The state of play
Hit with the double hammer blow of budgetary shortfall and increased legislation, housing providers are having to come up with new ways of working. Whether this means moving certain functions to the cloud, or adopting digital solutions to streamline workflows, housing leaders are increasingly looking towards tech solutions to improve efficiencies.
Of course, technology doesn’t have all the answers, but there are certain areas within the housing sector that can be improved with the right digital solutions in place, including the management of maintenance and repairs.
As it stands, housing sectors are not fully utilising digital systems. Responding to a 2023 OneAdvanced survey on the relationship between technology and industry, only 34% of housing professionals said their organisation uses an entirely digital process when deploying maintenance and repairs. Just over half (57%) said they use a mostly digital system, but with some use of paper.
The challenges
One fifth of those surveyed felt that challenges in maintenance and repair deployment were due to problems with existing digital systems, while 14% cited insufficient digitisation of existing processes. Nearly half (47%) said they had a siloed approach to deploying staff.
Without efficient systems in place, operative workload becomes unbalanced and uncertain, and tenants are unlikely to receive an adequate level of service. A recent study by the Better Social Housing Review revealed that 44% of social housing tenants are dissatisfied with the manner in which repairs to their homes are carried out.
Reasons cited for this dissatisfaction include long waits between complaint and repair, and poor-quality work. These complaints will need to be taken more seriously when the Social Housing Regulation Act comes into effect on April 1, 2024.
Under the Act, social housing landlords (including housing associations and ALMOs) will have to adhere to strict new rules surrounding maintenance and repairs, with unlimited fines for non-compliance. Provisions of the Act stipulate that complaint handling must not go beyond a 2-stage process, and that complaints should be dealt with within strict timeframes.
The software solution
Given these legislative pressures, housing providers need to ensure they have a robust system in place for the deployment of maintenance and repairs. By delivering high first-time fix rates, providers can mitigate against complaints, and provide a high level of service to their customers.
Implementing the right software means that scheduling becomes optimised, with zero reliance on paper. The ideal software should find the best route to the job, defining the necessary human and non-human resources at the planning stage. This reduces waste, minimises operative downtime, and delivers a faster service to the customer.
“The live tracking function is proving a hit with customers, no more waiting around and not knowing when the plumber will arrive!”
Lesley Doran, Head of Office Functions, Riverside Housing
Field Service Management software from OneAdvanced ticks all of these boxes, with dynamic scheduling capabilities that optimise work in real-time, planning the best route for the operative, and ensuring the right person gets to the right job. Used by the biggest providers in the UK – including Riverside Housing Associations – Field Service Management ensures information is shared seamlessly between office-based teams and field workers.
With Field Service Management’s Operative on Way feature, customers receive real-time updates on the operative journey. This allows the customer to manage their day accordingly, giving them the same level of service they have come to expect from online shopping and other delivery services. In short, Field Service Management brings time savings, cost savings, and improved efficiency, along with greatly improved levels of customer satisfaction.
Discover best-in-class field service management software from OneAdvanced.