Adopting digital transformation into social housing with innovations being integrated by housing associations into business operations and how their positioning in the market. There is significance in how digital transformation is changing the social housing sector enhancing service offerings as a result.
Streamlining operations
Improvements made to how operations are now much more streamlined are crucial to digital transformation. Adopting digital platforms and tools in the social housing sector will enable better automation to be set up to support rent collection, maintenance requests, and communications with tenants. This reduces the need for administrative responsibilities and creates improved real-time tracking of properties including their maintenance and tenant records.
Enhancing tenant experience
Making changes to the user experience of tenants is another key part of any digital transformation for the social housing sector. The methods that tenants use to interact with their housing associations have been changing in recent years through tenant portals and mobile apps allowing tenants to pay their rent and report repairs in their rental properties. This brings improved tenant satisfaction rates meaning there is a better relationship between tenants and housing associations.
Improving maintenance
Making improvements to how maintenance across properties is managed and carried out is key to social housing. There is an opportunity to enhance this for tenants through predictive maintenance achieved with analytics to help anticipate when repairs may be required. This approach ensures properties are maintained to a better standard.
Data-driven decision making
There is a vast level of data required to successfully integrate new software and tools for housing associations. When carried out correctly this will help to provide necessary insights about the needs of the tenants, allowing trends to be identified, while the efficiency of the current system can be assessed, allowing for improved service personalisation. This allows the reallocation of resources and the overall impact on tenants to be measured.
Promoting Sustainability and Energy Efficiency
Sustainability across the sector must be promoted effectively through the enablement of improved resource management alongside better energy efficiencies. Including technology such as a smart meter helps create a reduction in energy consumption and lower energy bills as a result for not only the housing association but also the tenants.
Integrating digital transformation into the social housing sector will continue to play a major role in improving business operations, bringing a better experience for tenants, and increasing sustainability within the sector. Embracing the trends and developments will allow the sector to adapt to the latest needs of tenants.