With modern housing management systems, collecting data has never been easier. Features such as surveys, feedback forms, mobile reports and contact portals streamline the data-gathering process. As a result, when it comes to Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), the real challenge is no longer how to collect the data but rather what data should be collected and, more importantly, how to use it effectively.
Shifting the focus: from ‘how’ to ‘what’
When designed and executed well, TSMs can drive meaningful improvements in tenant well-being, service quality and long-term organisational performance. However, to unlock these benefits, housing providers must ensure that TSMs collect relevant information that enables staff to allocate time, effort and budget towards the areas that matter most to tenants.
The challenge of getting it right
Many housing providers struggle to implement effective TSMs due to three primary challenges:
- Misalignment of priorities: management priorities can sometimes overshadow tenants’ real concerns. Without a robust feedback mechanism, TSMs risk measuring what the organisation thinks matters rather than what actually matters to tenants.
- Lack of effective stakeholder engagement: if frontline staff, operational teams and tenants aren’t consulted during the design of TSMs, critical insights and practical considerations may be overlooked.
- Ineffective requirements gathering: poorly-defined requirements often lead to the collection of large volumes of data without delivering clear benefits to the organisation or tenants. For example, if the requirements are too broad, data might be collected in a way that provides no actionable insights, leaving both staff and tenants frustrated.
Developing a quality-led approach
A quality-led approach ensures that every TSM objective, question and data-point is clearly linked to priorities that tenants and staff genuinely care about. The key elements of this approach include:
- Define clear objectives: start by defining why tenant satisfaction is being measured in the first place. Is the goal to improve repair times, enhance community engagement or increase digital accessibility? Clearly-articulated objectives create a framework that guides every subsequent decision.
- Develop a standardised yet flexible framework: while different departments may have specific needs, it’s essential to establish a standardised framework of questions and measures that is accessible across all departments. Without such a framework, housing providers risk duplicating their efforts or alienating tenants with inconsistent or repetitive questions. A well-structured framework maintains consistency in data collection while allowing flexibility to address department-specific requirements.
- Pilot and validate: once the measures are designed, test them with a small tenant group. Gather feedback on clarity, relevance and comprehensiveness. The pilot phase allows for necessary adjustments and ensures that TSMs genuinely align with tenants’ priorities before a full rollout.
- Consistent review and continuous improvement: a quality-led approach isn’t static, it’s iterative. As tenants’ needs evolve so should your TSMs. Establish a schedule for periodic reviews (quarterly or annually) to refine questions, scoring mechanisms and feedback channels.
- Ongoing feedback loops: keep tenants informed about changes. If data highlights a common dissatisfaction (e.g. poor repair communications), let tenants know their feedback has been heard and corrective actions are underway.
Why a quality-led approach matters
Getting TSMs right from the start creates a virtuous cycle of feedback and improvement, ensuring that services genuinely align with tenants’ needs. This not only strengthens regulatory compliance but, more importantly, also delivers tangible benefits: improved tenant trust; enhanced service quality; and a stronger, more responsive community.
By embedding quality principles into the design, execution and review of TSMs, housing providers can turn tenants’ feedback into meaningful actions, not just data-points in a report.
Tony Simms is the head of quality at Quality Led Projects.
