Customer Voice
This theme assesses how effectively we listen to and empower our customers.
We offer customers a wide range of ways to get involved, from shaping our Corporate Plan and influencing our new 10-Year Ambitions to suggesting improvements to our repairs offer, giving feedback on local services and joining our Customer Committee alongside Board and Executive Directors. We adapt how we engage to suit different customers, and we make sure people can see how their feedback is shaping decisions and improving services.
Customer insight continues to play a central role in influencing service design, business priorities and regulatory compliance.
Our latest Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) results for 2025/26 show that 78.4% of customers are satisfied with the overall service provided by Great Places.
We have clear arrangements in place to ensure customers can hold us to account. Our Customer Committee, made up of seven customers and two Board members, oversees compliance with consumer regulation and the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code.
Over the past year, the Committee has monitored key improvement work, including complaints and repairs reviews, using a customer-focused performance dashboard to track
progress. The Committee also reviews performance and customer feedback, including TSM results, and plays a key role in shaping and approving strategies.
Signals of Progress:
Overall customer satisfaction increased from 70.8% in 2024/25 to 78.4% in 2025/26, reinforcing the story of continuous improvement.
Our Insight customer scrutiny group provides additional challenge and assurance through carrying out in-depth reviews. It reports back to the Board, shares scrutiny information with
the Customer Committee and works with colleagues to drive continuous improvement.
During 2025/26, our Insight scrutiny group reviewed what matters most to customers to help Great Places shape a new Code of Conduct. This work supports the Regulator of Social Housing’s Competence and Conduct requirements. The outcomes were used to consult with a wider customer audience.
The group also reviewed customers’ experience of reporting antisocial behaviour (ASB). They found improvements in processes and training and highlighted the need for clearer communication and expectations. Their recommendations focused on improving awareness, communication and ongoing updates for customers. This was linked to wider engagement activity with customers, which continues to support service improvements linked to policies and how Great Places manages ASB cases.
Insight also reviewed how communication impacts customers during planned improvement work. The group found a strong customer-first approach, and identified opportunities to improve consistency, feedback and data use.
Future reviews will focus on:
- Safeguarding
- Grounds Maintenance
- Customer Service Experience
We keep customers informed through our website, digital and printed publications and the Our Voice digital platform, showing how feedback is shaping services.
We also continue to improve our complaint handling by learning from feedback, case reviews and customer stories. This learning is shared across the organisation and published in our Annual Customer Complaint and Service Improvement reports.
Our Customer Experience Strategy has achieved its first-year outcomes. This has been reported to Customer Committee and Board, who continue to oversee our commitment to deliver on the actions in our Customer Voice and Customer Experience Strategies. We continue to provide a variety of opportunities to involve customers in shaping policies and services, with co-design at the heart of our approach. The Our Voice digital engagement platform is at the heart of this, however it is just one of many ways customers can share their views. We are flexible in our approach to ensure fair and accessible ways to be involved and co-design our services.
Quotes from members of the Customer Committee and Insight scrutiny group on their involvement
Sheleigh - Customer Committee member
“The Customer Committee has become a stronger voice for customers in Great Places’ decision-making. By reviewing performance, challenging where necessary and influencing future plans, we help make sure customer feedback leads to meaningful action.”
Sylvia – Insight scrutiny group member
“I’m proud to be part of customer scrutiny, representing the views of a wider customer audience. By working closely with Great Places Housing, we help shape services so they better meet people’s needs. Through detailed reviews, we identify what works well, where improvements are needed, and share our recommendations directly with the Board to highlight the real impact on customers’ lives. “What I value most about being part of the scrutiny group is presenting our findings directly to the Board; it shows clear accountability and underlines how important the customer voice is in helping to shape better services.”
Sam - Customer Committee member
“Our role is to make sure services are not only measured by performance figures, but by the experiences of the people who use them every day. By bringing the customer perspective into decision-making, we help ensure improvements are shaped by what matters most to customers.”
Bev – Insight scrutiny group member
“I feel extremely proud and privileged to be part of Great Places’ Customer Scrutiny Group, where we take a close look at customer-facing services. We review performance data alongside customer feedback, and we’re able to highlight what’s working well and identify any gaps or barriers, putting forward practical recommendations for improvement. “I believe our involvement helps shape services so they work more effectively for Great Places colleagues to deliver better outcomes for customers. It’s particularly rewarding to see regular action plan updates from service teams, which clearly demonstrate the real impact and value of the scrutiny work we do.”
