YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

There is a breakdown in communication.

There is a lack of ownership and responsibility from Contractors.

Information not shared in a timely manner.

Following a restructure within our Repairs team, there has been more resource allocated to ensure that all tasks have been completed before sign off and KPIs are monitored weekly.

There are still delays in completing repairs.

Following the restructure response times are better; external contractors are now being considered to resolve it quicker.

Make more void properties available sooner.

Agreement now in place to outsource void repairs to ensure property turn around is much quicker.

YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

There was a lack of consistency with appointment times and dates resulting in delayed resolutions.

We have introduced a new repairs diagnostic and logistic team who will be able to monitor and progress follow on works.

There was a lack of training and key information being shared eg emails back and forth which delay diagnostics of repair.

We have introduced

• more staff training and policies and procedures have been revisited for key staff.
• New process in place to evidence that key information has been read and understood with staff signing to acknowledge.
• Reviewed our process to ensure on staff have the correct information before attending job call outs.

Staff are not showing the correct level of understanding, empathy and compassion.

Further training to be rolled out across the organization and a key part of induction for new staff at onboarding.

There was a lack of communication between Orwell / Third Party contractor and customers resulting in  delayed resolution due to the correct person not being allocated to the repair.

We will continue to monitor this as part of the restructure with more resource allocated to this particular area to ensure a more consistent approach. 

YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

Orwell needs to improve their initial assessments.

We ensure that all our colleagues are trained to recognise and address potential problems during the first visit or call with customers.

Orwell colleagues need to offer better communication.

We improved the layout of our letters for easier reading and we actively encourage verbal communication rather than corresponding by email, especially in the early stages of contact.

Customers need a faster resolution process.

We monitor the progress of repairs closely to avoid unnecessary delays. We also ensure all 3^rd party contractors are included in our weekly process to check if jobs are completed on time.

Keep customers informed on what is expected of them.

We will provide clear and easy read information about customer responsibilities to avoid confusion and include detailed explanations in the ownership pack and during initial meetings.

Ensure properties are ready for the customer to move in.

We ensure properties are thoroughly inspected and ready before the customer moves in.

YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

Improve communication across all aspects from Complaints handling, the way our staff communication to the way we communicate when there is a big change to a service.

We are working with our ORG members in the next few months to scrutinise how we communicate where we will use any further recommendations to improve all aspects of our communication.

Improve the way we deal with complaints including the time it takes to resolve to all points not being addressed.

Training has been scheduled for leaders in September.

Train and upskill staff and provide specialists if required at an earlier stage.

We are currently undergoing a complete review of our repairs service and skills required which will be reflected in the level of service we provide.

Look at compensation offered and appreciate the impact on customers in terms of taking time off work.

Internally we are reviewing complaints in addition to the CHAT team. Issues like these will be discussed and taken in to account as part of the review process.

YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

Take time to understand the true nature of the problem, escalate sooner and have staff who are interested and knowledgeable, deal with the complaint.

The staff member who is dealing with the complaint will call the customer to ensure all aspects of the complaint is understood and any further information is collected prior to completing the resolution.

There is a poor standard of service with repairs, slow to respond with lots of rescheduling of appointments and numerous visits.

We are aware we have not been able to provide the service to the standard we would like and are working closely with our teams to understand how we can support and eliminate recurring issues.

Poor timely  communication with lack of updates for customers where we are slow to accept liability and offer correct compensation. Lack of direct contact with the customers affected.

Refresher training to be given to all staff who deal with the complaints process within Orwell.

YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

Length of time to resolve complaints with unclear timely communication throughout the process.

Improved monitoring process to ensure we keep to our promises whilst keeping customers informed on a regular basis.

Length of time to establish when to raise complaints formally and when to ensure the customer is aware of what we can and should do.

Identify if any dissatisfaction needs to be escalated to ensure we don’t cause delays in the formal complaints process.

Continued lack of communication between contractors and Orwell and between Orwell and our customers.

Improved communication both within Orwell and with our contractors, being open, honest, and clear with what Orwell’s responsibilities are.

Offer compensation when it is the right thing to do!

Compensation should be automatically considered for failure or poor service, damaged belongs, additional expenses and stress/inconvenience caused.

YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

Slow response rates and it takes too long to get an appointment.

We are considering changing our current repair timeframes to suit a more diverse range of priorities.

There are too many return visits and it takes too long to resolve issues.

We have consulted with over 4,000 customers with the aim for our operatives to be more flexible and carry out multiple jobs whilst on site.

Not enough investigations on first visit and failures to pinpoint issues quickly.

We request more photographs at the initial point of contact. This will help us understand the severity of the repair and instruct a senior operative to inspect.

Lack of response and complaints outstanding for far too long.

We hired a Complaints Officer and Repairs Administrator to help support our team and resolve complaints quicker. We are also introducing a new compensation policy for 2024. This will help improve our service and deliver a consistant response to our customers.

YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

All points of the complaint are often not addressed. Sometimes there is a lack of empathy shown for distress, cost and inconvenience caused.

We introduced a new process where we audit all responses to ensure all points are being addressed. Staff have also received complaints handling training with empathy around individual circumstances.

Take ownership and chase contractors in a timely manner. Don’t leave this to the customer.

We have increased the resources in our repairs admin team to ensure we have the capacity to monitor jobs closer and highlight issues sooner.

Sometimes we allow complaints to remain outstanding for longer than necessary, this can make them become more complicated than they need to be.

Feedback and guidance have been given on how to conduct a more concise investigation at the initial stage of the complaint. This is so we can ensure there will be no unnecessary delays, especially where it refers to boundaries, roads, trees etc.

Poor timekeeping and no shows with appointments can often exasperated the complaint.

The Customer Insight and Engagement team now have a monthly briefing with the Repairs team to ensure issues like this are identified at an earlier stage. Actions have been put in place to prevent these happening in the future.

YOU SAID

WE LISTENED

Letters didn’t always contain the right level of information and not all points were addressed.

New letter templates introduced for consistency and in line with our complaints code. Dedicated team allocated to respond.

Responses appear to take longer than necessary, albeit the right outcome had been achieved. Information sometimes conflicting.

Change correspondence email from Head of Customer Services to a dedicated complaints email which ensures quicker access and responses.

Communication – Lack of communication between Orwell and 3rd party contractors, highlighting lack of clarity when communicating.

Monthly Feedback shared with departments and Individuals and actions agreed to minimise issues reoccurring

Ownership – It was highlighted that sometimes there were elements of “Passing the Buck “ and all members felt Orwell should “Do what they say they are going to do” as again examples were highlighted where this did not always happen.

This feedback makes up part of the monthly meeting (as above) with the goal of lessons being learned and avoided in the future.

Share wider with our customers what we are doing to make services better and what we have changed from their feedback.

This cascade is the start of this journey, and we will share more of our achievements as we change aspects going forward.