Customer consultation

Lasting six weeks, the customer consultation closed in September and saw just under 2,000 customers provide feedback, either by post, online or over the phone.

			Combined
Post	450	1,144	1,594
Online	163	187	350
Phone	7	47	54
Total	620	1,378	1,998

In total, 47 percent of all feedback from customers of both organisations was positive or very positive, with only 19 percent negative or very negative.

Here’s the breakdown for both organisations:

Feedback themes

We also asked you to go into more detail about why you felt like you did about the proposals.

Some of the key reasons customers gave included:

• Investment in housing -Customers supported the merger because they were optimistic that it will lead to more investment in their homes. By coming together, we will have more resources to invest in the quality and condition of existing homes and neighbourhoods. This is a key focus for us.  
  
• Scale – Many customers referenced the opportunities that being a larger organisation could bring in terms of driving efficiencies to reduce costs and deliver more efficient operations. This is a real driver for coming together. As a single organisation we’ll be able to drive down costs, and then reinvest into the business and our services. We’ll also have a greater influence at a local, regional and national level, being a force for good in housing.

• Quality of service -Customers supported the merger as they felt it would be a catalyst for improving services, particularly identifying the need for an improved repairs service. Our aim is to significantly improve key services and be more responsive to the repairs our customers raise, as we know how important this is for you.

• Providing local services -Some customers rightly said that they didn’t want us to lose our focus on the communities we serve. This merger has been built on the idea that our new organisation would be both ‘local and large’ which means we’d enjoy the benefits of coming together while retaining our focus on our communities and remaining responsive to our customers.

Finally, we asked what customers would like to see from the new organisation if the merger goes ahead. Some of the top themes were:

• Investment in existing homes
• Improved repairs service
• Improved communication with customers
• Better grounds maintenance

We’re still busy analysing all of these suggestions, but our aim is to use this feedback to help shape the new organisation and its services.

Thanks again to everyone who gave their time to take part in the consultation. Keep an eye out for more opportunities in the coming months for ways you can stay involved in shaping our new organisation.