Getting to Know You Better survey FAQs

Acuity tenant 'getting to know you better' survey 

Understanding Our Tenants & Homes Survey 2024 - FAQs 

West Lancashire Borough Council (WLBC) has commissioned Acuity Research & Practice, a market research company that specialises in the social housing sector, to carry out a survey on its behalf collecting up-to-date information about the people who live in their households.   

What is the survey about?  

The survey is a large-scale housing census covering tenant and demographic data which will be used to update current tenant and household information that WLBC holds in their Housing Management system. The data provided will improve how it communicates with its tenants and ensures fairness and ensures services are accessible and equitable. All households will be invited to participate in the survey over 12 weeks throughout June, July and August 2024 

Who are Acuity?  

Acuity Research & Practice (Acuity) provide tenant satisfaction surveys and benchmarking services, helping housing providers to improve services and engage with their tenants through an understanding of satisfaction, performance and profiling data. They have been providing consultancy services to the social housing sector for over 25 years.   

There are two ways tenants may be asked to take part:  

Online - Tenants can complete the survey online from June 17, 2024. Acuity will send an email to all tenants with an email address. This will include a link inviting tenants to complete the survey online. Non-respondents will also receive reminder emails to complete the survey throughout the survey period. A number of tenants may also receive a text message with a link to the survey.  

Over the phone – Beginning a week after the survey is launched, Acuity will call tenants who have not yet completed a survey, inviting them to take part in the survey with a telephone interviewer. The telephone survey will take approximately 10-12 minutes to complete.  

What number should tenants look out for?  

If you received a call or a text from Acuity the number displayed will be a UK telephone number 01695 813005, which is a local area code. If the tenant sees a missed call from this number and calls back, they will hear a recorded message informing them that someone from Acuity tried to call them to complete a survey for their landlord.  

When will they call tenants?  

Acuity only make calls between the hours of 9am and 8pm Monday to Friday and between the hours of 10am and 6pm on Saturday. Interviewers allow the telephone to ring for at least 15 seconds, or until a voicemail system kicks in, to ensure tenants with mobility issues are given enough time to get there.  

What can staff do to help tenants and boost response rates?  

It is important that frontline staff encourage tenants to take part at every opportunity and assist them with any survey queries and reassure them that the calls are genuine.   

How will data be used?  

All data tenants provide will be used solely to update WLBC’s housing management system, which will help WLBC better tailor the services they provide to tenants. While WLBC welcome tenant responses, we understand if tenants are not comfortable answering particular questions and therefore tenants can select ‘prefer not to say’ in these instances.  

Is the survey in line with data protection and what about quality standards?  

All the calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. Acuity is a company partner member of the Market Research Society and is registered with the Information Commissionaires Office, and in line with the Data Protection Act is not permitted to release any details to any other organisation. Under the Data Protection Act, Acuity is not permitted to release any information that would allow an individual to be identified without their prior active consent to do so. Acuity also holds ISO20252:2019, which is the quality standard for market research companies.  

Who should tenants contact if they have a query that is not addressed here?  

If tenants have any queries about any of the survey, they should contact Acuity directly at (01273 287114 or acuity@arap.co.uk).  

Want to know more about Acuity?  

Acuity Research & Practice Limited, www.arap.co.uk. All research projects conform to ISO20252:2019 and the MRS Code of Conduct.