What Do Residents Expect From Their New R&M Provider?
Selecting a new partner for repairs and maintenance is an opportunity for a reset. To change the impressions resident customers have of the quality and responsiveness of the service. And it may well be a one-off opportunity. This is why a tightly controlled mobilisation phase is so critical
What matters isn’t telling residents that the service will be different – it’s making sure that they start to see a difference right away.
Anyone familiar with the concepts of unconscious and confirmation bias will understand how important this is. The ‘halo’ and ‘horns’ effects will influence how people judge their interactions with the service in a way that is highly influenced by their first experience.
“Somebody’s Listening”
The first priority for most residents is to feel that they’re being listened to. Our mobilisation process involves extensive consultations so we have a clear picture of what residents like and don’t like about the existing provision, how it can be improved and how they prefer to interact with the service. But there’s little point doing that if you don’t follow it up with a clear list of priorities and an action plan.
It’s also a priority to ensure that the service is positioned to start delivering on promises from day 1. Putting the team and systems in place – with clearly assigned responsibilities and lines of communication – needs to be done with urgency and a sense of purpose.
There are always operational obstacles to overcome. But last year Osborne managed to set all of this up for a new responsive repairs and voids contract just as the country went into Covid lockdown and remote working. So almost anything should be possible.
Sharing Data and Early Wins
Seeing is believing, as they say. Using the mobilisation phase to lay the groundwork to deliver immediate and visible improvements is a useful way to start changing perceptions. The mobilisation phase can also establish reporting channels that will be used to start sharing clear and accessible performance data with residents and stakeholders as soon as service delivery starts.
For Osborne, mobilisation isn’t just an administrative process to ensure a smooth handover of services. It’s an opportunity to set a new agenda and raise expectations, while also doing the hard work to ensure those expectations are met.
Find out more about how Osborne addresses the property services challenges faced by social landlords by visiting our resource centre.
For more information, contact Jo Fletcher ([email protected]).
