Navigating your way around the system

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Synopsis

Allocations

The allocation of assets and other tenant-oriented resources, managed by or on behalf of a housing organisation, is controlled through any number of application forms. The responses captured on these forms that identify a tenant's eligibility for an asset or resource, and how those needs are then analysed through to a final offer, are all defined in this section.

ASB

ASB incident management focuses on the creation of a case, using categories that reflect all aspects of the incident, and its subsequent progression through to a successful outcome. ASB cases are broken down into a series of tasks, with each task having the potential to be assigned to a specific owner. During the progression of an open case, it is possible to attach files that provide contextual background, such as images, videos, and the like. Any number of discrete notes can also be appended to the ASB case as an aide memoir to the owner, these appearing as separate entries within the event log, and forming part of the overall case file.

Assets

The classification and inter-relationship of all assets that are potentially available for letting is controlled in this section. Parent assets can also be created to define the hierarchical structure of these inter-relationships, such as blocks, estates, etc.

Campaigns

Campaign management is the process of controlling and expediting outbound customer communications, and empowers the end user to orchestrate personalised experiences determined by the customer's expectations and priorities. Any number of campaigns can be defined over time to promote individual interaction, focusing on each customer's specific needs. Customers can be invited to participate in a campaign manually, perhaps as a result of a call centre interaction or home visit; they can also be automatically included as part of a segmented audience, having been matched to certain criteria set for the campaign theme - referred to as 'Segment Selection'.

Communication Engine

All related components of a communication - the format, the style, the recipient-specific fields (merge tags), the output channels (Letter, Email and Text Message), etc. - are controlled by the end user through the creation of a communication definition. The generic nature and frequency of communications, compiled using any one of those definitions, can also be tailored to meet specific requirements through an ad hoc, bulk or scheduled communication creation method.

CRM

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is much more than just a call handling system; it is a customer-centric, contact management solution, focused on the provision of exceptional quality of service and increased profitability, as well as the timely resolution of queries. With access to all related business systems, the principal aim of CRM is to record, track and progress customer interactions in a way that increases satisfaction levels within the social housing community, as well as delivering significant efficiency savings.

Feedback

This module focuses on the creation of a case, which is linked to one or more sequential progression stages that define how comments received into the housing organisation - positive or negative - should be handled in line with company policy through to a successful outcome. Feedback cases are broken down into a series of tasks, segmented by stages, with each task representing a specific action to be undertaken by the case owner. During the progression of an open case, it is possible to attach files that provide contextual background, such as images, videos, and the like. Any number of discrete notes can also be appended to the feedback case as an aide memoir to the owner, these appearing as separate entries within the event log, and forming part of the overall case file.

Forms

The purpose of a generic form is to supersede a paper-based process previously adopted by a housing organisation, beginning with a blank template (the form designer), onto which field elements of any supported response type – text, integer, decimal, date and time, check boxes, etc. - can be inserted. Their complexity can vary greatly, depending on local requirements, ranging from a very basic set of self-contained entry fields, right through to numerous inter-dependent form elements seeking to store a wealth of data that can then be used to inform other activities. Once published, a form instance can easily be triggered within a task path workflow, or on-the-fly via the Menu option of an entity-focused summary pane; it can also be embedded within a CRM script.

Generic Cases

In line with their own internal mechanisms, a housing organisation can configure and implement the widest variety of scenarios and task-driven events through the creation of custom cases. Whilst introducing and extending a high level of consistency and conformity to many routine and procedural services, the infinite customisation opportunities mean that each case type can be easily adapted to suit local requirements. Generic cases can be created to manage discrete events that fall outside of a particular module; they can also be used to augment standard procedures with a greater degree of granularity. The creation of inherent workflow paths is achieved using the Task Path Creator functionality - the framework on which all case-based activities are structured.

Home Buy

For those tenants wishing to purchase their rented home, a number of government-backed schemes are available, each offering discount incentives and prescribed application rules to protect their interests. The Home Buy module supports housing providers in managing such applications, underpinned by legislation-aligned rules to inform discount and offer price calculations for each eligible applicant.

Homelessness

Supporting a client-centred case management model, with all inquiry phases being compiled and controlled through dedicated tiles - Advice, Assessment Activities, Reviews, etc. - this module enables an organisation to record, manage and maintain all information pertinent to each application, or request for help, in a dedicated case file. The framework of each recorded case is derived from any number of custom categories - classified as ‘Advice and Prevention’ or ‘Homelessness’ - that are predefined by the end user in line with government legislation and their own overarching strategy.

Housing Options

The core function of this module is to match all aspects of a customer enquiry to the most appropriate guidance, which is compiled from a series of predefined advice statements stored on the system. The workflow underpinning a specific case - the framework by which enquiries are managed - controls the range of statements that could potentially be selected; the rules defined around the linked enquiry form - a custom question template – then determine the specific customer responses that will trigger the relevant advice. Whilst each customer enquiry is channelled to a specific housing options workflow, there is still the opportunity to personalise the advice based on their individual combination of responses.

Planned & Servicing 'Lite'

The Planned and Servicing module supports the creation, implementation and management of stock upgrade programmes and regular equipment servicing plans, using custom Schedule of Rates (SOR) templates to define the scope of all required work. Any target subset of assets can then be defined for each active programme or service plan, in readiness for the resultant works orders to be generated en masse. The streamlining of the order fulfilment process extends to the automatic allocation of a preferred contractor, repair type and priority weighting; robust management tools are also available to analyse their ongoing status progression, both at programme and asset level.

Rents

The process of rents management has a number of contributory factors that need to be configured at the outset in order to inform daily activities, operations and functions. These configuration components enable the housing organisation to define specific parameters in line with their own procedures and local requirements. Once configured, the module not only controls the management of tenancies, rent accounts, charges and payments, but also facilitates the recording of housing benefit and other entitlements.

Repairs

The management and fulfilment of repairs is underpinned by a number of key components, including stakeholders (contractors and inspectors), contracts (rules and definitions) and the scope of work to be undertaken (schedule of rates).

Security

Access to Civica Cx Housing is controlled through the creation of individual user accounts, with the defined security privileges assigned through one or more associated roles e.g. Call Centre Team, Rent Arrears Team, etc.

Service Charges

Scenario-driven calculation models can be applied to all custom charging elements, with the resulting figures apportioned to individual assets through their inclusion within a service charge group. At the end user's discretion, apportionment rules can take into account the number of bedrooms, the floor space, the number of dwellings, or even a user defined method. The overarching cost centre hierarchies also feed into the correct distribution of shared service costs. Once the proposed service charges are accepted, schedules are automatically formulated in line with the relevant charging periods, as a foundation for the subsequent rent review process.

Support

The foundation of the support provision module is the creation and deployment of custom tasks that enable quite complex assessment procedures, support plans and outcome goals that are triggered from an initial referral to be broken down into constituent elements. This standardised approach to managing all customer-facing and internal procedures using clearly defined tasks underpins the drive towards delivering ‘best of breed’ tenancy services, meaning that all case management activities - in particular the counselling, signposting, identified actions and tenancy health checks arising from the composition of a support provision case - can be executed consistently.

System

Civica Cx Housing is highly configurable across all aspects of functionality and behaviour, including parameter lists, system preferences, calendar and diary management, resource action planning and question form design. The creation and management of functional units also streamlines each individual user's work activity.