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Digital advancements present a wealth of opportunities for social housing organisations. To help create a business that runs as efficiently as possible and keeps your tenants satisfied and engaged, housing associations need to create a robust IT infrastructure and utilise a broader range of digital channels, otherwise known as a digital transformation. If your organisation hasn’t made the transition yet, here are five signs that you might be ready for a digital transformation.
Your IT system is outdated
Trying to cut costs and automate processes won’t work you unless you have a solid IT infrastructure in place. This should be a platform that your entire organisation can work from, one that’s accessible from anywhere, constantly updates with new capabilities, is able to support up to thousands of users and is designed to promote effective team working and communication.
2. You don’t feel as though you’re working efficiently
One of the biggest advantages of a digital transformation is the amount of time and money you’ll save. Housing associations have two major jobs: delivering services efficiently and meeting rising demands for advice and support from tenants. With an effective digital transformation strategy in place, organisations can access tools like G Suite that help businesses to discuss issues and share information in a much quicker and easier way. Offering your tenants a self-service solution is another way to save time and money spent on tenant queries and support.
3. Your processes are complex and hard to manage
As part of an effective digital transformation strategy, you’ll be able to create simple, streamlined processes, both internally and externally. As a housing organisation, your aim is to make it as easy as possible for everyone, including finance staff, maintenance teams, advice and support workers and even building project managers. The only way to achieve this is to improve collaboration and create processes that meet the needs of everyone in the organisation.
4. Your communication with tenants could be improved
Your tenants are at the heart of your organisation, so you want to make sure that the lines of communication are stronger than ever. In some instances, human contact might be the only way to resolve an issue, but smart use of technology can greatly reduce the amount of tenant enquiries while still delivering an excellent level of customer service. A multi-channel strategy that encompasses social media, email and an up-to-date website will help strengthen the lines of communication between you and your tenants.
5. You want more satisfied, happy tenants
Increasing tenant satisfaction is a top priority for housing associations, and a key indicator of the organisation’s success as a whole. If you want to increase tenant satisfaction, then digital transformation is a must. A self-service portal provides tenants with instant access to FAQs and transactional services including reporting a repair and paying rent. Not only does this save time for both you and the tenant, but it also means you’re able to focus on more pressing enquiries. Find out if a self-service solution is right for your housing organisation here.
If your organisation is familiar with one or more of these signs, then it’s definitely time to assess whether you’re using digital to its full potential. If you’re still unsure or feel like you need more guidance on digital transformation in the housing sector, why not try our quiz, is your housing organisation keeping up with digital?
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