Orbit’s customer engagement platform undergoes refresh following customer feedback

Orbit’s customers have had a say on their own digital feedback platform resulting in a refresh aimed at making it more accessible and easier to navigate.

‘Your Voice’ is an innovative online platform used to engage with Orbit’s customers. It gives customers the opportunity to provide feedback on their experiences and make recommendations for improvement on things that matter to them and their community.

Now, more than ever, Your Voice is playing a crucial role in allowing Orbit to stay in touch with its customers and understand what is important to them.

Following a thorough evaluation of the system, using both internal and external feedback, the Customer Engagement Team made a series of changes to ensure Your Voice was more user friendly and engaging for Orbit’s current and future customers.

What changes have been made?

  • Toolbar headings have been modified to make them clearer to understand, so customers are able to make more informed choices when navigating around the platform
  • Sub-categories under these headings, have been renamed and now include a brief description which will help customers identify which area is relevant to them
  • A ‘help and guidance’ tool has been added which will take customers through the navigation of the platform, including how to create a post, how to comment on a post and how to upload a document or photograph.
  • A search function has also been added, making it quicker and simpler to search for a specific item or topic.

All of these changes will make using the platform more efficient, taking Orbit customers where they want to be – but with fewer clicks! 

Charley Oulton, Customer Engagement Manager at Orbit said: “The Customer Engagement team is excited to showcase the new look and feel of ‘Your Voice’, our customer engagement platform. Following the launch of the new Customer Engagement Offer* in April 2020, we wanted to ensure that every customer had the opportunity to have their voice heard and that our engagement activities were accessible for all. Working very closely with our engaged customers, we are continuing to make small improvements to customer experience engaging through our platform and continuing to build our future requirements.

“The platform has proved to be a popular method of engaging with us. All in one place customers can engage locally with their community, shape and influence our decisions on strategic policies or business plans, take part in new innovative focus groups and find out how their feedback has made a difference.”

Empty Homes Inspectors

The Customer Engagement team have recently developed a virtual inspection programme, which allows customers to view empty homes prior to them being let.

Supporting Orbit’s re-let standards, the process involves filming the property and uploading the content to Your Voice. Customers can watch the virtual inspection of the empty home and answer a selection of questions via the survey function built into the engagement platform. Once complete, the information is passed back to the relevant business area. 

Speaking about the new virtual inspection programme, engaged customer Frances said: “I first volunteered to take part in empty home inspections many years ago. The inspections improve the re-let standard of Orbit homes and ensure high standard, clean properties are being let. Customers have a great working relationship with both Orbit employees and contractors and work closely to understand what tenants are looking for in an Orbit home.

“I have enjoyed carrying out the empty homes inspections and I am looking forward to carrying out the new virtual inspections in the comfort of my own home. I hope many other customers take up this exciting new opportunity!”

Orbit Earth

The team have also set up an area within Your Voice to focus on business’ environmental sustainability initiative – Orbit Earth.

Initially created as an internal programme, Orbit Earth was created with a vision to take achievable, but ambitious steps in reducing Orbit’s carbon footprint. Orbit Earth’s aims are to become net zero carbon, to improve the quality and biodiversity of our green spaces and to develop and manage a sustainable supply chain.

The installation of this new function on Your Voice, encourages customers to get involved and be part of the wider conversation, helping to reduce Orbit’s impact on the environment and build a more sustainable business.

There will be opportunities for customers to engage with activities on the platform and any green initiatives that are linked to the commitments as part of the wider Orbit Earth objectives.

Join Your Voice

Anyone wishing to join Orbit’s virtual community ‘Your Voice’ please register via the following link here

All Your Voice activities are currently being held digitally or by phone. Face to Face activities will be reintroduced once it is safe to do so. By registering for Your Voice, customers can keep up to date with what is coming up by following the Customer Engagement calendar, which includes not only Orbit engagement activities but also training opportunities and national engagement events.