Bridging the Gap: Connecting Feedback and Complaints for Better Housing Services

After over a decade working in social housing, I can say this with confidence: complaints rarely come out of nowhere. They’re usually the end result of unmet expectations, unresolved frustrations, or residents feeling ignored when they’ve tried to raise an issue earlier.

I’m Chris Ducker, Customer Success Manager at GovMetric, I get to work closely with local authorities and housing providers across the country – and I see the same pattern. The problem isn’t just that we don’t always ask how the service landed. It’s that even when we do ask, we don’t always act.

Feedback is upstream

Feedback is more than a performance metric. It’s an early warning signal – a way to detect dissatisfaction before it becomes a formal complaint.

The data speaks for itself. Our analysis shows that for every 1% drop in satisfaction, complaints increase by 5%. Flip that around, and the opportunity is clear: even a small rise in satisfaction can lead to a meaningful fall in complaints.

This is the value of listening early and acting fast.

Acting on feedback is where impact begins

Collecting feedback isn’t the issue. Most organisations are already doing it – surveys go out, scores come in, dashboards fill up.

But the real challenge? Closing the loop.

Too often, feedback is collected but not communicated back. Residents don’t hear what’s changed as a result of what they’ve said. Teams operate in silos. And without action, insight loses its power.

When feedback is used to drive meaningful change, it builds trust. It shows residents they’ve been heard. And it reduces the likelihood of issues escalating into formal complaints.

Complaints teams are sitting on gold

On the other side of the same story, Complaint handlers are often firefighting – focused on timelines, targets, and compliance. Since April 2024, the Complaint Handling Code is statutory, making this work even more critical.

But in the rush to resolve, we risk missing something vital: the learning.

Every complaint contains insight. Real voices. Real pain points. Real opportunities to do better. And when those lessons aren’t shared – with service leads, senior managers, or policy teams – we lose the chance to prevent repeat issues.

As the Housing Ombudsman has made clear: complaint handling isn’t just about fixing today’s problem. It’s about preventing tomorrow’s.

Joining the dots

Feedback and complaints aren’t separate. They’re connected steps in the same journey – from early warning signs to clear calls for change.

At GovMetric, we work with housing providers to bring these two elements together. When feedback and complaints are managed as part of a single, connected process, the results speak for themselves. Providers can:

✅Spot dissatisfaction before it escalates

✅Capture the tenant voice consistently and at scale

✅Learn from complaints – not just resolve them

✅Improve services based on lived experience

This is the culture shift the sector is being asked to make. And it starts with listening. Responding. Learning.

Because this isn’t just about compliance or KPIs. It’s about trust. It’s about fairness. It’s about getting services right – and putting things right when we don’t.

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