Housing

SOCIAL HOUSING: IT’S TIME TO SUPERCHARGE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Matt Barnes, Head of Health and Housing at Maintel, talks to PSBJ about the common challenges to innovation that Maintel sees in the social housing sector, and how these can be addressed.

Emerging technologies are increasingly critical to how housing associations communicate with residents, whilst simultaneously driving business efficiencies. With an ageing population and a wide demographic, how do you deliver a communication platform that suits all? How do you collate the information to enable you to better serve Harry, for example, who is 70, vulnerable and not digitally enabled? 2020 pushed millions of us into the working-from-home environment. Organisations had to change operating models, communication platforms had to become increasingly more agile and flexible, and infrastructure more secure whilst still delivering business continuity and excellent customer service.

Collaboration tools have been key for internal and external communication, but are you looking to take these forward and does your infrastructure have the bandwidth to support them? According to Gartner research, 47% of leaders intend to embrace flexible working going forward; therefore, there needs to be long-term solutions in place.

Many housing associations are on a digital transformation journey, successfully driving agile working technologies and delivering remarkable customer experience. However, I have highlighted below the common challenges to innovation that we, at Maintel, see in the social housing sector and how these can be addressed.

Data-driven revolution

Housing associations are sat on a goldmine of data, which can potentially drive business efficiencies and customer experience.

Amazon and Netflix are using consumer data to drive efficiencies, revenues and customer satisfaction, but how can social housing get the same results?

You have a wealth of data at your fingertips. From simple information on tenants and their preferences, to the buildings themselves.

For example, data-driven analytics and business decisions could allow social housing organisations to identify communication preferences by demographics, ensuring social inclusion, bridging the digital divide, addressing poverty and improving customer experience.

Using data can also enable social housing organisations to make faster, more informed decisions at a business level. Providing them with the ability to understand the communities they serve and to identify overarching trends in terms of the technology they use. This will provide a key direction for the digital transformation journey of those in the sector.

It is key to note that any loss of data is more than just bad news – it can have serious reputational consequences. Prioritising protection for your organisation from today’s vulnerabilities and against tomorrow’s cyber threats is vital. Consequently, network security, intrusion protection and virus threat management are important considerations for all organisations.

Whilst embracing this wealth of data security must be on the digital transformation strategy, it goes hand in hand. Computer Weekly recently reported there was more data stolen in January 2021 than in the whole of 2017.

Embracing cloud: less talk, more action

Due to the pandemic, housing associations, like many organisations, have had to embrace agile working using collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or other cloud-based platforms.

As companies look to emerge from the pandemic, investment in cloud should remain a key part of this journey. The cloud enables organisations to deliver the functionality and capabilities they require quickly and easily, to where you need them. The ability to scale up or down this investment is also key with ever-tightening budgets for many in the social housing sector. Cloud services make it easier and more cost effective for you to consume the technology that can transform your business.

Innovation is key to delivering your digital strategy, whether that is to drive customer experience and employee engagement, for instance, VR can assist with house viewings or training, AI to ensure contact centres are more efficient with chatbots that can realign resource, or to scale contact centre seats according to demand for business efficiencies, then you have cloud as the enabler.

Strategy before technology is the way to succeed on your digital transformation journey.

Greater cooperation across the board

The strategies of many social housing organisations, especially when it comes to digital transformation, must be aligned business wide. Misaligned goals and expectations are causing capital to be misplaced or, in some cases, not invested at all.

From my own experience, I have witnessed first-hand how many teams within social housing organisations have operated within their own silo, each with their own agenda. There needs to be a coherent collaboration strategy before looking at technology. With this alignment of key stakeholders within the business, the challenges are met head on and the goals are achievable.

The digital transformation of the social housing sector is well underway. However, it is a journey that should not be rushed. By guaranteeing that the issues laid out above are rectified, organisations will sure-up the foundations of their transformation. This will mean providers implement the right technology and continue to provide excellent tenant services, whilst delivering maximum operational productivity and optimising costs.  www.maintel.co.uk