The provision of rented and social housing is changing quickly at the moment, with councils beginning to explore the possibility of transferring control of it's housing stock to organisations well versed in the promotion and effective utilisation of its assets.
| Some councils are taking advantage of the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer government initiative to move its housing stock to not-for-profit housing associations, away from council control. Usually, umbrella organisations are formed which bring together the management of housing stock for many housing associations in a region. |  |
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This trend provides council housing departments and Housing Associations with the opportunity to radically change the way it promotes its products to the marketplace. Conventionally, leafleting, newsletters, handbooks and welcome packs are used as the primary means to promote housing. In this environment though any printed matter rapidly ages and so represents poor value for money in terms of print cost, time to produce and distribution.
Whilst a web presence on the internet could address some of the issues above, only a small part of its customer base has access to the internet and in any case a much larger proportion of these prefer to visit housing offices in person. it is also our experience in similar markets that customer sin this demography have less well-formed computer skills than others and need access which is simple and intuitive. Hence, it is part of the answer.
Homefinder Live is built on the same fundamental principles as our successful Parent Information Point product. It is designed to be inviting and easy to use. There should be no Windows or other baffling computer jargon in it's navigation. There should be the minimum number of screen touches to reach the information the user wants. You should be able to take information away with you and if you can't you should be able to call somebody for help if you need it. You should be able to get reports of the information.
We use our mykiosk touchscreen computer as the basis for our information point and provide all the connectivity ourselves as a minimum or we can just as easily work through the Council or Housing Association's IT department. Being wall, desk, floor mounted or completely mobile means that the system is totally flexible. Generally, our systems are wireless - WiFi or 3G; but can be wired into an existing infrastructure just as easily.
Homefinder Live works by providing a council or Housing Association with a web-based Management Console. This allows them to easily keep the housing stock up to date with new properties or those which have been recently filled. It is designed to be easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere on the world wide web. This can be done as often as is see fit, dependent on local market conditions. We work with you to determine the main features of a property you wish to make available but obviously can include a photograph as well as all types of description. WE also provide a colourful attract loop which makes the purpose of the system clear to potential users and together with the look of the system acts to invite the user to start.
Once a user is engaged with the system we provide ultra-clear navigation with one touch for most actions. Text is clear and unambiguous and the high contrast presentation and bright, colourful display combine to assist those with diminished sight.
Within the navigation structure it is possible to build in associated housing help, such as what to do when there is a problem with your home. With each service provider we associate a phone number which can be called from the page you are at with a single screen touch. Calls are free at the point of delivery.
Homefinder Live allows your customers to browse through the currently available housing stock, by themselves, and without pressure. They'll never get confused with baffling operating system messages and they'll get the information they want, quickly and easily. If they need further help they can make a call.
Our experience in public access computing shows that many small details add up to provide a very effective and usable system. Built properly a public access system is inviting, straightforward and complimentary to existing services. But it will never be a cure-all. Hence, we regard staff training as an essential part of our offering; staff co-option means that your system will get promoted often and staff can then concentrate on the more complex cases at hand.