Back to the shop floor

MONDAY
As soon as I arrived at the Leicester regional office, I was given a telephone and told "You’re on!". For the next seven hours I took calls from customers with enquiries on a range of issues which was very pressurised, but good humoured.

Dealing with such a wide variety of issues made me realise that the front-line customer service team members need to be incredibly knowledgeable, not just on our policies and practices, but in all areas of housing. I was pleased to see that even though the new boy struggled, the team was up to the challenge and were providing an exceptional service.

If any repairs failed to get done, or complaints weren’t responded to as swiftly as usual it was probably me cocking up the computer system - inadvertently of course.

The main lesson from this day was that the importance of good IT and telecoms cannot be overstated. Without it, even with the best intentions of committed staff, it takes much longer to deal with every enquiry. I made a mental note to bring forward the timescale for the planned new IT system.

TUESDAY : Nottingham
I attended two evictions at which I saw one house filled from top to bottom with a huge array of complete junk and the second was just utterly smashed to pieces -not a single fixture or fitting remained intact. Clearly they were less than happy at the action being taken against them and I was relieved they had chosen to leave before the actual eviction. I am very clear that if we had not evicted these tenants, it would have eventually dragged down the entire area.

The main that struck me from my visit to the housing management team at the Nottingham regional office - although intellectually I understood the issue - was that it only takes one or two irresponsible tenants to make an area much less desirable.

On a more positive note, the housing management officers knew their areas and residents very well and appeared to be seen as part of the community. If our customers know their housing management officers as people they see often, not just an anonymous voice on the end of the telephone, they are more likely to work with us to solve any problems. And of course, I hope it will lead to less problems occurring in the first place. Something to think about here in terms of the general trend towards call centres?

WEDNESDAY
Rent collection is an extremely important part of our work but our priority is always to provide quality, low cost housing and recognise that our customer base includes people with limited income, and often limited skills in money management.

The rent arrears control team at the Northampton office had really taken this to heart and were dealing with anyone in rent arrears as a valuable customer not necessarily a problem customer.

However, procedures drawn up to control rent arrears rarely recognises the reality for many customers. On one visit we called on a single mother in heavy arrears. She kept her home clean, tidy and well furnished and her young daughter was obviously well cared for. However, much of the material goods had been purchased on high interest loans, at the expense of rent and other utility bills.

We spent time going through her income and expenditure and tried to offer advice. It was a simple fact that her income, which comprised solely of benefits since she lost her job, was insufficient for her to realistically meet her commitments and I left with a heavy heart. She was by no means the only person in that position on that particular estate. Faced with similar circumstances in this commercial world and such emotive material pressures, I had a distinct feeling of There but for the grace of God....

THURSDAY
I was keen to spend time with the supported housing team at central office because I wanted to see how well we dealt with the more vulnerable members of society. I only visited a small number of projects because there are far too many to see in one day, but I did get a very good feel about the service they provide. The first thing that struck me was the staff commitment. This is not a job to them but a calling, and the level of care and support provided is exceptional.

All residents at every scheme are encouraged to be as independent as possible to learn new skills, develop new interests and meet new people. The schemes are all well maintained and the residents seemed to be content living in them. I must say I found the day at supported housing to be the most personally rewarding. I was pleased to see that the association’s intentions of full social inclusion have been taken on board with first-class support being given to those who need it.

FRIDAY
I spent the morning at the Mansfield sessional office where the Homechoice scheme is being piloted. This has replaced the former points allocations system with a choice-based method of publicly advertising all available homes - a simple "first come/first serve" principle which seems to be working very well.

I was in the office shortly after homes had been advertised in the local newspaper and it was extremely busy. People called to register their interest in particular properties and the system allowed a different and completely open dialogue with customers. They appeared to understand and like the new approach, although this will be tested formally as part of the evaluation process.

One woman called in seeking an urgent move as a result of domestic violence from her partner and she clearly showed some of the physical evidence. As a priority she could have opted for any of the homes available but she decided to wait for something more appropriate for herself and her children. I believe HomeChoice did shift the responsibility for exercising choice away from the organisation and onto her as a customer.

I spent part of the afternoon at a neighbourhood "surgery" held by the Maynard housing co-op. I was particularly impressed by their performance statistics on rent arrears - much better than those for LHA customers - and made a note to carry out research into the reasons.

And the Verdict....
The week has been absolutely invaluable. It’s also been somewhat nerve-racking. Staff think that because you are a director you know everything but there is a difference between determining strategy and knowing all the detailed information that is necessary to deliver services on the ground. I depended heavily on the goodwill and assistance of colleagues and am grateful for their good-natured response. Hopefully, I was able to explain some of the rationale behind the policies and I believe the exercise has a two-way benefit.

The most positive point I picked up was the level of staff commitment. LHA is very fortunate to have such dedicated and skilled staff members who are dealing with a variety of issues every day. We have worked hard to develop our staff into the team they have become and we couldn’t run without such committed people.

In terms of the overall delivery of service, while some refinements need to be carried out here and there, I think we have learned past lessons very well and the staff are keen to contribute positively and try out new ways of working.They are not resistant to change and indeed they welcome it if they think it can improve the work they do. LHA tries hard not to be overly procedural and to create an atmosphere where changes can be suggested, and if appropriate, implemented without too much trouble.

I have made a comprehensive report back to our senior management team making several suggestions for changes, particularly adding impetus to our search for a new IT system.

We also agreed that it would be worth all senior managers undergoing similar experiences and from now on they will spend four days a year in a variety of front-line roles.

In conclusion, this intensive exercise was extremely valuable in a wide range of ways including developing a closer relationship with staff in other offices. I did slip up on occasions, so I’m extremely glad that the BBC was not filming my experience.