Finding out the audience to meet customers’ needs
Spindogs and Trivallis started the project together through our bespoke discovery phase, so they could outline who their audience was and what they wanted from our guidance. They wanted to make sure the new website was suitable for the needs of their different target audiences. Their tenants include vulnerable people such as those aged over 60 and those who use sheltered schemes, so Spindogs made sure the icons stand out individually by using different colours for each one. Four large icons sit along the width of the website, each attending to different tenant needs – ‘pay my rent’, ‘apply for a home’, ‘report a repair’ and ‘contact Trivallis’.
Considering the needs of different tenants, Spindogs signposted the website effectively for leaseholders. In the top right-hand corner, there is a large button saying ‘pay my rent’ in pink, which contrasts with the rest of the website’s blue, so tenants can easily locate it. This is helpful for tenants who need to quickly pay their rent on time. A ‘report a repair’ button also sits alongside the same easy-to-use navigation system, so tenants can report maintenance issues to Trivallis without the team’s phone support system being overwhelmed. This is particularly helpful for tenants who come across issues that are the responsibility of the landlord; for example, if any electrical appliances they installed have broken.
Spindogs held workshops so Trivallis could identify who their audience was, which included applicants for housing. These housing applicants were likely to browse the website to try and find a property to call home, or to find what area would suit their needs. Spindogs included a section called ‘our communities’ to help Trivallis showcase the areas they serve and what they mean to them. It also includes Trivallis’ action plans for the neighbourhoods across Rhondda, Cynon, Taf and the Valleys, information that is valuable for both existing and potential tenants, furthering the sense of community felt throughout the website.
Improving user experience for a better customer journey
One of the goals of the new website was to improve the customer journey. To do this, the Spindogs team worked to improve user experience to give people helpful information. We introduced an easy-to-use navigation system, which signposted tenants and the wider audience to relevant information. Tenants can find tenancy support on the ‘supporting you’ section and find information on things that matter to them such as welfare, benefits and housing.
Search functionality was added to help tenants find information quickly and also signposted tenants to a portal where they could report repairs. This meant tenants could self-serve for general home upkeep queries – such as how to bleed a radiator – reducing the volume of calls regarding non-issues. It also meant that tenants who needed support could easily report it online, without overwhelming the phone system and in turn getting a better customer experience.
Flexible content to inform customers
Trivallis wanted to encourage tenants and applicants to spend more time on the site through visual media. We provided functionality for them to add multimedia content such as blogs, videos and imagery. Sections such as ‘your local team’, ‘what’s on’ and ‘great places to live and work’ highlight the work they do to serve communities through imagery and content. Spindogs designed and created flexible content templates to allow CMS admins to build their own pages. Pre-defined flexible modules meant that more up-to-date content could easily be added without adding complex code to the CMS.
It was important to continue the sense of community through content, to show they really cared about the neighbourhoods they serve and the people who live there. A blog section called ‘our news’ was added so tenants could stay up-to-date with the latest news and get advice. Instead of calling up for information on, for example, State Pension and Pension credit, the news section means tenants are informed of relevant and time-sensitive updates. The section was perfectly in keeping with the brand’s vision to improve the lives of those living in their communities, as it can be filtered by area and industry. This kept in mind the wide audience Trivallis helped to pinpoint in the bespoke discovery phase, making sure content reached the right people.
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