Generic case process management overview

Employed extensively within Civica Cx Housing, case management is an established tool for integrating all services around the needs of individuals with a current or future connection to the housing organisation. Generic case management in particular supports a targeted, community-based and proactive approach to cementing internal processes and procedures that will deliver outstanding levels of service through all customer engagement touch points, upholding the need for case transparency, tracking, assessment, escalation and inter-departmental coordination. It is widely recognised that implementing effective case management into daily working practices significantly improves the experience of service users and staff members alike, supporting better outcomes and a more cost-effective approach to all activities, not just those structured around legislative governance. A number of factors are inextricably linked to the achievement of successful outcomes in all case-driven processes:

• Accountability - Identifying an individual owner or team responsibility for the progression of a specific case, based on their specialist skills and competencies.
• Clarity - Understanding the role of case managers and escalation hierarchies involved in the progression of an allocated case, whilst maintaining a single point of contact for all stakeholders.
• Visibility - Essential for all forward-thinking housing organisations is the timely and ready access to all data pertinent to each case, not only for the immediate progression responsibilities but also to drive quality improvements.
• Workload - Appropriate distribution of newly-generated cases to ensure that tenants are receiving an optimum level of service in line with published standards, particularly during times of peak demand or periods of staff cover.

Case management can be thought of more as a process than simply a collection of discrete events, being part of a wider programme of customer care in which coordinated activities employed to integrate a consistent service response are well-understood and continually reviewed. Covering both internally- and externally-facing responsibilities, generic case management is concerned with the process of planning, coordinating and reviewing all customer interactions and related activities, delivering on tenant satisfaction levels as well as the undoubted cost benefits achieved through tailored workflow. In some contexts, case management can underpin an ongoing programme of standardised services aimed at responding to repeat customer queries; in others it can trigger an intensive, personalised or time-critical intervention, aimed at preventing or reducing the likely effect of a specific occurrence or event e.g. a suspected property abandonment. Whilst case management can be thought of as a linear process with sequential events, in practice some procedures and services executed through the creation of a case can be much more complex, with the need for continual monitoring and review, as well as coping with enforced delays and potential rework. Critical in driving forward lasting housing stability and more widely the improvement of tenant life-chances are case management initiatives built on the most appropriate evidence-informed assessment tools.

Separate help articles have been created for each key aspect of generic case process management, including:

• To start a new generic case
• To create a new generic case via a contact record
• To create a new generic case via a CRM communication
• To link an entity to a generic case

In addition, separate help articles focus on the activities central to the progression of each case, specifically:

• Generic case progression management overview
• Generic case consolidation management overview
• Generic task management overview