Leading housing provider Orbit owns some 42,000 properties across the Midlands, East and South-East of England. Orbit’s core objective is to hold customers at the heart of everything they do, and it is dedicated to leading the sector in customer safety.
The challenge
In 2017, as part of an organisation-wide drive to ensure that they achieve and maintain that core objective, Orbit commissioned Manifest to undertake a Critical Friend Review of their key customer and building safety compliance functions.
The solution
Orbit’s Property Compliance team of 28, is managed by Neil Yeomans, Head of Compliance. Manifest’s in-depth review saw Peter Salisbury, Director of Housing Consultancy, spend time with Neil and members of his team, in order to truly understand current working practices and systems, and identify even the smallest improvements.
Peter & the team used the Manifest Safer Homes Toolkit as a framework for the Critical Friend Review, looking at key property safety disciplines including gas, fire, electric, asbestos, legionella and lifts. This was followed up with progress and data sampling.
The results
Peter found that many of Orbit’s systems and processes were already best practice and Manifest’s review identified adjustments to help ensure that they become sector-leading. This included finding alternative ways to scrutinise data and align key processes more closely so that they work to maximum efficiency.
The implementation of changes recommended by Manifest has helped steer overall company development for Orbit, in providing best practice solutions to a series of minor issues, which combine to provide overall excellence.
Peter Salisbury, Director of Housing Consultancy at Manifest who led the review says: “Our recommendations effectively build on the strong foundations of existing processes and systems. Orbit’s open-minded approach and willingness to consider the findings of our review from their customers’ perspective has been crucial to its success.”
[whitespot_blockquote]“Manifest’s review was far superior to anything I’ve seen before. The depth and breadth of their knowledge and practical experience of the many complexities of the wider compliance landscape was enormously beneficial. It meant that Manifest’s consultants could quickly pinpoint a series of marginal improvements that have combined to help Orbit maintain our goal to lead the sector in customer safety.
Pete’s operational and strategic knowledge of compliance is second to none. His honesty, and willingness to challenge what were already good systems and processes, has enabled us to improve on these further.”
Neil Yeomans, Head of Property Compliance, Orbit [/whitespot_blockquote]