Our member satisfaction survey is changing

Earlier this year we published our new three-year business strategy. This strategy clearly stated that all of the work we do will be underpinned by providing excellent service to our members and stakeholders.

Every person at the Federation works hard to provide excellent service – particularly me, as it’s the main focus of my job. My role as Head of Member Relations is to oversee the service our members get, and find ways to make it even better.

So I’m getting stuck into our member satisfaction survey, and plan to make a few changes to it, to ensure that it allows everyone at the Federation to hear feedback from our members, listen to what it’s telling us, and act on it.  

What changes are being made?

Firstly, we’re bringing our survey in house. Over the last few years we’ve used an external agency to conduct our survey, but we’ve found that it hasn’t allowed us to tailor and target. As a result, I’m open in saying that the response rate hasn’t been very good. Our membership is incredibly diverse – by redesigning the survey I think we can reach a broader range of our members, and listen to a broader range of views.

Secondly, we’re taking an organisational rather than individual approach. In previous years our survey has been anonymous and completed by anyone at a housing association. But we want to understand the overall satisfaction of each of our member organisations, through feedback from chief executives and chairs, so that we can directly respond to any questions or concerns.

Thirdly, as brilliant as I want our new survey to be, I don’t want it to be the only way our members can give us feedback. So we’re going to start using a broader range of tools, including a feedback section on our new website, so that you always have a way of telling us what you think.  

When will the changes happen?

For the keen eyed among you, you may have noticed that our survey usually goes out this time of year.

To give us time to develop the changes I’ve outlined above, we’re going to send the survey out early next year, and will provide more information about it nearer the time.

Between now and then I’ll be busy getting the survey ready with our Research team, but my door (or inbox) remains open. Please do get in touch with me if you have any feedback about the Federation’s service, because I want to listen and learn.