Public sector - Housing Associations

The last 18 months may have been tough, but according to the Tenant Services Authority (TSA), Housing Associations have continued to show strong growth, building new homes and investing in stock. Times will get harder however, as the UK enters the new era of austerity and public sector cuts begin to hit.

Organisations involved in every aspect of social housing provision, from local authorities to Registered Social Landlords are set to face a significant financial shortfall. Yet with the emphasis on improving efficiency and cutting costs without affecting front line service delivery, Housing Associations will continue to face stringent regulatory demands – from regular TSA and Audit Commission inspections to the need to bring all properties up to the Government’s Decent Homes standard.

Improve Resident Services – With clear targets for the quality and timeliness of front line service delivery, organisations need efficient resident communication. A contact centre evaluation can highlight opportunities for more agile communication with tenants; while adding SMS, email, instant chat and social media to the contact centre can streamline communication and drive down costs. Find out more »

Control Costs – Public sector finance cuts will be significant. Opting for a proven managed service provides financial savings from day one. Fixed fees for technology management and support, as well as transparent communication costs and built-in technology refreshes provide Housing Associations with excellent cost control and the agility to utilise state of the art technology to support new frontline services. Find out more »

Streamline Consolidation –  Over the past few years privately owned housing associations have embarked upon aggressive expansion strategies through acquisition. Successfully consolidating and streamlining communications infrastructure, including multiple contact centres, can significantly drive down costs. Find out more »

Leverage innovation – This sector faces tough Service Level Agreements (SLA) for responding to clients and instigating repairs. Improving productivity is key to meet SLAs without incurring additional cost. Mobile tracking technology can be used to improve resource management; while unified communications – most notably presence – improves organisation wide visibility. Find out more »

Tenant Services Authority www.tenantservices.authority.org
Homes and Communities Agency www.homesandcommunities.co.uk
Inside Housing: www.insidehousing.co.uk