Frequently Asked Questions
Branded housing call handling, professional case response and controlled service handover
How will MMG answer calls on behalf of our organisation?
Each contract can include a designated telephone line configured specifically for the commissioning organisation. Calls will be answered using the organisation’s approved greeting, service language and call-handling procedures.
To residents, MMG operates as a seamless extension of the housing service. Our officers act as authorised representatives working on the organisation’s behalf and follow its policies, service standards, escalation routes and agreed authority levels.
Will residents know that their call is being handled externally?
The service is designed to provide a consistent, fully branded resident experience. Calls are answered in the organisation’s name and handled to the same professional standard residents would expect from an internal housing team.
MMG will not misrepresent the employment status of its officers. Where a resident specifically asks, the officer can explain that they are an authorised housing professional providing services on behalf of the organisation.
Can we use our existing telephone number?
Yes. An existing number can be diverted to MMG during agreed hours, or MMG can provide a designated telephone line for the contract. The most appropriate arrangement will be agreed during mobilisation.
Call routing can be configured for full-time cover, out-of-hours support, overflow calls, emergency response or specific service areas.
Are calls recorded?
Yes. All calls handled by MMG are recorded through our secure telephone system.
At the beginning of each call, callers will be informed that the call is being recorded. Recordings support resident and staff safety, service quality, complaint investigations, safeguarding, evidential requirements and accurate case management.
Access to recordings will be restricted to authorised personnel. Recordings will not be shared, downloaded or used for purposes outside the agreed contractual and data-protection arrangements.
Before the service begins, MMG and the housing organisation will agree:
- The lawful basis and purposes for recording calls
- The wording used to notify callers
- Who is authorised to access recordings
- How recordings will be securely stored
- The applicable retention period
- How recordings will be retrieved for complaints, investigations or legal proceedings
- How subject access requests will be managed
- When a recording must be preserved beyond the standard retention period
Who is responsible for data protection?
Data-protection responsibilities will be clearly documented before the service begins.
The housing organisation will ordinarily remain the Data Controller, determining why and how resident information is used. MMG will ordinarily act as a Data Processor, handling information only on the organisation’s documented instructions.
The precise roles will be confirmed for each service because responsibilities may vary depending on the work commissioned.
A Data Processing Agreement will set out:
- The information MMG is permitted to access
- The purposes for which it may be processed
- Security and confidentiality requirements
- Data-retention and deletion arrangements
- Procedures for data breaches and subject access requests
- Restrictions on sharing information
- Arrangements for returning or securely deleting data when the contract ends
Will MMG have access to all our resident records?
No. Access will be restricted to the information and systems reasonably required to deliver the contracted service.
Role-based access controls can be used so that MMG officers only see the records relevant to their work. System permissions, authorised users and access levels will be agreed before service commencement and reviewed throughout the contract.
How will MMG verify the identity of callers?
MMG will follow the organisation’s approved identity-verification procedure before discussing personal or tenancy information.
Verification questions, acceptable evidence and circumstances requiring additional checks will be agreed during mobilisation. Information will not be disclosed where the officer cannot safely verify the caller’s identity or authority.
Where will resident information be stored?
Where possible, MMG will record activity directly within the housing organisation’s approved systems. If an alternative secure arrangement is needed, this will be agreed and documented before information is processed.
Resident data will not be stored on personal devices or transferred through unauthorised communication channels.
What happens if there is a data breach?
MMG will follow an agreed data-breach response procedure. Any suspected loss, unauthorised disclosure or inappropriate access will be contained, documented and reported promptly to the nominated contact within the housing organisation.
MMG will support the organisation with investigation, risk assessment, evidence preservation and any required notifications. Contractual reporting timescales and responsibilities will be agreed in advance.
How will subject access requests and information requests be managed?
Any subject access request, information request, request for a call recording or request to correct personal data will be referred promptly to the housing organisation’s nominated Data Protection contact.
MMG will not independently determine the organisation’s response unless this responsibility has been expressly included within the contract. We will preserve and provide relevant records to support the organisation in meeting its statutory timescales.
How will confidential and safeguarding information be handled?
MMG officers will work within agreed confidentiality, safeguarding and information-sharing procedures.
Where a disclosure indicates that a child or adult may be at immediate or significant risk, the officer will take proportionate action under the agreed safeguarding protocol. This may include contacting emergency services, making an urgent referral or escalating the matter to the organisation’s designated safeguarding lead.
Safeguarding information will only be shared where there is an appropriate and lawful basis to do so.
What happens during an emergency?
A contract-specific emergency escalation plan will be agreed before the service goes live. Where there is an immediate danger to life, serious risk of harm or an active crime, emergency services will take priority.
The escalation plan will identify:
- What constitutes an emergency
- Which matters MMG is authorised to resolve
- When emergency services must be contacted
- Which managers or duty officers must be notified
- Which contractors may be instructed
- Any financial approval limits
- How incidents must be recorded and handed over
Can MMG instruct emergency repairs?
Yes, where this authority has been included within the contract.
MMG will only use the housing organisation’s approved contractors and will act within the agreed repair categories, spending limits and authorisation process. If an issue falls outside MMG’s authority, it will be escalated to the appropriate duty manager.
Can MMG make decisions on our behalf?
Only within an agreed authority matrix.
Before mobilisation, we will agree which actions MMG officers may complete independently, which require management approval and which must remain with the housing organisation. This protects residents, MMG and the commissioning organisation from inconsistent or unauthorised decisions.
How will complaints be handled?
MMG can receive, record and acknowledge expressions of dissatisfaction in accordance with the organisation’s complaints policy.
Unless specifically commissioned to do so, MMG will not make final complaint decisions on behalf of the organisation. Complaints will be passed to the appropriate team with a clear record of the issue, the resident’s preferred outcome and any immediate action taken.