Driving Successful Tenant Engagement Through Smart Communication
Tuesday 10th of December 2024
When South Holland District Council (SHDC) set out to improve tenant engagement, the goal was clear: make it easy, accessible, and motivating for residents to share their views. This was the early stages of a project to rethink tenant engagement at SHDC. Tpas worked with the SHDC Housing Transformation team, to design a tenant survey using innovative communication strategies.
Here’s how they achieved success and the lessons learned along the way.
Designing a Tenant-Friendly Survey
Surveys are only effective if tenants feel confident completing them, so we focused on clarity and relevance in designing the survey by using:
Plain Language: The survey avoided technical jargon, using simple, tenant-focused phrasing. For example, “How happy are you with the service you’ve received?” replaced complex terminology.
Tailored Questions: Every question was carefully considered to eliminate repetition, keeping the survey concise and engaging.
Tip: A shorter, focused survey is more likely to be completed.
Motivating Responses: The Power of a Nudge
We used behavioural insights, to encourage tenants to take action:
Call to Action: For example SHDC used texts like, *“Join the other 200 tenants who have completed the survey!”* creating social influence and showing residents they weren’t alone.
Incentives: A prize draw offered participants the chance to win a £50 voucher, answering the all-important “What’s in it for me?”
Ease of Access: Direct survey links via text and email allowed tenants to respond instantly on any device.
After the first text round, responses spiked immediately, proving how effective simplicity and motivation can be.
A Strategic Communication Plan
Timing and multiple channels were crucial:
Carefully Timed Messages: Texts and emails were sent at optimal times (afternoons and early evenings) to fit tenants’ schedules, even during school holidays.
Maximising Reach: Posters in children’s centres, libraries, and supermarkets captured offline audiences, while website banners and social media posts targeted online users.
Team Effort: Housing staff championed the survey, encouraging tenants to share their views and emphasising its importance.
Reflecting on Lessons Learned
Every engagement effort is an opportunity to improve. Next time, SHDC plans to:
- Test the Survey: Engage tenants beforehand to identify potential confusion.
- Target Non-Respondents: Send additional reminder texts tailored to those who haven’t responded.
- Track Communication Impact: Ask participants “How did you hear about this survey?” to evaluate the effectiveness of outreach efforts.
Key Takeaways for Engagement Success at your organisation
Clear Communication is Crucial: Avoid jargon and focus on questions that matter to residents.
Use Preferred Channels: Text messages and emails outperformed social media and posters.
Behavioural Nudges Work: Adding urgency and offering incentives motivates participation.
Adapt as needed: Each project offers valuable lessons to build on for the future.
By combining thoughtful survey design with strategic communication, your organisation can turn an engagement project into a success story, demonstrating how good communication can strengthen the tenant-landlord relationship.
Tony, a tenant who took part in the project said “Really nice to be involved with this and I look forward to working with SHDC.”
Look out for an update from SHDC as they take their journey to implement their new framework that was co-designed by staff and tenants.
Please contact our consultancy team to discuss your engagement needs by emailing consultancy@tpas.org.uk