A Midlands housing association has welcomed residents, board members and senior leaders to its annual Involved Customer Conference to mark shared success over the past year.
The event, held in Birmingham, brought together members of Platform Housing Group’s customer voice and scrutiny panels, alongside representatives from its executive team and board.
The day highlighted and celebrated the vital role customers play in shaping services, influencing decision making, and ensuring that Platform continues to deliver the homes and services people want and need.
Central to the conference was a focus on listening and acting on resident feedback, Platform says. Discussions explored how customer insight is driving real improvements across areas such as repairs, community investment and communication.
Marion Duffy, chief operations officer at Platform Housing Group said: “Customer involvement isn’t just a process, it’s part of who we are. By listening to and acting on our customers’ voices, we can make sure we’re delivering the right services, in the right way, for the people who rely on us every day.”
As part of Platform’s governance structure, the customer voice panel has a direct line to the board and senior leadership. Members meet regularly to review performance, challenge decisions and share insights and views from the wider resident community.
Megan Morgan, chair of the customer voice panel said: “It was lovely to see so many familiar and new faces at this year’s Customer Voice Conference, which offered customers a great opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback and to learn more about Platform.
“As always, it feels that customers are being put at the centre of everything Platform hopes to achieve in the near future. I look forward to another year of reflecting and feeding back with my fellow panel members and Platform staff.”
The conference also marked the growing number of residents getting involved in engagement opportunities, with 155 new members joining in the past 12 months through initiatives such as Platform Voices, an online space for tenants to share their views and get involved.
The platform has seen nearly 5,000 visits, with residents taking part in surveys, document reviews, discussion boards, forums and quick polls. Platform says this has made it easier than ever for residents to influence decisions and help shape the services that matter most to them.
Focused strategy
Workshops during the day focused on strategy, including priorities for 2026 and how resident feedback will continue to guide Platform’s long term vision. Tenants shared their views and experiences, discussed new ways to engage, and contributed ideas to strengthen resident involvement.
Duffy added: “The insight we gain from events like this helps us grow, evolve and make sure that every customer has the opportunity to be heard.”
Cara Green, external affairs manager at the National Housing Federation also delivered a presentation highlighting the organisation’s commitment to putting residents at the heart of its work, and strengthening tenant engagement through national initiatives such as the Tenants Advisory Panel and Together with Tenants Charter.
She said: “It was a real pleasure to be invited to Platform’s Involved Customer Conference – the first event of its kind that I’ve attended – and to see first hand the fantastic work being done to put customers at the heart of everything.
“I was genuinely impressed by the confidence and depth of knowledge shown by customers and by how closely Platform works with them to shape services and drive improvement. It’s clear that this partnership approach is making a real difference and setting a great example for the sector.”
Main image: (Left to right) Lisa Fairlie, Platform’s director of housing operations; Alison Holland, scrutiny panel chair; John Weguelin, Platform’s group board chair; Megan Morgan, customer voice panel chair; and Marion Duffy, Platform’s chief operations officer
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