ltd