Data is the lifeblood of any organisation and without a true understanding of what it means and how it can affect your operations, you may be operating in the dark.
Business intelligence (BI) tools can provide housing providers with the right insights and analytics to make informed decisions and drive operational efficiency. But first and foremost, you need to think about whether you have a data-driven culture.
What is a data-driven culture?
A data-driven culture refers to the organisational mindset and operational practices that revolve around leveraging data to drive decisions.
For housing providers, it means incorporating data analytics and insights into their operations, from strategic planning (i.e. where to build new properties) to day-to-day management (i.e. which arrears cases to focus on).
By embracing a data-driven culture, housing providers can move beyond relying on intuition and anecdotal evidence, and instead make decisions based on empirical evidence and data-driven insights.
Leveraging your data to address concerns
Data holds the key to unlocking a world of possibilities; it goes beyond mere numbers and spreadsheets. By harnessing the power of data, housing providers can paint a vivid picture of their operations, tenants and resources, allowing them to make better decisions.
Accurate and reliable data serves as a solid foundation on which informed decision-making is built. By unearthing trends, patterns, and correlations, data illuminates the path to better outcomes.
The power of data lies not only in its ability to inform strategic planning and operational management but also in its potential to transform the very fabric of housing providers. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement, where decisions are based on evidence rather than assumptions. It empowers all stakeholders to actively engage with data, opening the doors to collaboration, innovation and a shared sense of purpose.
Empowering housing associations with Qlik & Power BI
Both Qlik and Power BI are well-established tools that help you to gain a deeper insight into what your data means and how it affects all areas of your organisation.
Qlik Sense and Power BI are both recognised as leaders in the realm of business intelligence, offering robust features and functionalities that empower housing providers to extract meaningful information from their data.
These tools go beyond mere data visualisation, allowing housing providers to delve into the intricacies of their data and uncover hidden patterns, correlations and trends that may not be apparent through traditional methods of analysis.
For existing Microsoft users, you are likely to get more benefit from Power BI’s capabilities:
- Integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, enabling seamless data connections and leveraging your existing infrastructure.
- Robust data-modelling capabilities, allowing housing providers to create rich and complex data models for in-depth analysis.
- A wide range of pre-built connectors, enabling easy integration with the disparate data sources and business applications commonly used in housing operations.
- An extensive library of visualisations and customisation options, enabling housing providers to create compelling reports and dashboards.
- Integration with Microsoft Office, facilitating data sharing and collaboration.
On the other hand, Qlik Sense is a great solution for those who feel they’ll benefit from these capabilities:
- Centralisation of data from multiple sources, providing a holistic view of all housing operations.
- An intuitive and user-friendly interface, enabling end-users with varying degrees of technical expertise to explore and analyse data.
- Creation of interactive and visually-appealing dashboards, reports and visualisations without needing extensive coding knowledge.
- Democratisation of data, allowing housing staff at all levels to engage with the data and gain insights.
- Advanced analytics, including data alerting, predictive analytics and machine-learning algorithms for deeper insights into tenant behaviour, maintenance needs and resource allocation.
- Optimisation of operations through data-driven decisions, leading to cost reductions and greater efficiency.
- Seamless collaboration and data-sharing among stakeholders, fostering transparency and promoting a culture of data-driven discussions.
Embracing the power of data
Business intelligence is the key that unlocks the doors to informed decisions, operational excellence and a stronger future. By embracing data-driven practices and using tools such as Qlik Sense and Power BI, housing providers can create a lasting positive impact across their organisations and for their tenants.
Carl Hunter is the business intelligence practice manager at TSG.
