We know that many of our customers wish to keep their involvement with Elim within the regular interactions they may have with Elim staff, including members of our housing, support, maintenance and finance teams.

We want these relationships to be respectful, positive and transparent, and make sure there are straightforward feedback processes in place so that all customers feel able to make complaints or offer compliments. We are able to take learning from all of the feedback we receive.

We are committed to providing up to date information on the Elim’s performance and changes made as a result of customer feedback, and will ensure that written communication and website content is up to date and there is a range of information on the business and how customers can communicate with us on the issues that matter to them.

All of the information we collect from our residents is used to improve our understanding of what is working well and what needs to change or improve.

The surveys we send out are useful to inform the decisions and action we take within Elim, but also enable us to compare our performance to other organisations.

At the moment we carry out:

• Quarterly customer satisfaction surveys. These include questions about most aspects of our service and are carried out by an independent external organisation who randomly select a range of customers to speak to every three months. Individual views are kept anonymous unless there is a specific request from the customer for their responses to be shared.
• Maintenance satisfaction surveys. At least a quarter of our customers who receive a repair from our service will be asked to provide feedback on their satisfaction with the repair and the process through from ordering to completion
• Occasional focus group surveys requesting feedback from customers with specific experiences of one or more of our services.

We also encourage Elim customers to meet staff on scheme visits (or ‘walkabouts’) to directly share their views and highlight areas for service improvement at their own properties.

One-off Projects

From time to time you may be invited to join one-off projects with staff or receive opportunities to join ‘pilot groups’ to test out and provides feedback on new services or products such as the online customer portal. We will advertise these opportunities through the facebook page, on our website and via our newsletters.

Twice yearly Customer Feedback Sessions

Following the first meeting in April 2021, all our customers are invited to join our twice yearly ‘Customer Feedback’ sessions. Scheduled in the evening, these digital sessions will be led by Elim’s leadership team so that customers can hear directly from Elim’s Chief Executive,  find out more about the Housing Association’s business plans and to have their say.

This is a new group, which will be made up of between 4 and 12 Elim Housing Association customers.

The purpose of the new scrutiny group is for customers to have a say in decision-making that affects them and to ensure that they are able to independently scrutinise performance and hold Elim to account for the decisions that affect the quality of the homes and services we provide.

The Customer Scrutiny Group will have a direct link with our Board and senior staff to ensure that customers are heard and represented at every level in the organisation.

You can find out more about the Customer Scrutiny Group, or to apply to join, by clicking here. 

People and Culture Committee Membership

We are currently looking for up to two new Committee members who have experience as residents of Elim Housing to join the People and Culture Committee.

The People and Culture Committee is one of the three committees of the Elim Board, and it is responsible for making sure that our customer strategy is carried out, and that we have the right people (staff), culture and internal systems to deliver effective housing and support services and good quality customer service. Members focus on ensuring we make service improvements based on performance measures and customer feedback.

If you are interested in finding out more, please review the committee member role information here.

Elim Group Board Membership

We are aiming to recruit an Elim customer to join our Group Board by summer 2022 and work will soon be underway on the information pack for this role.

No previous Board experience is required, as training and support will be provided, but we will be seeking someone with an interest in the strategic and operational improvement of Elim’s services.

If you would like to speak to us about the future Board role and discuss the skills and experience you could bring to the Group Board, we would be interested to hear from you at any time. Please contact info@elimhousing.co.uk or call head office on 01454 411172 to arrange an informal conversation with Rachel or Paul.

Together with Tenants is a national initiative that focuses on strengthening the relationship between residents and housing associations.
Elim has committed to adopting the Together with Tenants charter. Housing associations that adopt the Together with Tenants charter are making six commitments;

1. Relationships: Housing associations will treat all residents with respect in all of their interactions. Relationships between residents and housing associations will be based on openness, honesty and transparency.

2. Communication: Residents will receive clear, accessible and timely information from their housing association on the issues that matter to them, including important information about their homes and local community, how the organization is working to address problems, how the organization is run, and information about performance on key issues.

3. Voice and influence: Housing associations will seek and value the views of residents, and will use this information to inform decisions. Every individual resident will feel listened to by their housing association on the issues that matter to them and can speak without fear.

4. Accountability: Collectively, residents will work in partnership with their housing association to independently scrutinize and hold their housing association to account for the decisions that affect the quality of their homes and services.

5. Quality: Residents can expect their homes to be good quality, well maintained, safe and well managed.

6. When things go wrong: Residents will have simple and accessible routes for raising issues, making complaints and seeking redress. Residents will receive timely advice and support when things go wrong.

How to get involved: 
Elim is actively working to ensure there are a number of ways for our customers to get involved, including through our scrutiny groups, twice yearly feedback sessions and board and committee membership.

For further information on any of the above – please contact Rachel Pinchin, Deputy Chief Executive at r.pinchin@elimhousing.co.uk

We are currently looking for Elim residents who can take the time to make a phone call, write an email or do an inspection of their block, in a 'Mystery Shopper' style exercise. This exercise will help highlight areas that we can make service improvements for every single one of our residents.

In return for your help, we will be offering every Elim resident that successfully takes part and completes in a short feedback form a £15 gift voucher.

Our handy guide will provide an explanation of Mystery Shopping at Elim and sets out what is involved in being a Mystery Shopper, identifying what good service should look like and help you feel prepared and comfortable completing a Mystery Shopping exercise. Read Mystery Shopping guide. 

To register your interest and take part, please email our Customer Engagement Officer, Georgie at g.gigg@elimhousing.co.uk.