How Homes in Sedgemoor leveraged automation to scale engagement for Universal Credit managed migration

4,200 properties

across Someset

93% of tenants

who received outbound contact regarding UC migration transferred back in to discuss their claim

1,928 UC cases handled

equivalent to approx. 45% of their tenant population

Homes in Sedgemoor are an arms-length management organisation (ALMO) based in Somerset. Like many housing providers, they’re having to react quickly to the mass Universal Credit (UC) migration of many of their tenants. 

In most cases, no prior warning of migration is provided by the DWP, meaning officers have to react quickly to support their tenants through the change and ensure continuity of payments. For Homes in Sedgemoor, their landlord portal indicates when a tenant has been migrated to UC. The next challenge is finding the time and capacity to get in touch with the right people at the start of their claim. They can then have those essential in-depth conversations which might entail:

• Helping tenants understand their new UC responsibilities
• Assisting with initial applications
• Supporting digital access for managing online claims
• Providing budgeting advice and financial planning support

Homes in Sedgemoor’s income team adopted Voicescape Collections – our innovative rent collection solution – in 2018 as part of a broader initiative. Since then, they have further leveraged it to automate contact with those who have been migrated to UC, initiating the important conversation needed to ensure they’re equipped and supported to keep paying their rent.

The Challenge

Somerset was one of the first areas to undergo UC migration back in 2016, at which time Homes in Sedgemoor had a full-time officer dedicated to having face-to-face appointments with affected tenants, arranged either at their HQ or at the tenant’s home. They no longer had capacity for this amid the mass migration of tenants.

Before UC, Homes in Sedgemoor’s tenants that received housing benefit would have their rents paid directly into their rent account every week – no manual intervention needed. That process was so seamless that some tenants even referred to it as ‘not paying rent’. For these tenants, the migration to UC certainly required a significant shift in thinking and behaviour.

As a result, it was key that Homes in Sedgemoor’s officers spoke to the many long-standing benefits claimants and vulnerable tenants within their housing stock as soon as possible. With 15-20 UC migrations coming through per week, they needed a quicker way to make initial contact to free up capacity for that in-depth conversation. 

The Solution

When new UC claims appear in the landlord portal, a flag is raised on Homes in Sedgemoor’s housing management system. This is when Voicescape’s solution kicks into action, outbound calling those tenants the very next day with a tailored automated message Providing the option to be transferred back in, enabling a triage to take place over the phone.

In addition to covering key UC areas, Homes in Sedgemoor’s officers can also assess vulnerabilities over the phone to determine whether it could be suitable to apply for a direct payment. Voicescape fast-tracks this process of the first contact and empowering officers to identify at-risk tenants early. In this way, they open the communication channel and can implement strategies before the tenant’s first rent payment with UC is due.

The Results

Homes in Sedgemoor have had excellent success leveraging Voicescape for automated outbound contact regarding UC migration, with 93% of tenants who listened to the message transferring back in to discuss their claim. The time and effort freed up within their team empowers their dedicated welfare officers and support workers to complete higher level, personalised support. 

"Voicescape has been an invaluable tool to generate outbound contact to our customers starting on their Universal Credit journey to ensure rent payments are prioritised and to ensure their tenancies are sustained long term."

Ian Richards, Income Team Leader at Homes In Sedgemoor

Having that conversation over the phone via Voicescape’s automated transfer feature means that, with their current capacity, Homes in Sedgemoor can better handle the continuous volumes of new UC cases that are registered on a daily and weekly basis. At the time of writing, this number stands at 1,928 cases, which means they've been able to engage with approximately 45% of their tenant population. This ensures tenants are supported and equipped with what they need to keep up with rent, preventing arrears.

"As an ALMO, we are lucky to have Housing Benefit paid weekly direct to rent accounts but as customers migrate to UC, it is a big change moving to monthly rent payments made in arrears direct to claimants. Voicescape allows us to make contact early to prevent big arrears building and protect income collection levels."

Ian Richards, Income Team Leader at Homes In Sedgemoor

Embrace automation to reach vulnerable tenants

As well as completing campaigns via Voicescape Collections, you can leverage our dedicated Engage solution to reach out to tenants with essential messages and ensure meaningful conversations are had with those that need you most. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team to learn more.