Customer Profiling

What is it?

Customer profiling (or tenant profiling) is the activity of gathering a wide range of different sorts of information about tenants to build up a picture of who they are and what their needs are. It can include gathering demographic information (equality monitoring data), information on specific needs and information on aspirations and behaviour. Customer or Tenant Insight involves analysing and using the data gathered about customers/ tenants to better understand their needs and expectations. This understanding can then help improve the tailoring, design and delivery of services.

 

From an equality perspective there are some key areas that customer profiling information and its analysis can be used for:

 

Tailoring of Services

Information gathered as part of customer profiling on communications or home visits can help organisations remove barriers or better respond to individual needs. For example gathering information on communication needs can enable organisations to ensure tenants who need correspondence and information in large print get it in large print.

 

Planning services.

Customer Profiling information can give you an understanding of who your customers are and their current and future needs. It can also help you identify changes in tenants profile overall and at more localised levels such as estate levels. This can inform future business plans and service developments.

 

Changing patterns and behaviour.

Information from customer profiling can be used to better meet the current and future needs of tenants.  For example finding out about how tenants interact with digital technology.

 

Assessing whether people across the protected characteristics are accessing services and are having similar levels of outcomes and satisfaction

(See equality monitoring section for further information on this).

Tai Pawb Resources

• Model Category Equality Monitoring Form for service users with guidance notes (Currently under review)
• Evidencing Equal Outcomes in Social Lettings, A self- assessment toolkit for social landlords in Wales (2013)
• Evidencing Equal Outcomes in Housing Repairs and Maintenance, A self- assessment toolkit for social landlords in Wales (2014)
• Evidencing Equal Outcomes in Customer Care, A self-assessment toolkit for social landlords in Wales (2014)

 

Tai Pawb Good Practice Briefings

• Customer Profiling and Insight – Ensuring Equal Outcomes (2012)
• Making Information Accessible (2012)
• Language Communication Needs (2010)
• Tailoring Service to meet individual need (2008)

 

Presentations from Tai Pawb Events

• Avoiding Data Protection pitfalls when collecting Equality Information (Morgan Cole)

Useful Information

• Tenant insight, A toolkit for landlords, How to deliver excellent customer service (Housemark, Tenant Services Authority and CIH, 2010)
• How to deliver excellent customer service (CIH)
• Anonymisation: managing data protection risk code of practice (ICO)
• Collecting equality data: Harmonised standards and best practice (Welsh Government, 2013)
• What’s it got to do with you? 10 reasons why you should fill in those funny box things at the end of forms (Stonewall)
• Using Monitoring Data, Making the most of sexual orientation data collection (Stonewall)
• Findings from ICO advisory visits to social housing organisations (Information Commissioner’s Office, 2014)
• Equality Information: A guide for listed public authorities in Wales (EHRC, 2011)

 

Sources of statistical data

• Welsh Government – Statistics and Research
• Data Unit Wales – InfoBaseCymru, MyLocalCouncil, Comparable Authorities
• Office for National Statistics
• Hact – Community Insight