By Natalie Cunningham, Wythenshawe Community Housing Group

 “14,000?”

“Yep, that’s more web pages than the number of homes we manage.”

“Wow.”

“I know, right!”

A stat that hinted at the challenge ahead.

When I joined Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, the business was already deep into what would become one of the largest transformation projects we’ve ever undertaken: replacing our website, app and self-serve portal.

Our old digital channels just weren’t working. Faced with an overwhelming website and a confusing, out-dated self-service offer, customers would quickly pick up the phone for things that should have been quick and easy to do online.

And colleagues felt the effects: more calls, more manual work, more pressure.

What followed was a huge amount of work, a real learning curve, but a great outcome for both our customers and colleagues. The project recently won in the Customer Services category at the Housing Technology Awards, reflecting the huge amount of collaboration behind the scenes. If you’re on a similar journey, here’s what stood out for us (and how we got our website down to just 52 customer-friendly pages!).

Start with honesty and get an outside perspective

Don’t mistake behaviour for preference. People often work around systems that aren’t doing their job.

Before building anything new, we got honest about what wasn’t working. With our developer, Trunk, who brought a wealth of experience and innovation from outside the housing sector, we dug into data, running focus groups and watching how people used (and struggled with) our online services. That gave us a much clearer starting point and stopped us designing based on assumptions.

But one thing became obvious very quickly: if we wanted to get this right, our residents had to be in the room the whole way through.

Residents will tell you what they need, make sure you listen

We couldn’t do any of this in isolation.

Our resident group was involved from the beginning and stayed with us throughout. They tested journeys, challenged our choices and told us very directly what wasn’t working.

They gave us invaluable insight into the old app, for example, how frustrating it was to be pushed back to the phone or a third-party provider halfway through a task.

It sounds obvious, but it’s easy to miss if you don’t use the system yourself. That feedback led us to redesign journeys end-to-end and reduce reliance on third parties, so more tasks can be completed there and then.

Colleagues who are also customers added another layer of insight, combining lived experience with an understanding of how our services work behind the scenes. If you have colleagues who are also customers, tap into their amazing knowledge!

Less really is more

One of the biggest, maybe bravest, things we did was cut our website down from over 14,000 pages to just 52.

That sounds extreme, but it was a natural result of focusing on what really matters. Instead of structuring content around teams or services, we built everything around journeys. What our residents actually want to do: report a repair, check their rent, update their details. All the stuff they need.

People don’t want more information. They want the right information, quickly.

Simplifying isn’t a ‘nice to have’. It’s the transformation!

You learn the most after go-live

Launching isn’t the finish line. There’s no ‘down tools, job done’ moment.

Before go-live, plan for what comes next.

We’re using heatmaps and live feedback to understand how people are actually using the platform; where they hesitate, where they drop off and what they’re searching for. A recent usability audit has added even more insight.

That means we can change, improve and prioritise things quickly, based on real behaviour rather than guesswork.

The result? A future-ready service, with a clear roadmap for what comes next.

Make the tech work for you

Digital transformation has to work for your colleagues as much as it does for residents.

This project touched almost every part of the organisation, with subject matter experts from housing, repairs, customer services, income, ICT and communications all helping shape journeys and processes from the start. That involvement was key in making sure the platform worked operationally, not just in theory.

By fully integrating our platforms with Salesforce, we’ve created one joined-up system, cutting duplication, removing manual workarounds and making everyday tasks quicker and simpler. Reducing reliance on third-party systems has also lowered friction and made processes more reliable.

As more residents self-serve, we’re reducing avoidable demand, freeing up colleagues to focus on more complex support where it matters most. At the same time, the better data quality it’s bringing with it is helping us work smarter as an organisation. Win-win!

So, what’s the big takeaway?

We’re not done, and we never will be. But we now have a platform that works for our residents, supports our colleagues and gives us a good foundation for whatever comes next.

Because the real challenge isn’t launching something new, it’s keeping it the best it can be. That’s why we’ll continue carrying out six-monthly reviews, using feedback, insight and data to keep refining the experience as resident needs evolve.

Most importantly, we’ve learned that good digital transformation isn’t about focusing on new; it’s about better. For us, that meant being honest about what wasn’t working, simplifying wherever we could, and designing with residents and colleagues, not just for them. It meant focusing on real journeys, building trust through better experiences, and making sure the tech actually supports the people using it every day.