What We've Learned From Complaints - May Update

Each month, we look closely at the complaints and service requests we receive from customers. This helps us spot problems and make things better.

Here’s what we found in May:

How many complaints did we get in May?

• We had 18 Stage 1 complaints
• We had 1 Stage 2 complaints (this is when someone isn’t happy with how their Stage 1 complaint was handled)
• We also had 37 service requests (these are things we can sort out quickly without needing a formal complaint)

The number of Stage 1 complaints logged during May was higher than May last year (13). Service requests reduced compared to the same period last year, decreasing from 58 to 37.

The most common issues raised by customers were:

• Service and process-related concerns, including how cases were handled
• Communication issues and keeping customers informed
• Staff attitude and behaviour
• Quality of repair works
• Property condition concerns, including damp, mould and maintenance issues

How quickly did we respond?

• We responded to 16 complaints within target timescales
• 100% of complaints responded to were answered within the Housing Ombudsman target of 10 working days
• Complaints were open for an average of 5 working days before closure

Complaint outcomes

• 13 Stage 1 complaints were upheld (81.3%)
• 3 Stage 1 complaints were not upheld (18.7%)

The Stage 2 complaints received in May were not upheld.

What do we mean by "upheld" and "not upheld"?

• Upheld – We found that something went wrong and the complaint was justified. This could be because we didn't provide the service we should have, made a mistake, caused unnecessary delay, or failed to meet our own standards. When a complaint is upheld, we will explain what went wrong and what we will do to put things right.
• Not upheld – After investigating, we found that we had followed the correct process and acted appropriately. This doesn't mean we don't understand the customer's concerns, but it means we did not identify a service failure or find evidence that we had done something wrong.

Compensation

• We have awarded £935.00 in compensation during May
• Compensation related to service failures, delays, communication issues and the impact experienced by customers

Service improvements

• Four complaints have already resulted in identified service improvements
• These improvements have been recorded and will be tracked through to completion to ensure learning is embedded

All service improvements and complaints data are presented to The Tenants Voice (TTV) on a monthly basis.

Learning from May

The main themes emerging from complaints continue to be service processes, communication and customer experience. Several complaints highlighted concerns around how customers were kept informed, how issues were managed through to resolution and the quality of interactions with colleagues and contractors.

Contractors and services linked to complaints included Ian Williams, Atlas, 0800 and White Knight, alongside complaints relating directly to North Star processes and service delivery.

We're using this feedback to:

• Improve communication with customers throughout the lifecycle of repairs and service requests
• Strengthen service processes to ensure issues are resolved more efficiently first time
• Continue coaching and support for colleagues on customer interactions and communication standards
• Improve oversight of contractor performance and quality assurance arrangements
• Use complaint insight to identify recurring themes and address root causes earlier
• Ensure service improvements identified through complaints are implemented and monitored

Complaints provide valuable insight into how customers experience our services and help us identify opportunities to improve. We encourage customers to tell us when something has gone wrong so we can put things right and learn from their experiences.