We recently had the opportunity to see a novel way for housing providers and IT suppliers to work together to improve tenant services and their immediate environment. George Grant, publisher of Housing Technology, was invited by Family Mosaic to one of its properties in south London that was getting a ‘face lift’ courtesy of 80 employees from Telstra, Family Mosaic’s telecommunications’ provider. Smartly kitted out in matching shirts, the Telstra team was busy painting hallways, digging flower beds and other activities to improve the property.
This initiative was led by Saul Stevens, Family Mosaic’s head of IT, and Tom Homer, CEO of Telstra and could well be the blueprint for widespread direct involvement with tenants and their properties. Explaining the thinking behind the project, Homer said, “This is corporate responsibility at its best, giving our workforce an opportunity to make a real difference.”
So, with IT staff at many housing providers unable to accept IT suppliers’ corporate entertainment invitations due to compliance, our view is that IT suppliers should copy Family Mosaic and Telstra and redirect some of their hospitality resources towards direct engagement with their housing customers’ tenants, resulting in direct and immediate benefits for all parties. Please get in touch if are interested in pursuing this model for direct engagement or if you have already started similar initiatives.
