Consistently Delivering Excellent Customer Experience and Digital Services

Vision: Excellent services that are consistent, reliable, innovative and influenced by customers

In today's fast-changing digital world, we’re excited to expand our digital services, meeting our commitment to achieve great results.

We’re building on our already successful approach to customer engagement, making sure there are accessible opportunities for everyone. By truly understanding our customers, we will reduce unnecessary complaints, ensure first-time resolutions and improve access to services and homes.

We will address the diverse needs of our customers, present and future and will continue to design and deliver services that are fair and equitable.

Furthermore, we are embedding a culture that makes the best use of data to inform our business decisions and enhance service delivery, ensuring we consistently meet and exceed expectations.

Objective 1: Broaden the digital service offer to create, reliable, responsive, and consistent services whilst achieving positive customer and business outcomes

To do this, we will:

Expand 'My' service offer in the Livin app and portal to improve customer experience and convenient access to homes
Create an environment which enables the safe adoption and effective exploitation of artificial intelligence
Utilise AI where it can improve operational impact and outcomes
Implement new digital payment options to offer a wider choice of payments for customers
Expand offer available in My Livin app and portal for customers

Objective 2: Enhance the customer engagement framework to provide accessible opportunities for all

To do this, we will :

Increase the collective capacity of the InsightXchange to enable it to influence impactful decisions about services
Mainstream customer voice across services to enable the voice of all tenants to be heard, underpinned by a more instant and responsive solution for gathering customer voice
Ensure customer voice influencing service delivery is representative, targeted and focused on the right issues

Objective 3: Maximise customer insights to improve customer and business outcomes by reducing avoidable complaints, driving right first time behaviour and improving access to services and homes

To do this, we will:

Set clear expectations and meet standards around access to services, responding to requests and keeping the customer informed
Target pockets of customer dissatisfaction and develop interventions to improve services
Provide an accessible and fair complaints process supported by a culture of learning and ownership to put things right and reduce avoidable complaints

Objective 4: Respond to the current and future diverse needs of customers and design and deliver services to ensure fair and equitable outcomes are delivered

To do this, we will:

Make best use of relevant and timely customer data on diversity, communication, service and tenancy access needs to make reasonable adjustments and improve access to services and homes
Embed the expected customer experience behaviours, attitudes and values with a focus on trust, respect, and ownership

Objective 5: Embed a culture of making best use of data as part of everyday operations to inform business decisions and improve service delivery.

To do this, we will:

Deliver the Knowledge and Information Management Strategy action plan to improve the use of our data and demonstrate our compliance with regulatory standards.
Ensure data recording and usage is adopted by partners to ensure consistent service delivery and customer experience within the current cost envelope.
Fully exploit current systems and introduce new ones to improve the use of data to inform service delivery and decision making

Performance

Percentage of customers satisfied with their overall experience

Net promoter score

Percentage of customers satisfied that we listen to their views and act upon them

Percentage of complainants satisfied with the way the complaint was handled

Percentage of formal complaints dealt with in time

Percentage of Stage 1 complaints handled in 10 working days

Percentage of Stage 2 complaints handled in 20 working days

Find out more about Plan A in the sections below

Background

Consistently Delivering Excellent Customer Experience and Digital Services

Excellent services that are consistent, reliable, innovative and influenced by customers

Contributing to a Sustainable Future

Environmentally sustainable communities for generations to come with customers thriving in low-energy homes

Supporting Balanced and Sustainable Communities

Sustainable and thriving communities that meet residents’ needs and nurture a sense of pride and belonging

Supporting Sustainable Tenancies

Empowered tenants living in comfortable and manageable homes in sustainable communities

Providing Quality Sustainable Homes

Tenants living in warm, safe, high quality, and sustainable homes in which they are proud to live

Building and Acquiring Sustainable Homes

Additional high quality, sustainable homes, which meet the needs of customers, in balanced communities

Maintaining Strong Finances

Financially strong and resilient, investing in the future of social housing for our customers and their communities

Maximising the Talent and Contribution of our People

A professional, engaged and empowered workforce, working together to deliver excellent services

Plan A Priorities

How do I apply for a Livin home or bungalow?

We advertise all of our available homes on our Find A Home page, simply visit this page for more information.

Before you can place a bid on one of our homes, you must first have an active account with the relevant Choice Based Lettings Scheme. Almost all our homes are located in County Durham and therefore are allocated through the Durham Key Options scheme. Durham Key Options (DKO) is a partnership between Durham County Council and landlords across County Durham.

We have a small number of homes which are located outside Durham, these are all advertised through Tees Valley HomeFinder, Hartlepool HomeSearch and Darlington HomeSearch; They are similar to Durham Key Options but we do not process applications registered for these schemes. If you wish to register an application for homes advertised in this area, please apply directly.

Once your application is approved, you will then be able to bid on homes that meet your needs. You can access the application form directly by visiting the relevant Choice Based Lettings system.

How long will it take for my application to be processed?

We aim to start processing your application within 10 working days. If we require any further information after this point, we will contact you to ask for this. Once we have received all the required information we will notify you of our decision within 20 days, and if accepted we will activate your account. You can also check your application status online by logging into the DKO portal.

How can I get involved with Livin and help to shape services?

To find out more about the different ways you can get involved, please visit our getting involved section.

Can I apply to buy my home under Right to Buy?

Tenants who have been with Livin since before the transfer from Sedgefield Council in 2009 may have the “Preserved Right to Buy” their property. Full details of the scheme are available on the Government Right to Buy website. If you are thinking of applying, please contact us.

Can I apply to buy my home under Right to Acquire?

If you have been a tenant for 3 or more years you may have the right to buy your property under the Right to Acquire scheme. Full details of the scheme are available on the Government Right to Acquire website. If you are thinking of applying, please contact us.