How CCHA modernised payments and gave tenants more ways to pay

CCHA wanted to give tenants more ways of making payments. In the words of the team: the existing process was “quite restrictive” and the association decided to look at alternative payment methods for residents. 

COVID accelerated the need. During lockdown, tenants couldn’t get to post offices or to CCHA’s own offices, which had closed. The association needed a channel tenants could use immediately, from home. 

CCHA started with telephone payments, the first step in the journey with Access PaySuite, stood up during lockdown. Text-to-pay followed. The association then integrated Access PaySuite with its tenant app, Housing Insight Client Connect, so tenants can make payments seamlessly from within the app itself. 

Payments feed back into CCHA’s housing management system and are reflected on tenant accounts, normally the following day. The principle driving the approach: “one size doesn’t fit all.” The association wants to give residents as many payment options as possible, including round-the-clock access, “they can pay whatever time they want.” 

• £1.3m collected via touchtone line in the last 12 months
• 3+ payment channels: telephone, text-to-pay, tenant app
• £1.7m collected via internet and portal payments in the last 12 months
• 24/7: payments available every hour, everyday, 365 days a year

• Telephone payment line introduced during COVID lockdown, tenants could pay when offices and post offices were closed 
• Text-to-pay added as an additional channel for tenants 
• Integration with Housing Insight Client Connect tenant app, tenants pay seamlessly from within the app 
• All payments fed back into the housing management system; balances reflected on tenant accounts normally the following day 
• Modular rollout: channel by channel, with Big Bang deployment also supported 
• User groups set up with other housing associations, “works really well” 
• £1.3m collected via touchtone in the last 12 months; £1.7m via the internet / tenant portal 

Salesforce integration and keeping pace with resident needs 

CCHA is currently implementing Salesforce as its new housing management system and is working with Access PaySuite to integrate the API, so tenants will have a seamless payment experience within the new portal. 

Beyond the migration, the team is actively looking at what payment methods are available, what is “best of breed,” and what fits for CCHA, listening to tenants and ensuring payments remain available 24/7, 365 days a year. 

CCHA chose Access PaySuite because of the working relationship. The team values the modular approach, building channel by channel, but noted that Access PaySuite also supports a “Big Bang” deployment when needed. The collaboration Access PaySuite facilitates between housing associations, through user groups, was also highlighted as a genuine benefit. 

See how Access PaySuite can modernise your tenant payment experience.

Discover how flexible, multi‑channel payment solutions can help you increase accessibility, improve collections, and meet residents’ changing needs, without disrupting existing systems.