Developing a strong community takes more than building good quality houses. Nick Clark, business development manager at Ore Valley Housing Association (OVHA), knows just how many phone calls, meetings, and messages are needed to get a community project done.

Direct support for local communities

Located just north of Edinburgh, Scotland, OVHA is an affordable housing developer that builds and manages rental properties; its portfolio includes over 670 homes and six rental units. As part of a commitment to improving the lives of its residents, OVHA is involved in a wide range of community initiatives, from restoring heritage buildings to installing wind turbines. Nick is particularly excited about working on sustainability projects, such as green energy, that generate revenue for the community or directly benefit householders themselves.

“One-size-fits-all” communications don’t work

Collaboration drives projects like these, and in his role, Nick interfaces with dozens of people over the course of a project’s life cycle. “Our communication system needs to be robust,” he says, “but it also needs to be flexible and multi-platform.” Everyone has their own communication preferences — some will only respond to in-person visits, others prefer phone calls or chats.

8x8 offers an enterprise-grade solution

When its previous communications system was hacked, OVHA began looking for a better solution that would offer both a higher level of security and flexibility. The company evaluated 8x8 on the recommendation of its technical support partner. “It gave us confidence that the system would do what we needed it to do. So, we were quite happy to go with the 8x8 solution.”

Switching between home and shared office space

Working from home during the pandemic hasn’t been all bad. Nick has mementos, such as a photo of his kids on holiday, that help him bridge his work and home life. Going forward, he expects that he and his colleagues will continue their current mix of working from home and occasional visits to the office. “You need a good system to do that,” he says, “and I think we’re very lucky that we’ve had one in place that’s done just that.”

Flexible communications solutions help development leaders like Nick make communities more vibrant and sustainable. Please stay tuned for more profiles of 8x8 Original Thinkers in the coming weeks.