1. Automating outbound contact in the rent collection process. Chris Roberts Head of Customer Service Centre Home Group LTD

2. Introduction Home Group, a social enterprise and a charity with a turnover of over £325m, is one of the UK’s largest providers of high quality housing and supported housing services and products. Home Group's role is to provide general needs housing, supported housing services, and home ownership options targeted towards helping some of society’s most vulnerable people take control of their own lives: Home Group houses over 120,000 people a year, managing 55,000 homes in over 200 local authority areas in England, Scotland and Wales. Each year this includes working with almost 30,000 vulnerable people through 500+ supported housing, justice and health services

3. Why change was important?

4. 34 FTE working arrears 25% of customers successfully contacted 140k spent on letters following failed contact Generic approach for every customer Effort to manage arrears

5. Cost vs. Effort ?

6. Arrears identified (report produced) Report sent to Call2Collect for customer contact via voice and SMS Customer receives voice message and requests to speak with a CSA CSA undertakes arrears conversation with the customer Calls are sent daily, if no contact made SMS and letters sent at the end of the week. Call 2 Collect Process

7. Manual FTE Required FTE Required 17.3 To deliver 1865 customer conversations more resource and effort would be required within a manual outbound process. 2237 accounts 1865 Customer Conversations Automation FTE Required FTE Required 4.3 Automation v Manual 5096 contact attempts made

8. Increased customer contact ratesIncreased paymentsIncreased Arrangements SetReduced volume of arrears casesCustomer complaints increased 34 FTE prior to automation 27 FTE following automation Benefits

9. Customer verbatim collected via Bright Surveys has highlight the most frequent words used following the immediate automated contact. “Stopped me from worrying” “She understood me; she gave me all the information I needed” Customer Feedback

10. Tailored Approach vs One size fits all

11. Next Steps Is there a case to move additional work? Understanding customer experience - what works well/ not so well? Understanding customers’ channel preferences, experience and level of satisfaction

12. Questions