Empowering Effective Tenant Communication

Previously, ForHousing implemented a chatbot designed for one-to-one interactions. Despite efforts to enhance it into an intelligent system, the bot struggled to address tenant queries effectively, causing a high dropout rate and revealing its weaknesses. Programming the bot was also very time-consuming.

The issues tenants that raised in the chat were often complex and specific to their individual circumstances, not straightforward FAQ-style questions. The average call duration of 8-9 minutes indicates that queries usually require detailed responses.

With Liberty Converse, ForHousing shifted to a more efficient, menu-based system. This approach allows the bot to quickly identify any simple FAQ questions and answer automatically, while more complex issues are quickly escalated to a live adviser. The intuitive menu creation process enables ForHousing to tailor the system to their specific needs and make adjustments when new requirements arise. For example, when annual rent increases are introduced, the bot can be easily programmed to address these queries, significantly easing the management of contact on rent increases.

ForHousing used webhooks in Converse to interact and bring through tenancy information stored within their CRM system. When a phone number or email address is recognised, it presents the tenant details on the interaction screen, bringing up their basic details as a contextually relevant screen pop – for example number of repairs, open repairs, open complaints and any vulnerability flags of communication requirements. This is more effective than searching for tenants directly in the CRM system and reduces the chance of the wrong account being accessed in error.

Now, advisers can see the bigger picture on that caller, often helping to resolve things faster. Callers don’t have to repeat their situation again and again. Former tenants, or a non-tenant client, such as a neighbour who’s contacted in the past, are also identified in the same way. Presenting key information from outside the CRM also improves adviser response and provides efficiency savings.

The system downtime has become a problem of the past, Liberty Converse works smoothly every day, which removes frustration for advisers. Advisers have commented that having everything integrated into one place has made their work easier. Now they don’t need to ask for basic details, like postcode or middle name, instead advisers can instantly identify the caller which speeds up the call and creates a better experience for the tenant from the beginning.

ForHousing knew that moving to the cloud would enable them to scale their operations and improve collaboration among teams, by providing shared access to documents and applications.

ForHousing were able to release the tie to desk phones, which greatly increased flexibility for their team.

Having Liberty Converse’s Workforce Management (WFM) module fully integrated into both the agent’s and supervisor’s portal has proved useful in improving agent adherence and ensuring that staffing is optimised at all times.