OpinionWise has developed its new OurHousing online service to help housing providers and tenants share their experiences with the aim of improving services. Anybody with an experience of a housing provider’s property can tell their story online and engage in dialogue with others around it. Housing providers can also reply and benefit from new insights, including benchmarking their services with other providers.
The website is backed by Nominet Trust who seed-funded its development in conjunction with OpinionWise who will manage and moderate the service as an independent intermediary.
Jayne Hilditch, corporate services director, Thames Valley Housing Association, said, “Understanding tenants’ experiences is vitally important when designing service improvements. These stories illustrate what works well and what doesn’t, and by giving tenants the opportunity to do this online, housing providers might also hear from the ‘unusual suspects’ who haven’t engaged in the traditional resident involvement channels.”
Fraser Henderson, founder and director, OpinionWise, said: “This is an opportunity to help tenants make more informed decisions and normalise their views by exposing and grouping everyday narratives, from general experiences to words of praise. The nature of the tenants’ stories makes them an incredibly powerful instrument for capturing intricacies and helping others relate to difficult situations.”
Housing providers can trial the OurHousing service free of charge by registering at www.opinionwise.co.uk/ourhousingbeta.
