Scrutiny panel deep dives into customer complaints

Our scrutiny panel is a vital link between customers and our board and committees. Entirely made up of tenants, its main job is to perform deep dives into our services, to make sure they reflect our customers’ needs.

Their latest service review focussed on customer complaints, a timely topic with SLH and other housing associations updating their policies and procedures in line with the Housing Ombudsman’s new complaint handling code.

Scope

The panel agreed the scope of their service review would include:

• Meeting with SLH colleagues to understand the complaints process.
• Reviewing over 150 stage one and stage two complaints.
• Reviewing documents, policies and targets we set ourselves relating to complaints.
• Comparing our complaints process against other housing associations and looking at how accessible information about complaints is to our tenants.

The panel reviewed every complaint that had been received in the past year, examining what type of complaint it was, the customer’s expectations and the outcome of the investigation of each complaint.

Panel members had the chance to question the complaint handler to better understand the process and the outcome. They also examined two cases that were referred to the Housing Ombudsman to get a greater understanding of the process and the nature of complaints that were referred to the ombudsman.

Conclusions

Following the service review the panel identified a number of areas of concern.

Communication

The panel noted that poor communication between SLH, Avela Home Service and customers was a common thread throughout the complaints they scrutinised and that lessons we have learnt from complaints did not always appear to have been embedded. They also highlighted cases when repair operatives failed show up to appointments, without letting the customer know.

Repair-specific issues

Dissatisfaction with repairs form the majority of our complaints, and a common theme was operatives arriving to do the job without the correct tools, knowledge or sufficient time to complete it.

Scrutiny panel members noted that dissatisfaction was often caused by SLH customer service staff not having full access to the details of complex repair jobs, meaning delays while SLH contacted Avela Home Service for updates. The panel suggested that all information should be accessible to SLH to help us deal with queries within tighter timescales.

Compensation

The panel was concerned about the amount of compensation payments made to customers. They noted that, if we made the necessary changes from the complaints we receive, this figure could be reduced.

Improving our contact centre

Members suggested that the number of colleagues in our call centre should be increased to cope with increasing demand, with another dedicated member of staff to deal with damp, mould and condensation.

Recommendations and responses

Read scrutiny panel's full list of recommendations and our responses below.