News11.11.22by Jack SimpsonA project to improve communication with residents about asset management plans has won this year’s Inside Housing Innovation Week Award.SharelinesProject to build online customer portal will benefit from £10,000 prize #UKhousing Raven Housing Trust beat competition from five other finalists to take the prize.
Its winning project will see the association develop an online portal via which it can share information about improvement works.
Raven Housing Trust found that many of the queries from residents it currently receives revolve around this work, for example when a resident is likely to get a new bathroom, kitchen, windows or doors in their home. A lack of this information or an inability to access it quickly can result in customer dissatisfaction and frustration, the landlord said.
The new portal intends to keep customers in the loop about plans, therefore reducing the number of queries. The portal will also enable residents to communicate preferences for any new work, such as colour schemes or the type of work surfaces in new kitchens.
The Surrey-based 7,000-home association won the award following a public vote and a subsequent judging session with an expert panel.
Judges included Nick Atkin, chief executive of Yorkshire Housing (the association was the winner of last year’s award); Marlene Price, vice-chair of the residents’ forum at Wandsworth Council; and Annette Pass, head of innovation at National Highways.
The award – supported by Aico – recognises a social housing organisation using technology to improve lives, solve problems and deliver genuine benefits to communities.
As the winner, Raven Housing Trust will receive £10,000 and a full day of consultancy with Aico’s product development team to help develop the online portal. The winner was named earlier today by Martin Hilditch, editor of Inside Housing, and Chris Jones, chief executive of Aico HomeLINK.
The announcement formed part of the final event of this year’s Inside Housing Innovation Week, which ran from from 7 to 11 November. Also supported by Aico, it is designed to celebrate and promote innovation in the social housing sector.
Virtual pop-up labs sharing best practice have run throughout the week. Recordings of all these events will be made available shortly and a report summing up the week will be published in the December issue of Inside Housing.
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