Andy Rawll, Head of UK Product Marketing at 8×8, explains how single-vendor communications platforms that share CX tools beyond the contact centre can help all functions within a housing association, highlighting some of the key features
In housing associations, like many organisations, the specific needs of different roles can be prioritised over others when it comes to tech adoption. But as more organisations are realising the importance of a holistic approach to tenant experience, the benefits of single-vendor communications platforms with customer experience (CX) tools for all are becoming more widely appreciated.
Tenant experience and operational excellence are responsibilities that go beyond housing association contact centres; the need to deliver a quality service and optimise processes now stretches from the ‘C-Centre’ to the C-suite.
Fragmentation and limitation should be things of the past
Fragmented systems are inefficient and expensive, and because of this, some forward-looking organisations are already pivoting to single-vendor platforms that unify all communications into one. Around one-quarter of CX leaders report that their organisations now use a single-vendor platform, and 39% say they will soon.
At the same time, the need to share CX tools beyond the contact centre is growing. Research has shown that 92% of contact centre and IT leaders agree that organisation-wide CX consistency is a priority, while two-thirds of business leaders report that up to 60% of their customer interactions take place outside the contact centre.
The problem is, that while many organisations recognise the need for change, their tools and data are siloed within the contact centre. The same research shows that almost one-third of organisations say their primary barrier to consistent and shared organisation-wide CX is data and analytics siloed in the contact centre, while one-quarter say it’s the tech.
Unified comms and CX tools beyond the contact centre in action
Like other organisations, housing associations can use unified platforms to reduce costs and meet the need for enterprise-wide tenant experience responsibility. Platform Housing, one of the UK’s largest housing associations, is a prime example of this in action.
Housing associations spent a record £8.8bn on repairs and maintenance last year. The average cost of maintaining a unit in 2023/24 was over £5,000, an 11% increase on the previous year.
Conscious of figures like these, Platform Housing adopted a single-vendor platform to reduce complexity and give property maintenance teams contact centre style video calling, thanks to 8×8 Remote Fix. By consolidating suppliers, unifying communications, and putting traditional contact centre tools in the hands of its maintenance team, it was able to handle 39% of its repairs remotely, speeding up repair times, improving first-time resolutions and reducing the overall cost of servicing repairs.
Extending the benefits from platform communications across the organisation
We’ve got to explore the question: If single-vendor platforms that share CX tools beyond the contact centre can reduce housing association costs by focusing only on maintenance teams, what can they do for other roles?
Head of Contact Centre
Unified platforms let the head of contact centres leverage data from across their organisation. Something research shows many would like – 97% would be more likely to use external customer data if their systems were integrated. On top of this, tools like auto-translate built into a live chat function help to provide quality service to the UK’s many different language groups.
Head of Property Management
As mentioned, single-vendor platforms with video connectivity for maintenance teams speed up repairs and increase first-call resolution rates. In addition, when dealing with communications from non-video channels, the single platform approach allows for a frictionless transition when escalation is needed. This helps overcome a significant problem facing many organisations – only 6% say it is very easy for their contact centre agents to connect with experts.
Chief Information Officer
Single-vendor platforms provide native-like integrations with third-party applications that let housing associations meet new challenges with best-fit solutions. These empower CIOs to use their communication platform strategically, either to enhance services or, for example, meet changing legislative requirements. If they’re low- or no-code, they can improve workflows throughout the organisation without the cost or complexity of bespoke development.
Chief Operating Officer
Sharing CX tools and data across the wider organisation on a single-vendor platform gives COOs valuable insights both within and beyond the contact centre, with granular detail alongside big-picture themes. The information can be used to power data-driven decision-making, find operational efficiencies and, crucially, report on compliance measures to show tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) and other metrics.
Financial Director
A single-vendor platform improves organisation-wide efficiency while making vendor licenses simpler and affordable. For financial directors, platforms that integrate AI at all levels and share tools with teams beyond the contact centre will reduce the overall cost of serving tenants and make workflows more efficient. On top of this, research shows that AI-enhanced breaktime scheduling (where agents get more breaks) improves effectiveness.
Meeting each persona’s needs with a platform approach
Using a cloud-based, single-vendor communications platform has clear benefits for housing associations, it ensures no-one is overlooked and can equip all teams with tools that were previously limited to the contact centre. Using a single communications platform over many disconnected systems saves money and time, and helps meet the growing need to shared responsibility for tenant experience throughout the organisation.
Working with multiple housing associations and landlords across the UK, Housing Digital Stakeholder 8×8 connects people and organisations through seamless communication on the industry’s most integrated platform for Customer Experience—combining Contact Centre, Unified Communications, and CPaaS APIs.
Find out more about 8×8 for Housing
Image credit: metamorworks/Shutterstock
Read next: Seven essential analytics for driving tenant engagement and efficiency
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