Equality Monitoring and Customer Profiling

What is it?

Equality Monitoring involves the gathering and analysis of equality data from individuals. This information is used to assess access, representation, outcomes and satisfaction for people from different equality groups.

 

Customer profiling is a general term for gathering and analysing any customer or tenant data for service improvement and other purposes. It can include equality monitoring but also other data, e.g. financial, behavioral etc. From an equality perspective there are some key areas that equality information and its analysis can be used for:

Tailoring of Services

Information gathered 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.

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

For example:

• Your financial inclusion service is mostly used by older people although you have a high number of younger people falling into rent arrears.
• Equality monitoring of your board may reveal that women, disabled people and people from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds are under-represented.
• Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual tenants are less satisfied with customer service.

Data analysis is carried out to identify areas of over or under representation, higher levels of (dis)satisfaction, different outcomes or relevant patterns for particular groups. Any findings from the analysis will require further investigation and the building up of a story of the different factors that may be influencing what you have found. Following this further exploration, organisations can identify actions needed to improve (where needed)

 

Tai Pawb Model Category Equality Monitoring Forms

• Board Members Model Form 2018
• Staff Model Equality Monitoring Form 2018
• Customer Profiling and Equality Monitoring Form and Guidance 2021

 

Tai Pawb Evidencing Equal Outcomes Toolkits

• 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

• Knowing me, Knowing you – Customer Profiling and Equality (2016)
• Customer Profiling and Insight – ensuring Equal Outcomes (2012)
• Making Information Accessible (2012)
• Language Communication Needs (2010)
• Tailoring Service to meet individual need (2008)
• The Role of Ethnicity Monitoring in Race Equality (2007)

 Presentations from Tai Pawb Events

• Avoiding Data Protection pitfalls when collecting Equality Information – Morgan Cole (2012)
• Equality Impact Assessments – Monmouthshire Housing Association (2017)
• Tenant Profiling – Monmouthshire Housing Association (2017)
• Equality Monitoring consultation questions – Monmouthshire Housing Association (2017)

 

Useful Information

• 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)
• 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