The recent Lumo customer communications survey shows it clearly: Lumo residents want customer communications to be clear and understandable, first and foremost, and they want them to provide help and solutions for dealing with everyday matters. It is also important that the communications are arranged quickly and on time.

In the survey, the residents’ views on the content of the communications as well as the languages and channels used were studied. Nearly 1,300 residents completed the survey.

“The response rate was really high. Everyone who took the survey has our gratitude, as the feedback helps us a lot in developing Lumo communications and other activities,” says Lauri Peltonen, Head of Lumo’s Housing Services Unit.

“We want to reach an as extensive group of customers as possible in important matters concerning housing. The survey helps us understand how we can develop our communications.”

The youngest and oldest respondents were under 20 and over 75. Elderly residents were particularly interested in matters concerning their property, whereas younger residents wanted more general themes to be included in the communications, such as decorating or recycling home appliances.

“People of all ages are increasingly interested in responsible daily life. Everyone wants tips on how to promote the circular economy in their own kitchen, for example,” says Peltonen.

The residents of about 36,000 Lumo homes are a diverse group of people of different ages and from different backgrounds. The variety of languages spoken is also wide.

“Lumo primarily uses Finnish and English in its communications, but other languages can also be used whenever necessary. For example, instructions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have been prepared in nine languages: Estonian, Russian, Swedish, French, Spanish, Somali and Arabic in addition to Finnish and English.”

Lumo’s customer service receives about 20,000 contacts per month by phone, e-mail or the My Lumo service chat. The 20 customer service representatives are currently available in Finnish, Swedish, Estonian, English, Russian and Spanish.

“We also use the services of an interpreter in some customer service situations involving residents who do not speak any of these languages. Providing all of our residents with timely and quick services is important to us.”

More than 70 % of Lumo residents use the My Lumo service. There are more than 1,300 users on a daily basis.

“It is important that everyone can access the services online on a 24/7 basis every day of the year,” says Unit Director Piia Hyvärinen, who is in charge of the development of the My Lumo service.

The mobile interface guarantees that the My Lumo service is always accessible to residents. Notifications about new messages in the service can be sent to your e-mail or as a text message.

“My Lumo has become the primary mode of communications about the common matters of a Lumo building and new services, for example,” says Hyvärinen.

The service can be used, for example, to report a fault, place a contact request to the property manager or contact the customer service through the chat. The basic information of your building and home can be found in the service. It is also possible to pay your rent and rent a parking space through the service.

Traditional customer communications about the current affairs of properties are still required, but Lumo’s communications are increasingly focused on live and interesting content that helps the daily lives of residents. Lauri Peltonen thinks this is a natural way of developing communications according to the feedback provided by residents.

“Residents who use social media are used to short videos that provide practical tips and promote sustainable daily life, for example. We are planning to create more of these,” says Peltonen.

The Kodikas magazine will no longer be mailed to residents. The resident newsletter is also discontinued. Instead, customer communications are centralised in the My Lumo service.

The content and features of My Lumo are developed constantly.

“We collect feedback of the My Lumo on a constant basis and develop the service actively,” says Piia Hyvärinen.

She says that new helpful features will be added to the service in 2021. The process of renting parking spaces is already revamped and made easier. There are also plans to develop a new system for booking shared premises.

“All Lumo services are made more accessible to residents. For example, services related to moving are made available when they are required by the resident.”

Hyvärinen believes that smart technology solutions are also being introduced to Lumo properties. She expects that, in the future, the My Lumo service can be used to check and perhaps even adjust the temperature of your apartment.