Customer contact centre (Homes Direct)
Homes Direct is the first point of contact for many of our customers. The team helps with enquiries and puts customers in contact with the relevant teams. The call handlers are committed to providing a high-quality service.
-
What the team does
Homes Direct is our customer service centre and the first point of contact for our customers.
Our highly trained, knowledgeable and friendly team deal with a wide range of enquiries and are there to help and listen to our customers.
Customers can contact Homes Direct by:
- telephone
- web enquiries
- My Account, our customer app
- face-to-face services at the Civic Centre
The team can offer advice on housing-related issues and can also support customers with:- reporting and appointing repairs
- chasing repairs on a customer’s behalf
- income management, such as rent arrears
- Money Smart referrals
- tenancy management enquiries
- homelessness – dealing with roofless customers and people affected by Section 21 eviction notices
- homes sales – providing advice on right to buy
- leaseholder enquiries
- Home Improvement Agency enquiries, such as disabled adaptations
Team members are available Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm, and Friday, 9am to 4.30pm. -
How this benefits customers
As the first point of contact, our knowledgeable team members can provide a range of support and understand which Wolverhampton Homes team can respond to the customer’s query, if they are unable to resolve it first time.
Having a digital customer service team, looking after communication received via our app ‘My Account’, web contact forms from both Wolverhampton Homes website and our Homes in the City website, social media and direct email communication, enables customer queries to be dealt with more quickly and efficiently.
-
What customers can expect
Homes Direct aims to answer 55% of all calls within 80 seconds.
It offers priority queues for emergency repairs and emergency homeless cases.
Translation services are available for those who need it, both within the team and via an external provider.
Face-to-face services at the Civic Centre, Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm.
-
How we measure success
- Continuous reduction in call wait times for customers.
- Fewer number of calls abandoning, evidencing that customers are willing to wait to be answered, as calls are being answered in a timelier manner.
- Higher number of calls answered, resulting in fewer repeat calls.
- Resolving customers enquires at the first point of contact wherever possible, meaning that the customer does not need to call back for further information or chase outstanding information.
-
How we continue to improve
- Regular updates from service matter experts
- Regular training, both face to face and online training, to increase knowledge and awareness for a wide range of housing services
- Regular monitoring of performance, both team and individuals, to ensure meeting targets which have been set
- Service matter experts based in the team
- Job shadowing
- Working with service areas to ensure that any changes/updates are communicated to Customer Services in a timelier manner, which in turn improves the service we provide.
- How the team's work fits within the Consumer Standards