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I am often banging on in socialhousing solution and transformation projects I am involved with, about incorporating thoughtful comms. Without it (whether you regard it as ‘fluffy’ or not), we cannot keep staff and management well informed, set expectations and efficiently communicate. If a project may take 12,18, 24 months or more to complete, that’s a long time for humans to stay focused on. So, everyone needs some help.
Hopefully, we have an organisation comms team or staff member(s), who can assist ICT or the project team. If we have some of these folk, we expect they are well skilled, often with qualifications and experience they can supply and also generally some PR skills too.
It’s generally recognised that good comms starts with openness and a desire to engage. Communication is a two way street and when we forget that, organisations have generally failed. In addition internally, we expect the comms team to be involved with the outside world too. IE responding to residents, customers, the press and others, reacting to concerns, problems and other challenges.
In this blog on occasions we have explored resident issue, particularly around that perennial challenging area ‘repairs’, but also others such as ‘knowing our customers better’, case management and self-service. Often its lack of integrated joined up thinking. These days (those post Don-old) we are all plugged into social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, BlueSky, LinkedIn etc. Indeed, I have a lot of followers who are tenants, leaseholders and other residents and I hear a lot about their issues and concerns. These help me consider real life when assisting organisations with process review and new solutions. Getting their problems solved often rely on comms working properly with managers and staff to be flexible and proactive.
Strangely, some of our largest UK social housing providers seem to be getting even more remote from their customers and not using ICT solutions or integrated comms, to bridge the gap. The regulator ticks off and appears to place many of these on ‘the naughty step’, on a monthly basis.
Some larger providers seem to be purposely closing down social media channels, and reducing means of residents communicating issues/concerns. Examples are Sanctuary and GreenSquare Accord. The latter left Twitter back in April 2024, at a time a lot of criticism was being received there.
I cannot understand why organisations, particularly ones that are meant to have a clear social purpose, think just putting their fingers in their ears, will help some of the obvious issues go away. Typically residents get involved in setting up their own social media groups, podcasts etc and if issues are not being addressed, they will drive the comms, (as some are with GSA). Running away from the moral high ground and not addressing issues, does not reflect mostly my view and experience, of over a hundred RSL’s and other providers I have worked with historically. Every organisation that goes down this path, soils many hundred others who can be wrongly regarded as ‘just the same’.
Residents and the sector deserves better and I know I have seen on the whole are capable of delivering better.
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Related Post: How can good CRM save waste & better deliver for residents ?
I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.
Orange Juice - What Presence?.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009
Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here
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