At Southway, we are committed to encouraging and listening to feedback from our customers. We welcome complaints because we know they help us improve our services.
We ensure we adhere to the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code which provides us with instruction and guidance on how we should handle complaints from our customers. You can find more information here.
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Complaints Performance
We monitor and report on our performance around handling complaints. The following is our performance for 2022-23:
We take complaints seriously and make changes in response to what our customers tell us, During 2021-22 you told us that we needed to improve in the following areas:
You told us waiting for repairs and poor communication about repairs were the main areas of dissatisfaction.
We have created a dedicated Repairs Team within our Contact Centre that handles and manages all our repairs appointments and re-appointments. They are also able to comprehensively answer any Repairs Queries as they are solely focused on this service area.
You told us damp & mould in our properties were a concern.
We have committed to a full review of our Damp & Mould Policy and approach to advising on and managing damp and mould in our properties.
In 2022-23 we have taken action over the following issues:You told us you were unhappy about work not being completed at the first repair
We have delivered further training on repairs diagnosis to our Advisors and delivered further training to our operatives on damp & mould diagnosis.
Our Supervisors monitor stock more closely to ensure our operatives have the correct parts to complete many repairs
You told us you were dissatisfied about waiting times for repairs
We have recruited more operatives to help us reduce the delay in carrying out repairs
You told us you felt communication about repair was poor
Operatives will phone ahead to update on any delays to attending a booked repair
We will tell you in advance if we need to cancel a repairs appointment and provide an alternative
You told us you were dissatisfied with our handling of complaints specifically
We have re-established the Complaints Service Improvement Group made up of tenants who review the quality of specific complaints
We completed Complaints Training Workshops with managers in Spring to ensure they fully understand the complaints handling process and response targets
We have improved Administration and monitoring of complaints within the Hub has been improved to ensure Managers meet the deadline and provide quality responses to our tenants
Your opinions are really important to us, and we thank you for your comments in Customer Care Annual Report. We are making improvements after you raised the following concerns:
Work not being completed: Further training is being provided to both the operational team and Southway’s surveyors, with a particular focus on damp issues.
Waiting times: Overdue jobs are being reviewed by both the Customer Hub and Property & Assets Teams, and 12 more staff being recruited to bring the service to full capacity.
Communication: Repairs staff will phone ahead and/or notify customers of any delays if necessary – social media will continue to be used for any updates on delays too. Should a tenant miss an appointment, a clear No Access procedure will be followed.
Complaints: We are now working to a Complaints Improvement Plan. Many of the complaints we have tried to resolve through our Put Things Right scheme have been too complex to sort out within the timeframes it sets. As a result, complaints that cannot be resolved immediately will be treated as formal complaints from 1st September 2023. Managers will also have to complete a section for Lessons Learned within a newly-devised response letter.
Equality and Diversity: It was found that tenants with a registered disability were generally more dissatisfied. We will be working with the charity Breakthrough on a project to expand our understanding of this, and what we can do to change it.