ForHousing own and manage more than 20,000 homes across the North-west and manage an additional 6,000 properties for a neighbouring local authority, aiming to positively impact the lives of their social housing tenants by delivering on what matters to them and their communities.
Challenges
ForHousing were trying to move all their on-premises solutions to the cloud and replace their service edge solution (security services solution that protects access to applications, data and corporate resources) so they explored the options to find what would best suit their needs.
Their existing contact centre software enabled responses to tenants’ calls, emails and offered a chatbot, but it was somewhat disjointed system that suffered from regular downtime and performance issues.
Previously, ForHousing implemented a chatbot designed for one-to-one interactions. Despite efforts to enhance it into an intelligent system, the bot struggled to address tenant queries effectively, causing a high dropout rate and revealing its weaknesses. Programming the bot was also very time-consuming.
Solution
ForHousing opted for Liberty Converse, Netcall’s omnichannel contact centre solution, finding it offered all the functionality and stability that they were looking for.
Chatbot
The issues tenants that raised in the chat were often complex and specific to their individual circumstances, not straightforward FAQ-style questions. The average call duration of 8-9 minutes indicates that queries usually require detailed responses.
With Liberty Converse, ForHousing shifted to a more efficient, menu-based system. This approach allows the bot to quickly identify any simple FAQ questions and answer automatically, while more complex issues are quickly escalated to a live adviser.
The intuitive menu creation process enables ForHousing to tailor the system to their specific needs and make adjustments when new requirements arise.
For example, when annual rent increases are introduced, the bot can be easily programmed to address these queries, significantly easing the management of contact on rent increases.
Full Integration
ForHousing used webhooks in Converse to interact and bring through tenancy information stored within their CRM system.
When a phone number or email address is recognised, it presents the tenant details on the interaction screen, bringing up their basic details as a contextually relevant screen pop – for example number of repairs, open repairs, open complaints and any vulnerability flags of communication requirements.
This is more effective than searching for tenants directly in the CRM system and reduces the chance of the wrong account being accessed in error.
Now, advisers can see the bigger picture on that caller, often helping to resolve things faster. Callers don’t have to repeat their situation again and again.
Former tenants, or a non-tenant client, such as a neighbour who’s contacted in the past, are also identified in the same way. Presenting key information from outside the CRM also improves adviser response and provides efficiency savings.
The system downtime has become a problem of the past, Liberty Converse works smoothly every day, which removes frustration for advisers. Advisers have commented that having everything integrated into one place has made their work easier.
Now they don’t need to ask for basic details, like postcode or middle name, instead advisers can instantly identify the caller which speeds up the call and creates a better experience for the tenant from the beginning.
Cloud
ForHousing knew that moving to the cloud would enable them to scale their operations and improve collaboration among teams, by providing shared access to documents and applications. ForHousing were able to release the tie to desk phones, which greatly increased flexibility for their team.
Workforce Management
Having Liberty Converse’s Workforce Management (WFM) module fully integrated into both the agent’s and supervisor’s portal has proved useful in improving agent adherence and ensuring that staffing is optimised at all times.
The Result
ForHousing utilises smart chatbots to triage and assist tenants with simple queries while transferring complex issues to advisers.
Contextually relevant tenant information is displayed on one screen, improving both the adviser experience and tenant journey.
Complaints about communication have decreased, and enhanced call and screen recording has assisted with resolution and training
The implementation of Liberty Converse integrates seamlessly with the CRM system (Aereon), while cloud deployment has reduced maintenance costs, enhanced security, and improved accessibility, collaboration, and scalability. The system ensures full regulatory compliance, offering confidence in its operations.
Greater CRM integration has enabled advanced reporting, sharing insights across the organisation to uncover key drivers of contact, identify tenant dissatisfaction, and improve issue understanding. These advancements allow ForHousing to deliver a more informed and engaging tenant service.
This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of Netcall – View the Original Article
For more information about Netcall - visit the Netcall Website
About Netcall
Netcall is trusted by organisations worldwide, with 9 out of 10 customers ready to recommend us. With Liberty Converse CX, you can streamline operations, enhance customer engagement, and achieve real, measurable results. Find out more about Netcall
Author: Netcall
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson
Published On: 31st Jan 2025
Read more about - Industry News, Case Studies, Netcall
