Housing providers sit on a goldmine of data but too often, it’s fragmented, outdated or underused. The recent Housing Ombudsman’s report highlighted that when housing providers properly connect and use their data, they don’t just meet regulations, they work more efficiently and provide a better service for residents.
With budgets squeezed and tough demands for regulatory reporting, housing providers know data is important. But just having the data isn’t enough; how can they make their data work harder to help deal with their challenges?
1. Improve data quality to protect against risk
Not only does poor record-keeping inconvenience residents and deliver sub-standard service, it also poses a serious risk to their health and safety.
The sector has long been trying to fight this battle as a recent report on ‘Knowledge & Information Management’ by the Housing Ombudsman showed. The report said, “Poor data and record-keeping is ubiquitous in the sector and causing daily detriment to residents.”
When providers don’t have complete records on the fabric of a building, repair histories and comprehensive logs of tenants’ complaints, then problems such as damp and mould can simply go undetected. By contrast, good data highlights which problems need their urgent attention, and if a problem is flagged early, it’s not only easier and cheaper to fix but tenants aren’t exposed to any long-term harm.
Staff across the organisation should know the importance of inputting the correct data at all times, even when they are busy. Implementing an agreed set of standards around how and when data should be entered then training staff is a good way to get everyone on the same page, as well as using technology to support this.
2. Bring data sources together for hidden insights
You don’t know what you don’t know. The policy changes around damp and mould made housing providers realise more than ever that one of the biggest barriers they are grappling with is disjointed data spread across multiple systems. They can’t get the answers they need quickly.
But this problem doesn’t just affect their efforts in dealing with damp and mould. What about building safety and missed rental payments?
If housing officers have a complete, real-time picture of residents’ wider situations, they can prioritise whom to help first. Without this, decisions may be based on a simple view or assumptions from incomplete information, with the risk that those people who need help the most might get left at the bottom of the pile.
By consolidating data, housing providers can make earlier interventions by identifying who is at risk due to factors such as additional vulnerabilities, health problems or poverty, and offer more personalised support to keep them in their homes.
3. Boost property management with better planning
Whenever a tradesperson comes to a tenant’s home, you want them to arrive with the correct tools to get on with the job. They can only do this if they’ve been given the right information about the work that needs doing.
If a tenant reports a leaking pipe, if the contractor knows the details of what pipe is leaking and where, they are more likely to fix it first time. Without this, they could arrive at the property only to discover they need a specific fitting, leading to further delays.
Staff need correct data to plan the work efficiently and with minimal disruption to the tenants. Water damage might require a plumber, plasterer and painter, all lined up in the right order and with enough time between each job for drying to complete the repair. To get the schedule right, it’s essential to be able to see at a glance real-time data on what jobs are in progress, which are at risk of running over and where follow-on repairs are needed.
Getting this wrong could lead to miscommunication with contractors and unnecessary delays. Not only is this expensive and inefficient for the housing provider but it very quickly leads to unhappy residents.
4. Transform residents’ experience with personalisation
One of the key challenges to improving customer service in housing is how to meet the diverse needs of a broad mix of residents. The answer often lies in the data that housing providers are already sitting on.
Combining information about the household and the property into the repairs systems, for example can offer rich insights on how to personalise customer service. This could be instructing contractors to wait longer at the door if someone is elderly or sending translated letters in a resident’s native language if they don’t speak English.
Data about communication preferences and a history of customer service interactions all add to the picture. If housing or maintenance staff have this information before they make contact then they have a much greater chance of being able to offer the right solutions.
5. Do more with less
Everyone is feeling the economic pinch and housing budgets are under pressure. The good news is that the intelligent use of data can help housing providers make the most of what they already have.
For years, housing providers have gathered data on every aspect of property management, from structural details to repair frequency and rental payment patterns.
The latest developments in housing technology mean this data can be cross-referenced and analysed to spot trends and patterns to improve tenants’ services and predict problems before they arise.
What if you could predict that in four weeks’ time a tenant risks falling into arrears for a period of several months? Tools like AI and analytics can use data to give these insights right now. Armed with this information, you could arrange proactive interventions to sustain tenancies, avoiding court actions, evictions and potential homelessness.
This is the perfect win-win situation because it’s better for residents’ overall wellbeing and maintains a steady income stream for housing providers.
There is power in data – it’s the solid foundation that housing providers need in order to embrace the latest technologies, helping them to remove inefficiencies, cut costs and allocate resources better.
Smart use of data goes beyond process and efficiency, though. It’s about providing tenants with safer, more comfortable homes, faster responses to their needs and creating communities that thrive.
Sharon Jackson is head of pre-sales and product delivery for housing at NEC Software Solutions.
