2023 - The year of the customer

2022 was not one of my favourite years. It could have been filled with so much promise. It could have been the big bounce back year from the pandemic. It could have been the year where DTL Creative, the company I grew from just myself to a well-known and respected social housing technology consultancy bounced back from difficulties. It could have been the year. But it wasn’t to be. My own mother passing away, personal health issues and other matters all made the year one I want to put behind me. It was a big hit for me, and one I am glad is almost over.

People look back at the end of every year. It’s a thing we do. We look back at the year leaving us. When a new year comes in, we reflect on things gone past, we think of what could have been and if only it had gone a different way. It’s not been a great year personally, but it has also not been a great year for the social housing sector either. 

For Social Housing, 2022 was a monumental year for many reasons, mainly negative. 

• We have seen a cost-of-living crisis that impacts many people across the UK.
• Rent arrears have risen as the cost-of-living situation sinks in. Debts rise, ASB increases, and socio-economic matters are overall detrimental to the sector.
• We have seen energy costs soar and an increase in fuel poverty again adding to rent arrears but also folks turning off their heating and causing further difficulties.
• Homelessness is sad, massive issue and poses big challenges on landlords.
• Immigration poses continued problems for landlords as well. 
• Compliance related issues are a matter for real concern as people suffer for landlords not getting on top of this all-important area.
• We are failing many tenants (the customer) in not addressing living conditions and the state of properties. 

With the last bullet point, came the tragedy that shocked the UK. The coroner confirmed Awaab Ishak, an innocent 2-year-old died after exposure to mould in his house.  His parents had complained properly and brought the condition to the landlord for many years before. There is no doubt that the family were failed by the landlord. The landlord even tried to blame the lifestyle of the family. Shocking and wrong in so many ways. 

The last two years has seen many papers, reports, recommendations from the sector’s bodies.

On the matter above, the Ombudsman had published a report called Spotlight: Mould and Damp, it’s not lifestyle in October 21. This was before the nation became fully aware of Awaab’s case. It’s worth reading, and I particularly welcome two management recommendations:

1. Landlords should implement a data driven, risk-based approach with respect to damp and mould
2. Landlords should review the accessibility and use of their systems for reporting repairs and making complaints 

It’s good that we are seeing such reports, but I do wonder how far they go. Although a strong report overall, how many landlords are ‘proactively’ addressing such matters. I’ll come to it, but are landlords implementing the systems required? Are they using data, are they analysing?

Awaab’s case is not the only one where mould has had a devastating impact on a family. The number of complaints has risen, so something really does need done. Some revealing stats from the Ombudsman can be seen below for March 20 to April 21. I’d love to see the latest UK wide stats. I doubt they are any better.

There is no doubting that the social housing sector took a big hit in 2022. Gas issues and explosions seem (I haven’t counted) to be more prevalent, complaints are increasing, rent arrears are getting worse and the rising costs of living are all having a real impact in many areas.

The customer is at the heart of everything the sector stands for and the Government’s Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government produced a White Paper in Nov 2020. It was intended to:

‘Set out the actions the government will take to ensure that residents in social housing are safe, are listened to, live in good quality homes, and have access to redress when things go wrong.

That’s going well then. 

The foreword was by the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnston. He said: 

‘As a cub reporter in the 1980s, I was once despatched to a Wolverhampton council estate to call on a young family who had written in about the damp in their flat. 

And what struck me most when I arrived wasn’t the condensation streaming down the windows like a waterfall or the black spores of mould metastasising across the walls or even the rasping cough of the small baby, which seemed to get worse even in the short time I was there. 

It was the miserable despair of the father, a man utterly bereft of hope at the problem ever being sorted out. He’d complained to the housing office, he’d complained to his local councillor, he’d complained to anyone who would listen and many who wouldn’t, but nobody seemed to care, nobody seemed willing or able to do anything about it.’

All very good Boris, but that was the 80’s. So, what has improved since then? It is now four decades since the 80’s. 

I think most reading this article will recognise that although there are many landlords and professionals doing a great job and trying their best to look after their customers, the message is clear. It’s not good enough in the main.

The regulator also put’s the customer first in their very recent publication the Sector Risk Profile. Again, a detailed and strong report, but there is still not enough being forced on the sector’s landlords as far as needing to be proactive and accountable in applying systems.

One thing I do like about the profile is that it has two sections focusing on data.

Data Security and Data integrity are covered, and I am glad they are. It pushes the accountability clearly with the landlord that proposes they have:

‘Accurate, up-to-date, complete, and reliable data are fundamental for boards to monitor areas such as rent setting, financial management, stock condition, tenant needs and expectations, health and safety, and meeting consumer standards. Board oversight, control, and decision making is undermined by failure to maintain data integrity or by data isolated in siloed systems’

It’s clear that the bodies responsible for ensuring strong governance, regulation and guidance within housing are trying to address some of the key issues. What is not clear is how landlords can better use systems and data to carry out the recommendations. 2023 needs to focus on systems, technology and data. It needs to also be the year of the customer and that they benefit from better digital strategies.

Customer focus and strong data governance are clearly seen as a way forward. However, and here is my take on where perhaps 2023 needs to be the year of moving forward. 

My take is rather simple. To take greater steps forward and to address the reports and their recommendations there needs to be three key additions to a landlords strategy. 

The first is digital culture. Not just the ‘culture’ of an organisation as is banded about rather easily these days. Digital Culture is the buy in that systems, technology and data together need to be led from the top and is seen as a key strategy and as part of the day to day services a landlord provides. I truly believe that each landlord needs a CIO role that not only has the responsibility but the accountability at the top of an organisation. CIOs create value for any company as a member of the C-suite. They do this through business application of technology, systems and data governance and a focus on the customer as a key priority. Technology is clearly today's main asset for business transformation and IT leaders are increasingly seen as pivotal in an organisations ability to deliver a better customer experience.

Leading on from the last point, is the second addition, and that is a focus on the customer experience. Technology has a large part to play in the ability to deliver a truly effective customer experience. Whether it is technology such as sensors, or systems such as complaints systems, data analytics and intelligence systems, portals for self-service, repairs systems and so on, the fact is there is not one part of a landlord’s operations in relation to customer service that is not touched by systems and data.

And Data is that third area. I am going to be critical to start with. Having tidy data and ticking the GDPR boxes is not enough. You need to organise, optimize and capitilise on your data. It needs to be at the top of your agenda. The quality of data should always be high, that goes without question. The Identification of poor quality and non-compliant data is critical. Ownership of data and quality checks carried out not only regularly but proactively alerted to data owners. Data should be seen a way of not only giving static information but a way of modelling, analysing, and reporting on ways that can identify a problem before it even becomes a problem.

Yes, I am bound to harp on about technology as its my thing. I am a technologist at heart but with 26 years of applying technology to business, and 16 of those being in social housing I know how much of a difference it can make to not only the operations of a business, but more importantly to the customer.

I am determined to make 2023 the year of the customer. They deserve it. 

I am also determined to see customers served well by landlords by the utilisation of better technology.

Finally, a question: How many landlords have increased their tech budgets for the coming financial years. Are your systems good enough? Is your data good enough? Do you have the right strategy? And do you have leadership that drives the agenda? Where is your CIO?

Ok, It was a few questions…

Happy New Year. (The year of the customer)