Customer service
Communicating with Defence members
Every day DHA interacts with Defence members and their families, maintenance providers, builders, agents and lessors. These people and organisations are DHA’s customers and DHA’s success is measured by their levels of satisfaction, especially those of the Defence members and their families who live in DHA properties.
DHA communicates with Defence members in a variety of ways, reflecting the expectation that modern electronic communications will be available to support the delivery of services. There is no substitute, however, for a personal level of case management which is facilitated by staff in HMCs across the country.
HMC staff are regular participants in briefings to Defence members in the lead up to the peak posting period. These briefings encourage ongoing contact between HMCs and Defence units and formations in relation to housing matters. DHA also provides online access to the full range of its housing management services. Communication and marketing materials are used to inform Defence members and their families of the services available and how to use them.
DHA maintains hard copy publications and online information to help customers understand and access services. These are distributed through HMCs and stakeholder groups such as the Defence Special Needs Support Group, DFA and the Defence Community Organisation (DCO).
DHA understands the difficult circumstances Defence families can face when moving on posting. In response, during 2012–13, DHA provided customer service training to frontline staff and conducted workshops to improve personal resilience during the stressful peak posting period.
Customer Service Institute of Australia
DHA first sought certification with the Customer Service Institute of Australia (CSIA) in 2005–06 as part of a broad strategy to improve its performance at the customer interface. The CSIA offers evaluation and certification by independent assessors against 29 International Customer Service Standards. Certification is a recognised benchmark in both the public and private sectors. In addition, CSIA offers valuable insight and coaching in customer service. Since 2005–06, DHA has been recertified four times, in 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11 and 2011–12. DHA was reassessed in August 2013.
Satisfaction with customer service
DHA’s quarterly housing survey measures member satisfaction with overall customer service experienced in DHA-managed properties. Survey results remain above the DHA target of 80% with 92% of 3,271 participants indicating that they were satisfied with their experience of DHA’s customer service. Sample sizes in past years ranged from 3,636 to 5,739.
Figure 4: Defence member satisfaction with DHA’s customer service overall while in DHA properties, 2008–09 to 2012–13
Complaints management
The vast majority of customers are satisfied with the services DHA provides, especially with the quality of its new housing. They tell us so through regular surveys. However, DHA also receives complaints, mainly in relation to maintenance, neighbourhood disputes and the application of Defence housing policy. Complaints can be referred directly to DHA by tenants, other Defence personnel, lessors, the Defence Ombudsman or Ministers. All DHA staff members are able to log complaints and may request assistance from Customer Relations Managers (CRMs) in their region to handle complaints. DHA’s objective is to manage complaints at the point at which customers first express dissatisfaction. Logged complaints are reported to Defence on a monthly basis.
In 2012–13, 765 complaints were received nationally by DHA. This was a 14.1% reduction compared to 2011–12 (891 complaints). The four main reasons generating complaints were repairs and maintenance (236), customer service (130), housing condition (64) and neighbourhood disputes (67). All complaints are managed in accordance with DHA’s complaints resolution process, which is outlined in the DHA Customer Service Charter. In the event that a customer is not satisfied with the handling of their complaint they can request a review of the response. The Customer Relations team in Head Office oversees these escalated complaints and provides assistance in complaint resolution. The majority of complaints are resolved at the local level.
Regional HMC highlights
Region | Office/s | Client Services Delivered | Highlights |
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Northern Territory | Darwin Katherine |
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North Queensland | Townsville Cairns |
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South Queensland | Brisbane Ipswich Toowoomba |
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Sydney | Parramatta |
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Hunter | Raymond Terrace |
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Australian Capital Territory |
Canberra |
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Nowra | Nowra |
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Riverina | Wagga Wagga Wodonga |
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Victoria/Tasmania | Melbourne Puckapunyal Cerberus Sale Hobart |
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South Australia | Adelaide |
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Western Australia | Perth |
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