From 1st August 2020 the company we use to obtain your feedback will change its name from IFF Voluntas to IFF Research.
This means that when you are contacted, the interviewer will be using the name of IFF Research. They will only be asking agreed survey questions to help us gauge what you think of us and the services we deliver to you.
Please note: You will never be asked to give any personal information or payment details. Please be assured that IFF Research work under a strict industry code https://www.mrs.org.uk/pdf/MRS-Code-of-Conduct-2019.pdf.
In case you missed it, here are the top-line results you told us:
When the world seems unclear during this time of Pandemic, it's important for us to keep in touch and know how you feel. This is why we continue to survey tenants over the phone through an independent organisation, IFF Voluntas acting on our behalf. By understanding your collective experiences we can respond to deliver services that matter to you.
Set out below is the feedback results up to March 2020 after surveying 100 tenants and how we responded to this.
Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the service provided by Black Country Housing Group?
94.9% responded positively compared to 97.9%, slightly down but the number we sampled last time was much less.
Do BCHG help you feel safe and secure within your home?
91.7% responded positively compared to 85.71% in October 2019.
Feedback comment:
- 'I'm an NHS worker so apart from the risk of catching it at work that I worry about'.
- Net Promoter Score - On a scale of 0 - 10, where 0 is not at all likely and 10 is extremely likely, how likely are you to recommend Black Country Housing Group to family and friends?
- 62% responded positively and above the average within the sector of 52%
We asked about what you are experiencing as a result of the Covid19 pandemic?
20.4% - Isolation
14.2% - concern with food
8.52% - concern about paying fuel bills
9.66% - concerned with reduce pay
6.82% - sudden loss of income/employment
7.3% - concern with paying rent
33.4% - have little or no concern
Feedback comments:
'Boredom, not been able to see my children and grand kids'.
'It's all calming down and you can get what you need in the supermarket'.
'It seems to attack older people, attack different parts of the body'.
'Applied for UC as on zero hour contract'.
Are you using the BCHG portal to pay rent and/or report repairs?
62.79% - stated other and specified they prefer to use the phone or don't need to use as they pay by Direct Debit.
10.47% - do not have access to the internet.
16.49% lack of skills and confidence.
10.25% mix of issues including physical disability and do not want to use.
What we did?
We listened and responded in the following ways:
• We contacted anyone struggling and put them in touch with our Social Business Team, who help with budgeting, food parcels and maximising income where possible
• We make daily welfare calls to those isolated and vulnerable. We issue our direct numbers to our Customer Relation Managers so you can speak to them, this especially helps those who do not have access to the internet or a lack of skill to use online services.
• We made changes to our rent collection policy and gave clear guidance through an Income Maximisation Strategy available at www.bchg.co.uk so staff know how to handle issues where tenants are facing financial hardship
• We sent communication on how to contact our services during this Pandemic, and how we will respond to repair requests.
Next Steps
- We continue to carry out surveys to hear your voice during this time
- We are putting together plans on how we best ease lockdown measures impacting our services to you in line with Government guidance, but our aim remains to keep our tenants, their families and staff safe by minimising infection transmission
We will be writing to you again to make clear how we deliver the services that matter to you.
Grounds Maintenance Change
We were given very short notice from our grounds maintenance contractor AMES that with immediate effect they can no longer offer this service. The impact of this decision was not only to BCHG but a number of other landlords in the region.
Unfortunately, the result of this is that there are a lot of outdoor communal areas that are overgrown and not to the usual standard. The July sun and rain is certainly making things grow rapidly.
We are making alternative arrangements and for short term will use an existing contractor that is able to respond to maintain grounds where required. Longer term, we are exploring how we might deliver this service in the future, and considering bringing it under our direct control, which we never done before.
