I’m Barry, Chair of the Customer Assurance Group (CAG), and I’m delighted to share what we’ve been working on throughout August. The CAG’s role is to make sure your voices are heard and to keep driving improvements to our homes and services across Honeycomb Group.
It’s been another busy month – here are some of the highlights:
Planning ahead
We’ve wrapped up a full report on the CAG’s work so far and are reviewing how often the group should meet, with a final decision to be made at our next session. We’re also looking at new ways to involve more customers – and we’ll be inviting colleagues from Glow and Concrete to a future meeting. They’ll share more about the vital work they do, and together we’ll explore how we can support them.
Updates from the Board
I had the opportunity to sit in on a Board meeting and gave feedback to the group on some key discussions, including Decent Homes, property reviews, and audits. I also want to make sure we share a clear breakdown of how rents are spent, so everyone can see exactly where their money goes.
Wendy, our Vice Chair, updated us on the Customer Strategy Group. She confirmed that feedback from CAG and the Repairs Focus Group had been reported, alongside findings from recent complaint “deep dives.”
As part of Honeycomb Group’s upcoming regulatory inspection, we also met with inspectors directly and spent half an hour telling them all about the customer involvement happening across the Group.
Getting more people involved
A big focus this month was how we can encourage more customers to join in. From Repairs and Voids groups to policy discussions, there are lots of opportunities to have your say and shape the way we work.
If you’d like to volunteer, please get in touch with Jayne Tilolo, Customer Voice Specialist, by calling 01782 744533, or emailing involve@honeycombgroup.org.uk
Repairs and contractor news
Our Repairs Focus Group met the new contractor, LC Construction, and raised important questions. Thanks to earlier feedback, we’ve made sure that all contractor staff must now wear uniforms and carry ID badges.
This is a key safeguard to protect customers – if someone calls at your home without proper uniform or ID, please don’t let them in. Ask them to return once they can prove who they are.
Helping recruit fresh faces
This month I was part of an interview panel for an important role at Honeycomb Group. I made sure to ask questions about customer focus, and I was encouraged by the answers I heard. I look forward to seeing those promises put into action.
Service and performance updates
The group received a presentation on the Q4 Performance Framework, which currently tracks a huge 87 measures to ensure we’re delivering what matters most to customers. There was also good news on call wait times: down from an average of 7 minutes 46 seconds in Q4 to just 4 minutes 21 seconds in Q1. That’s a big step forward and shows our focus on improving services is making a real difference.
Looking ahead
The CAG continues to grow in strength and widen the areas we cover – making sure customers have a real influence on how Honeycomb is run.
I’m proud of what we’ve achieved this month, but I’m even more excited about what’s still to come. Thank you to everyone who’s taken part so far – your involvement is what makes this work possible.
See you next month.
Barry,
Customer Assurance Chair
