Housing Associations puts residents in the Midlands first with Virgin Media Business

Published 4th March 2010

4 March, 2010

Housing Associations puts residents in the Midlands first with Virgin Media Business


Midlands-based Accord and Ashram Housing Associations have made it easier for their residents to resolve queries about everything from repairs to recycling with a new contact-centre platform and network from Virgin Media Business.

This investment has enabled Accord and Ashram Housing Associations – part of the Accord Group - to launch a new Customer First Centre for residents, and enables all of its branch offices to feed information into one central contact centre.

Accord and Ashram Housing Associations (Accord) manage 6,600 homes and provide care and support services at more than 50 sites in the Midlands. The Customer First service also handles repairs calls for the 98 properties run by housing co-operative bchs.

Consequently, the number of calls it receives about its services has grown to 6,000 a week. This level of calls required it to streamline both the phone numbers used by residents to contact the Associations and the way in which information on individual properties was delivered to frontline staff.

“Given the growth and expansion of our housing portfolio in the last five years, our contact points had grown to a number that our residents found confusing,” said Ian Tinsley, Information Systems Manger at Accord.

“While we knew we had to change our processes internally, many residents were still reliant on the old contact points. As a result we needed to work with a supplier that could guide us through the migration process, ensuring that residents did not suffer a drop in service during the centralisation process.”

With this in mind, Accord partnered with Virgin Media Business, which works extensively with organisations in the housing sector. It migrated the Associations to a new contact platform, and provided a Next Generation Network that allowed them to share data and voice calls over a single network spanning all its offices.

“Ensuring effective lines of communication between it and its residents is a must for Accord as they deal with many vulnerable people within the communities they serve. For example, if an elderly person calls with a problem with their housing, this needs to be resolved with the minimum of fuss and distress,” said Paul Lawrence, head of business markets, Midlands, for Virgin Media Business. “With the right kind of technology in place, organisations like Accord, Ashram and bchs can still provide the responsive and personal service residents of social housing value and make efficiencies along the way.”

Virgin Media Business is connecting Accord, Ashram and bchs’ offices - based across the Midlands - with an IPVPN product which uses MPLS. It has also equipped the Customer First Centre with Cisco IP Telephony technologies to support voicemail, call recording, call statistics and wall display boards

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About Virgin Media Business

Virgin Media Business is the UK’s only telco with a national fibre optic Next Generation Network. Launched in February 2010, the company aims to bring the Virgin philosophy to the business telecoms market. Providing innovative, high quality solutions built on brilliant customer service.

Virgin Media Business is the largest business-to-business brand in the Virgin group. With a strong product portfolio that includes its market leading Ethernet services. It uses its network asset in order to create bespoke tailored telecoms solutions for its customers. Employees are located at 40 offices across the UK, allowing Virgin Media Business to be closer to its customers in every sense.

Previously known as ntl:Telewest Business, organisations working with Virgin Media Business include London City Airport, Arqiva, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Partnership and South West Water.

For further information go to: www.virginmediabusiness.co.uk

Virgin Media Business press contacts:
Sara Doggett
Virgin Media Business
T: 01256 753101
E: Sara.Doggett@virginmedia.co.uk

Chris McCrudden, press office
Speed
T: 020 7842 3260
E: chris.mccrudden@speedcommunications.com