You're making an impact

Hearing your feedback is the best way to make sure we’re delivering the services you want, the way you want them. We really appreciate it when you talk to us, because it helps improve what we do and provides you and other customers with a better experience.  

We know the importance of taking action based on what we hear - it’s the only way for you to really know we’re listening and that we value your feedback. So over the past year, we’ve talked with thousands of customers and used those conversations to make strategic decisions, developments and improvements. You can find out more about this below.

We can’t stop here though! Hearing from you, and using what you tell us in our strategic decision-making, makes sure our services are relevant, responsive, and in line with your priorities. So to listen to as many customers as possible, we want to know what suits you when it comes to giving us feedback.

Let us know in our quick survey

Click here to complete the survey: How would you like to get involved?

Your views will help us tailor the ways we hear feedback to suit your needs.

Don't want to or can't fill this out online? We have lots of community events in our neighbourhoods across the summer, where you can drop in and speak to us face-to-face. Click here to find out where and when.

Acting on your feedback

In August last year we told you about some big changes we made as a result of talking with you including our new neighbourhood model and community hubs. Here are some of the ways that we’ve continued to put your feedback into action since then:

Customer voice audit

Through 2022 and 2023 we did a big review of our Customer Voice Strategy and structure with your feedback at the heart. While were happy to hear some positives, we also heard from some of you that the opportunities to be involved here didn’t suit everyone. And as a result of this, we:

• Reviewed and refreshed the Customer Scrutiny Panel, revamping it with recruitment, training and ongoing support. The Panel refocussed to look at the topics that were real priorities for customers.
• Restructured the Customer Voice team, splitting out complaints and customer voice into two distinct services.

This feedback is still shaping our services today. Keep an eye out as we're currently in the process of recruiting two new Customer Voice Business Partners – update coming soon!
 

Big Listen

Our biggest-ever customer consultation gathering feedback on our repairs and maintenance service started last summer. We held over 40 local sessions at a hub in each of our communities as well as an online survey. We had over 500 customers provide detailed feedback and found communication, timely service delivery, and first-time job completion being some of the key themes. We have since taken steps to address these concerns, including ongoing interventions to improve repairs and maintenance services and we’ll be telling you much more about this across the year.
Find out more here.

Frontline policies

Our policies that have the biggest impact on our customers are obviously critical, so we’ve been reviewing several policies with input from customers. Consultations were held via our website and we also spoke to over 40 customers in person across our neighbourhoods. Customers stressed the importance of a consistent and visible presence from us, partnership working, and a desire for clean, green, and safe neighbourhoods. This valuable input was added into the policy reviews, ensuring that the policies reflect the needs and expectations of the community. 

Find out more on our policies page.

External Funding strategy

In Summer 2023, we chatted to you about external funding themes and principles for our strategy. Through face-to-face consultations held in various neighbourhoods and online sessions, a total of 76 customers shared their perspectives. The key themes from these discussions showed the significance of health and well-being, cost of living, and employment and skills. Based on this feedback, we’ve developed our External Funding strategy, in line with customer priorities. As a result, we’ve already seen the impact including securing external funding for the following:
•    £10,000 to help customers with Cost of Living support (as well as our Thrive Fund)
•    Funding for employment and skills for customers
•    Funding for supporting the wellbeing of Independent Living Scheme residents 
•    Funding for supporting the wellbeing of Manchester Care Leavers 

Value for Money (VFM) strategy

Getting value for money is essential for us to maximise services for you. In April 2024, consultation with the Customer Scrutiny Panel provided valuable insights into key themes related to the VFM strategy. Based on these discussions, we finalised our VFM strategy and action plan. This collaborative approach ensures that customer perspectives are central to decision-making processes.

Customer Experience (CX) strategy

Our commitment to making customer experiences better extends to the development of our Customer Experience strategy. Informed by customer feedback gathered from perception surveys and complaints, the principles of the strategy were shared and agreed on with our Customer Scrutiny Panel. This collaborative effort helps make sure the strategy reflects the needs and expectations of our diverse customer base.

Asset Management strategy

In February and March 2023, we carried out 20 workshops with customers across our neighbourhoods, both in person and online, to gather thoughts on our Asset Management strategy. A total of 92 participants shared their views on various aspects, including repairs and maintenance, sustainability, and customer voice. The feedback received informed the development of a new strategy, aligning with customer expectations and priorities.

Sustainability strategy

Similar workshops were held in February and March 2023 to gather feedback on the Sustainability strategy. Alongside the 92 participants, we also had input from the Customer Scrutiny Panel. Key themes such as affordability, using the right tech and communication came from these discussions. We used this to shape our Sustainability strategy

Vulnerability strategy

In January 2024, we held focus groups and drop-ins with customers to explore the definition of vulnerability and make sure that our services are suitable for customers with vulnerabilities. Through these sessions, we directly spoke to around 20 customers, as well as talking to our Customer Scrutiny Panel. We were told it’s important to recognise that vulnerabilities vary and can change over time, requiring a flexible approach from us. As a result, we’ve developed our Vulnerability Strategy principles endorsed by the Customer Scrutiny Panel and approved by the Corporate Customer Committee, which will be used for the upcoming strategy. 

Material Supply

Feedback gathered through the Big Listen initiative also highlighted challenges related to material supply. In response, One Manchester revamped its material supply contract, incorporating customer feedback to enhance the quality and availability of materials. Initiatives like updating material/product lists, introducing a materials products group, and tracking recalls have been put in place here to address concerns and improve the way we deliver services.

Feedback – what’s best for you?

We’ll continue to keep you updated on how we’re tailoring our services based on what you’re telling us, and we’d really like to hear from you about how and what you’d like to talk to us about so we can increase the amount of customers who we’re hearing from. 

So let us know in this quick survey: How would you like to get involved?