OG -Customer Insight Research - PP1066

Orbit has always been committed to delivering a service that is customer focussed. But the relaunch of Business Strategy through to 2030 will see a significant change in the way we connect with our customers. Though putting the customer voice at the heart of the organisation, we will focus our priorities on the things customer have asked for.

We will continue to support customers to access affordable housing through a range of options, providing support with tenancies, wellbeing, money and skills as customer’s lives change.

With 90% of customers online, we will introduce a high-quality digital experience, that will give customers the ability to complete transactions relating to their home, tenancy or support quickly and access information easily. Where customers prefer they will be able to speak directly with colleagues through our support centres and schemes.

To ensure we are on track with our plans we will use a variety of mechanisms to check in with customers and make sure we remain focussed on services and improvements that matter to them. Our Customer Insight Research programme will add weight to existing feedback mechanisms which include:

• Transactional feedback immediately after a customer has experienced a service sought via text/email and IVR. We annually capture c30k pieces of data via this real time feedback channel
• Perceptions surveys – both Tenant Satisfaction Measures (as required by the Regulator of Social Housing) and UKCSI with the Institute of Customer Service
• Engagement via our digital platform (My Voice) enabling customers to engage with services/ communities and have a conversation with other engaged customers

Our Customer Insight Research Programme enables us to undertake a deeper dive into issues/subject areas that will help us build a richer picture and knowledge about our customers and their interaction with Orbit. The method used for seeking this insight will be indepth telephone interviews conducted with customers, 3 projects completed annually each exploring a separate subject area.

Findings from this Customer Insight Research programme feed into our regular Customer Voice updates shared with Senior Management Teams, Boards and Customers helping us better understand what we need to focus on to further improve our customer service. It also provides evidence and insight to underpin delivery of our Business Plans.

3.3 The Customer Insight Research Programme in more detail

1. The Programme will comprise 3 separate projects conducted in the summer/autumn and winter. Each project will focus on a different subject area/theme. Indepth interviews will be conducted by telephone (CATI) with the average individual survey length anticipated to be no more than 16 minutes. The survey will allow for a maximum of 20 closed questions and 4 open questions per project.
2. Each project will seek views from around 850 customers (this will include owners and renters). Views will need to be obtained from a representative sample of customers (based on age profile; tenure description; location; household size & ethnicity)

3.4 Key Requirements and Deliverables

The successful supplier will be expected to deliver the following requirements:

2. Provide a key contact who will work with Orbit for the duration of the contract to deliver this programme.
3. Work with Orbit to finalise questions and scripting for the in depth interviews, providing guidance and advice re wording and survey flow to ensure that each project delivers the maximum insight. Orbit will set out initial questions and themes.
4. Undertake a short pilot project ahead of each project go live to test the questions and customers understanding of the questions, to check survey routing and to confirm that the questions meet the project outcomes.
5. Provide a secure portal/ product that meets the requirements of Orbits Information Governance Team for the purposes of uploading sample lists and sharing results and outputs ensuring data is accessed and stored in a safe and secure way which is GDPR compliant.
6. Ensure that adequate processes are in place to achieve the desired quotas for demographic variables determined by Orbit to ensure results are representative. These would cover variables such as: tenure; age; ethnicity, bed size & geographic location etc.
7. Conduct and complete the required number of telephone interviews per project. Conducting fieldwork to the agreed timetable listed under KEY DATES. No calls to be made before 10am and no calls after 8pm. Fieldwork to be conducted Monday to Saturday inclusive (where Saturday is a normal working day for your business).
8. Complete fieldwork in line with Market Research Society Guidelines with the project conducted in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct including a commitment to respondent confidentiality. All data processing in accordance with GDPR regulations.
9. Provide interviewers who as a minimum are properly trained and supervised in line with the Interviewer Quality Control Scheme (IQCS) the Industry mark of field excellence.
10. Provide access to translation services where respondent maybe non - English speaking customers (Orbit will identify these customers within sample lists).
11. Have clear internal policies and processes (to be shared with Orbit) to monitor and evaluate the quality of completed interviews, with the ability to record and recall any calls if required within 4 weeks of fieldwork closing down.
12. Provide weekly updates on quotas and response rates whilst fieldwork is underway.
13. Provide staff who are trained to respond empathetically to customers and are able to

handle vulnerable customers, accessibility needs and sensitive conversations. Establish and implement a minimum daily notification system for the duration of each fieldwork period alerting Orbit to any significant Health and Safety issues (red flag procedure) raised by respondents or for highlighting extreme cases of dissatisfaction which necessitate a…