An update from Barry Russell, Honeycomb Group CAG Chair and Involved Customer
Hi everyone. I hope you're all keeping well. I wanted to share an update on what your Customer Assurance Group have been working on over the past month. They're a group of customers from across Honeycomb Group, who ensure the customer voice is always championed in key decisions made. We've been working on lots of important things this month, with plenty to celebrate, and plenty more to do as we work hard to improve.
A strong start: Honeycomb Group inspection results
Let's begin with some very positive news. The recent government inspection results are in, and they're excellent.
These results reflect the huge amount of work that has taken place across the Group, from senior managers and front line staff. I'm proud to say that Involved Customers have also played their role in helping the Group strengthen relationships between customers and staff.
There's still more to do, of course. We're shaping for even greater customer involvement in how the organisation is run and shaping what comes next.
Rent increases: what you need to know
It's that time of year again. Where the Group review rents in line with inflation. Rent increases are set using the government formula. But we know how important transparency is when it comes to your money, so our involved customers have been key in shaping the advice and support on offer for any customers affected by rent increases. With information online and in our customer hubs about how rent money is spent and how to appeal if you believe the increase isn't correct.
Repairs: progress and expectations
This month the committee met with Honeycomb Group's responsive repairs contractor LC Construction.
They gave an update, sharing that they are still maintaining a 100% customer satisfaction rating, which is a brilliant achievement. We congratulated the team, and also made it clear that this is the standard we expect moving forwards.
Some more good news. We've been working hard with the Customer Service Teams, to find ways to bring call wait times down. Something tenants told the Group they were cared about. As a result, we've seen the average wait time down to around 3-minutes. This is a huge improvement and I think you'll all join me in saying a big well done to all the staff involved in making this happen. And yes - we'll be pushing to see if we can get it down any further too!
Customer involvement: we need more voices
This month as part of Tenant Involvement Week, the team ran a recruitment campaign to recruit new involved customers to the Group. As one of our biggest aims this year, is to increase the number of tenant and customer voices across the Group.
So if you're reading this, and you have some time to share your ideas or experiences as a customer or tenant, why not get in touch and become an involved customer? You could have suggestions on how customers could have their say in decisions, processes, or services and we would love to hear them. The more voices we have, the stronger we become.
Stock condition surveys: what the findings show
This month, we've been looking at some of the findings of recent stock condition surveys. These are home inspections, where we check the overall condition of our homes, checking things like kitchens and bathrooms to make sure they're well maintained, or making plans for investment in the future. It's been great to look at the data, and see where our homes need improvement, which will be important in shaping future improvement plans.
Get involved
Thank you for taking the time to read this month's update. As always, we're here to make sure your voices are heard - so please do get involved, share your questions, and keep the conversation going by emailing me at CAG.chair@honeycombgroup.org.uk
Or call 01782 744533 or email involve@honeycombgroup.org.uk to find out more about how you can get involved.
