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Data-Driven Decisions: Using Power BI to Gain Insights in Social Housing

Data-Driven Decisions: Using Power BI to Gain Insights in Social Housing

Chris RobertsDyn365CE3 weeks ago20 Views

I know how stretched resources and time can be. For that reason i wrote this blog about how Power BI can be a game-changer for your operations. You don’t have to be a data scientist to use it. It’s about getting the right insights, quickly and easily, so you can make informed decisions and improve outcomes for your residents and staff.

Why Data Analytics Matters in Social Housing

In today’s environment, making decisions based on gut feelings is not enough. You need reliable data to understand what’s working and what’s not. Data analytics helps you uncover trends, predict needs, and ultimately, deliver better services to your residents.

Power BI: Your Tool for Actionable Insights

Power BI is a powerful tool from Microsoft that transforms your data into easy-to-understand visuals. It connects to various data sources to create interactive reports and dashboards. Here’s what it can do for your housing operations:

Centralised Data: Power BI can pull data from different systems, including your core housing management system and any other third party applications, giving you a comprehensive view of your operations.

Real-Time Dashboards: These dashboards display your key performance indicators (KPIs) in real-time, providing a clear view of your current performance.

Interactive Reports: let you drill down into data, explore trends, and identify patterns, allowing you to see the story behind the numbers.

Data Visualisation: Present data in a visual and compelling way, making it easy to communicate insights to all stakeholders.

Key Benefits of Power BI

By using Power BI, you can expect to see improvements across your organisation, a few include:

Improved Decision Making: Power BI enables you to make data-driven decisions, leading to more effective strategies and better resident outcomes.
Increased Efficiency: Identify bottlenecks and streamline processes and identify areas for automation.
Improved Resident Satisfaction: By understanding resident needs and addressing issues quickly, you can enhance resident satisfaction and build better relationships.
Proactive Problem Solving: Identify potential problems early and implement preventative measures, avoiding the need to react to crisis. Saving much needed funds

Practical Applications of Power BI in Social Housing

Here are some ways that Power BI can help you to gain useful insights:

Rent Arrears: Monitor rent arrears and identify trends, allowing you to take proactive steps to prevent further debt, and offer early support to residents in financial difficulty.
Repairs and Maintenance: Track the number of repairs, response times, and costs, helping you to improve maintenance operations and ensure homes are safe and well maintained.
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB): Monitor ASB incidents, identify hotspots, and track the effectiveness of interventions.
Customer Service: Track response times, satisfaction levels, and common issues to help you to continuously improve services to residents.
Void Management: Understand the time it takes to turnaround void properties, and any common delays, enabling you to allocate resources effectively and re-let properties faster.
Resident Demographics: Understand the needs of your resident base and any patterns that might influence service delivery.

Getting Started with Power BI

You don’t need to be a technical expert to get started. Here’s a simple approach:

Identify Key Questions: Start by identifying the key questions you need to answer. What data do you need? What are your key priorities?
Connect Your Data: Power BI can connect to many different data sources, so you can bring all of your data together in one place.
Create Dashboards: Using a template, or working with a specialist, you can create dashboards that present the information you need, in the way you want to see it.
Start Simple: Start with a few basic reports and dashboards, and expand them over time.
Focus on Action: The goal is to use data to make better decisions and drive improvements, so ensure that every report or dashboard is focused on an outcome.
Continuous Improvement: Regularly review your dashboards, look at the data you are gathering, and ensure they continue to be relevant and useful for your organisation.