whg shortlisted for second national customer services award

The organisation has now been named as a finalist in the Digital Transformation category at the Housing Technology Awards, which recognise innovation and effective use of technology across the social housing sector.

The shortlisting builds on whg’s earlier nomination by The Institute of Customer Service and reflects the organisation’s ongoing programme to improve how customers contact us and how colleagues are supported to respond.

Over the past 18 months, whg has been modernising its approach to customer contact, bringing phone, email and digital enquiries into a single joined-up system. This work has focused on reducing waiting times, improving first-time resolution and creating a more consistent experience for customers, while giving colleagues better access to information and insight. Since introducing the new technology, average call waiting times have dropped from over eight minutes to around just one minute.

The Housing Technology Awards shortlisting recognises the way digital change has been embedded into day-to-day service delivery, including the use of real-time data to understand demand, plan resources and support continuous improvement.

Fay Shanahan, Corporate Director of Operations and IT at whg, said:
“Being shortlisted for a second national award is an encouraging reflection of the progress we are making to improve customer service. This work is about creating a service that is easier to access, quicker to respond and more consistent for customers, while supporting colleagues with the right tools and training to do their jobs well.

“Great customer service is a core commitment in Our 2030 Plan, and we will continue to focus on listening to customers, learning from feedback and improving how we deliver services every day.”

The digital platform supporting customer contact from supplier 8×8 was introduced in 2024 and is now used across all contact channels, helping teams monitor performance and respond to customer needs.

The Housing Technology Awards will be presented at the Housing Technology Conference in Nottingham on 11 March 2026, one day after the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards ceremony in London.