Tenant Satisfaction Measures have been a good thing for social housing
Yes. They aren’t perfect.

Varying collection methods are problematic. Reports suggest surveys over the phone or via email deliver better results than online.
The results don’t take account of demographics. Will services and tenant expectations differ for people living in London high-rises and rural communities in the north? Of course.

We can kid ourselves that TSM results aren’t going to be turned into a league table to measure performance nationally – but it took all of five minutes to drop a list of LAs and HAs data into an Excel spreadsheet and press sort.

Landlords at the bottom of the list will cry foul and say we aren’t comparing apples with apples. That results are just a snapshot in time and things are improving.

They’re probably right.

But that won’t be the story. For those in that situation there will need to be some time dedicated to developing a clear and honest message for tenants around when they’re likely to feel that services are improving.

There’s no point in saying we’ve fixed the problem if it’s not being felt by people at their front door.
And that’s where we’re seeing TSMs changing the focus of organisations.

If what get measured gets done, then what gets reported and regulated gets done properly (usually). And in a world where we’re governed by perception, how people feel and therefore how we talk to people and treat them gets brought to the forefront of everyone’s thinking.
It’s with those who spend the most time face to face with tenants where I’ve felt the biggest change.

Two years ago, when we talked to estates teams and housing officers, the conversations focused on how to make services better, but often from a practical starting point – what length are we cutting the grass to? What’s service chargeable and what’s not?

Today, almost all conversations start with tenants. Yes, there are lots of discussions on delivery, but there’s a much clearer link between those decisions and the impact on people’s lives.

Teams debate the best ways to put tenants at the centre of decisions around procurement and service design. As a rule, teams feel more empowered. It’s reassuring and refreshing.

We’re also seeing teams becoming much more engaged in the importance of quality communications. In making sure that behaviours, the language we use, and the tone we talk in are consistent and reflect the values of organisations.

They know from their everyday experience this really matters to tenants – and that it drives dissatisfaction when it goes wrong.

They also know that, for tenants, comms isn’t just the newsletter or the posts on social media. It’s much deeper than that.

This is something we’ve been working with organisations on for some time – creating a golden thread for communications from the boardroom right to the front door.

When it’s done well, tenants are more satisfied with their landlord. If people feel a landlord is authentic, has empathy and can deliver what it says it will, then these are good foundations for a trusting relationship.

For leaders, this might mean a rethink about where communications sit within your structures.

Do your best communicators and strategic brains have control or even oversight of how comms is delivered in homes? Of the letters we send out each day?

Great communications should empower and connect teams to create a more consistent and authentic experience.
It should be the guardian of values and call out behaviours that have no place in our sector.

That doesn’t happen overnight and can only happen if the right people have the right influence.

The people that work in communities understand the link between great comms, happier tenants and better services better than any of us.

Empowering them with the skills and tools to deliver will bring rewards for everyone.

By Bobbie Hough, MD at Hough Bellis Communications

Would you like some help with your communications? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us hello@houghbellis.co.uk.