An update from Barry Russell, Honeycomb Group CAG Chair and Involved Customer
Our Customer Assurance Group (CAG) Chair, Barry, plays a key role in leading discussions with involved customers and helping to influence decisions that shape Honeycomb Group services. We recently caught up with Barry to hear more about the group’s latest work, priorities, and opportunities for customers to get involved.
Reaching more diverse customers
Q: We know the Customer Assurance Group is working on an important project around diverse involved customer recruitment. What opportunities did CAG identify where we could reach under-represented groups like customers under 30?
A: “We talked about quite a few different things. We discussed evening meetings, but we know this would create problems for some people due to taxi and bus availability. One of the suggestions was whether we could put meetings on Teams so we could reach a wider range of customers, allowing them to spare an hour or half an hour when they can.”
“We’ve got to be looking at the future, and we have to adapt to make things as accessible as possible.”
Strengthening links with volunteering activity
Q: The Volunteer Activity Steering Group met recently. What were the key actions agreed?
A: “We’ve been trying to create a link between the Volunteer Activity Steering Group and us as involved customers. The Volunteer Activity Steering Group helps guide and shape volunteering opportunities, making sure activities meet the needs of the organisation and the community, while also supporting volunteers to have a positive experience.”
“It’s so we can understand each other and work together. We need to get a feel for what they do, and vice versa. We want to understand what the charities Glow and Concrete do so we can influence their services and recommend improvements.”
“We’re also working on getting a more diverse range of volunteers. We’d love to link up with local communities and are looking at opportunities to expand the involved customer network, as well as working with supporting organisations locally. We’re helping to develop a volunteer newsletter too, and we’ll be looking to include a feature about our recent conference visit.”
Improving repairs and contractor performance
Q: The Repairs Focus Group continues to look at service improvements. What feedback has the group provided recently?
A: “We had a discussion around the repairs contractor, LC Construction, because it’s important to keep track of their progress and ensure they’re fulfilling their responsibilities. We’re reviewing how feedback and satisfaction are recorded, to make sure we’re accurately capturing where there are issues and then making improvements.”
“This new contractor seems to be doing a really good job, which is great news for customers. The great thing about the Repairs Focus Group is that we get the opportunity to meet contractors and put questions and issues directly to them on behalf of customers. It helps create transparency and hold them to account, because they know they have to report back to us.”
Opportunities to get involved
Q: We’re always keen to encourage more customers to get involved. What opportunities are currently available?
A: “We’re really open, if you can spare your expertise, we’d love to have you involved. The Repairs Group and the Scrutiny Group currently have less take-up than the CAG meetings, so there’s definitely room for more people. We’ve also got three people interested in joining our groups this month, which is really exciting and encouraging.”
“We want to make involvement flexible, so people can dip in and out when they’re able to. If you’ve got other commitments, that’s absolutely fine. Our Customer Scrutiny Groups can review things on an ad-hoc basis and share their expertise whenever they want to contribute.”
“When I chair the meetings, I aim to make them as friendly and welcoming as possible, and easy for everyone to understand, avoiding acronyms and jargon so everyone can follow the conversation and feel confident taking part.”
Learning from the National Housing Federation Conference
Q: You recently attended the National Housing Federation Customer Experience and Resident Engagement Conference in London. Which session was most relevant?
A: “One thing I noticed is that many of their best practices are things we’ve actually been doing for a while. That shows we’re perhaps ahead of our peers when it comes to customer involvement. Next year, it would be great if we could even go along and speak about the work we’ve been doing.”
“The most relevant session was around neighbourhoods and how we support people to interact more within their communities. They shared an example of another housing provider that has a Housing Officer for every 500 tenants, with a responsibility to visit each tenant at least once a year. We want customers to have good access to staff, so something like this would be really positive.”
“They also have a Community Engagement Officer whose role is to bring communities together. It’s something I’d really love to explore, whether there’s a possibility of something like that for us, and what that could look like in practice.”
Overall reflections
Q: Was attending the conference valuable?
A: “It was definitely worthwhile going down there. All three of us came away feeling inspired and brimming with ideas to bring to our next meetings to discuss with our other involved customers.”
“Looking ahead, it would be great to send a wider range of involved customers to future events, so more people have the opportunity to benefit from different experiences and learning. The exhibitions were excellent too, and gave us plenty of useful insights to reflect on.”
Want to get involved?
If you’re interested in getting involved with any of our customer groups, we’d love to hear from you. Your voice can help shape services and make a real difference.
Email: Jayne.Tilolo@honeycombgroup.org.uk
Call: 01782 744533
