Four Topics, One Roundtable

During the roundtable event, we consulted with our customers about our new personalised and inclusive policy. Of the customers we spoke to, some felt that we do not currently adjust well to their needs. Customers told us they had no concerns about sharing their personal data with us, and this is something we want to build on.

The personalised and inclusive policy focuses on how we recognise customers’ needs, how we record and collect their data, and, most importantly, how we respond to and reasonably tailor our services to make them accessible to all. This is something we already do at B3Living, but the new policy clearly sets out what is expected of both customers and staff.

With customer feedback in mind, we are rolling out “Personalised and Inclusive” training for staff in the coming weeks. This training will evolve staff skills and tools to actively listen, ask relevant questions, and offer reasonable adjustments to meet our customers’ needs. Because customers felt safe sharing their personal data—and in line with our ongoing commitment to consider reasonable adjustments—we’ll soon refresh the details we hold on customers, such as their ethnicity or any disabilities they wish us to know about. If you haven’t already shared your latest information, this is the perfect time to let us know so we can continue tailoring our services to your needs.

During our recent roundtable event, we invited customers to tell us exactly what they expect from our service so we can set clear, consistent standards. We began by discussing email communication and asked whether a response within five working days would meet their needs. Customers agreed that five working days is reasonable, but they also suggested an automated acknowledgement would give them immediate reassurance. In response, we’re working towards our mailboxes sending an autoreply confirming our five-day turnaround.

Next, we shared our ambition to answer 95% of landline calls within 60 seconds. It was gratifying to hear that customers already consider us one of the quickest organisations to pick up the phone. Rather than resting on this, we’re committing to maintain—and even improve—this rapid response standard, ensuring that almost every caller hears a friendly voice within a minute. As well as looking at our response rate we had customers look at the time frame in which we update our customers following initial interaction with us, we discussed a few timeframes. As a result of this feedback, we will explore a new system that can provide us with an automatic update functionality. Whilst reviewing our service standards, we also explored our live chat feature, and customers were honest in telling us it felt too robotic. We have taken this feedback onboard and will explore how this can be improved through staff involvement.

Whilst talking to customers on service standards, we asked customers for feedback on our commitment to make emergency repairs safe within 24 hours of being raised with us. While the 24-hour target was broadly welcomed, some customers flagged delays in subsequent follow-up work. We took your concerns on board and reviewed our processes. As a result, we’ve restored our previous ‘urgent repair’ timeframe of 10 working days as the current 28-day window was not working for you, our aim being for faster resolutions and less wait time for our customers.

Looking after your home is our highest priority—for you and for us. At our recent roundtable, we invited customers to explore our new asset management strategy, covering everything from improvement works and net zero ambitions, to our repairs service and the way we appoint contractors.

It was encouraging to hear overwhelming support for B3Living’s approach to planned maintenance, especially our commitment to creating warm, energy-efficient homes and the benefits this brings to residents. When we discussed the home surveys, 80% of participants admitted they weren’t clear on the surveyor’s purpose because our letters didn’t explain it well enough. To address this, we’ve redesigned our home survey letters to clarify why the survey is needed, how we’ll use its findings, and the type of inspection—so you’ll always know what to expect and how B3Living is working to improve your home.

We also asked how often ‘stock condition surveys’ should take place. Responses ranged from every three to five years, with a strong emphasis on considering specific household circumstances. Listening to this feedback, we’ve set a five-year cycle for our surveys and will ensure our policy considers more frequent visits for vulnerable households.

Customer interest in contractor appointments also stood out. Many of you expressed a desire to participate in selecting contractors, perhaps through site walkabouts or presentations. We’re now exploring the best ways to involve you in this process, ensuring your voice helps shape our choices.

Finally, conversations about our repairs service highlighted a clear demand for greater appointment flexibility and a strong preference—80% of those present—for B3Living staff to carry out repairs over external contractors. We also touched on the potential of smart home features. Your input is invaluable, and we’ll be launching a wider consultation on our internal repairs service around September—so keep an eye out and let us know your thoughts.

We’re gearing up to relocate our office, and your feedback is essential to keep our services accessible and convenient for you. At our recent roundtable, some customers told us how they would like to stay informed about the move, suggestions for our new neighbourhood hubs, and worries around accessibility. Customers expressed their top priorities for our new office were easy access by public transport and parking was very important to them. Customers also suggested operational ideas for our hubs such as tailored opening hours, advance notice of available staff, and an appointment system, all of which was great feedback for us to take on board.

We understand not everyone could attend in person, so we’ll be launching an online consultation soon. Keep an eye out for your opportunity to share thoughts and help us shape these changes!