Homes for Haringey approached us to build an online training module that would help the organisation to reduce time spent by housing officers on face-to-face meetings, while still empowering customers to make informed-based housing choices. Through our new EazyLearn platform, we helped Homes for Haringey achieve their goal to create an innovative e-learning platform that could be easily used by the end-customers.

Beverly Faulkner, Head of Housing Needs at Homes for Haringey told us the reasons behind their vision, experience with the project delivery, benefits of the platform and more! Read this short interview below:    

Why did Haringey’s housing department need an E-Learning system?
We were previously offering face-to-face tenancy training workshops which were resource-heavy. They took time to organise, and many of our customers found it difficult to attend due to childcare or work commitments. The need to create a Personalised Housing Plan for each customer also meant that we had to review our capacity to offer face-to-face training to significantly more people, and we considered other ways to deliver this. The majority of our customers will need to consider moving to the private sector to resolve their housing need. We wanted to ensure that they were prepared for this. Therefore, we decided to create e-learning for customers that we could include as an action for them to complete in their Personalised Housing Plan.

What are the benefits of implementing the E-Learning system for the end-users and housing officers?
There are incredible benefits in using e-learning. For Housing Needs Officers, it means that they can ensure their customers are ‘tenancy ready’, which is a great selling point for prospective landlords. For our customers, they can feel assured that they know the pitfalls of the private sector and understand their rights when privately renting. Completing our e-learning course is sometimes the first time a customer has accessed online training. To facilitate that first certificate is a great way to empower them.

We have always been impressed with Home Connections ‘can do’ attitude, efficiency and value for money. They are also great partners to work with on innovative projects

What made you approach Home Connections for a solution?
We have worked with Home Connections on several projects over the years and have always been impressed with their ‘can do’ attitude, efficiency and value for money. Home Connections are also great partners to work with on innovative projects such as this where they were able to realise a vision that we had.

Which aspects of the system are the most helpful for housing officers and why?  
The system is easy to use in terms of user experience and the back-office admin. It only takes a couple of minutes to set a new user up and get them enrolled on a course. The Housing Needs Officers have real-time access to a dashboard to monitor progress. They can track when the course gets completed and upload the certificate onto our document retention system. EazyLearn can be set-up to send automatic reminders to customers if they haven’t started or completed the course. 

How did you find the process of system delivery?
System delivery was smooth and rapid. We worked closely with a developer from Home Connections who kept us informed at all the key points. We have good communications with our project manager. Overall, Home Connections performance was fab! 

With 97% of our customers reporting that the first module will lead to them putting what they have learnt into practice, we feel confident that the investment in this piece of work is worthwhile.

What are your immediate plans for the EazyLearn system and the longer-term ambitions?
Our immediate plan is to roll out the second module, focused on tenancy sustainment. Longer-term, we want to explore using a range of modules for different scenarios, for example, a specific online course for customers moving to social housing. With 97% of our customers reporting that the first module will lead to them putting what they have learnt into practice, we feel confident that the investment in this piece of work is worthwhile.

Ninesh Muthiah, CEO of Home Connections said: “This universal and innovative e-learning solution can be used in such a wide range of scenarios, it might just be a way forward in this ‘new normal’ way of living and working. Many people are finding the lockdown has put extra pressure on tenancies, incomes and relationships. Our e-learning platform can offer free advice, support and a degree of reassurance. Most importantly, it is a resource-free way to share knowledge with a large numbers of applicants, helping obtain realistic expectations about their potential housing outcomes”

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