Housing Technology interviewed senior housing executives from Askporter, FLS – Fast Lean Smart, Infinity Group, MIS Active Management Systems, NEC Housing, Plentific, Propeller and Voicescape about how housing provider can improve their maintenance and repairs operations through fewer bottlenecks and unresolved repairs and more first-time fixes and, ultimately, happier tenants.
What are the common causes of poorly-performing repairs & maintenance operations
Kay Aston, head of product at NEC Housing, said, “A successful repair starts with an accurate diagnosis of the problem that needs to be fixed. A plumber called in to fix a water leak might arrive to find that an electrician is also needed to replace a damaged wall socket, a plasterer to repair the wall and then a painter to redecorate. What seemed like a quick job suddenly becomes more complicated and can’t be finished the same day.
“Good information is critical to the success of repairs and maintenance operations. You need to be able to see at a glance what jobs are in progress, which are at risk of running over agreed timescales and where follow-on repairs are needed. This helps housing teams to manage challenges and quickly address the issues that will affect customer satisfaction.”
Chris McLaughlin, managing director of MIS Active Management Systems, said, “A common cause of underperformance is the lack of a full understanding of the types of repairs needed. It’s important to have an overview of not only how jobs are coordinated between operatives with different skills but also how they are managed across each day, if the right operative is available for the job and whether they are multi-skilled or if a specialist is needed.
“Furthermore, no-access rates significantly affect the effectiveness of operations, which are often the result of a lack of communication.”
Ben Yexley, head of business development at Askporter, said, “Inefficiencies often stem from poor communication through archaic networks, fragmented information exchange and outdated processes. Lack of coordination between residents, call-centre staff, contractors and housing providers themselves leads to delays and incomplete repairs.
“Inaccurate or incomplete information capture can lead to repairs staff having to make initial site visits solely for diagnosis. These visits often lack the necessary time, tools or expertise to resolve the issue at the first visit. The prevailing acceptance of a ‘diagnosis-first visit’ results in inefficient scheduling, contributing to growing backlogs of maintenance requests and unnecessary costs.”
Ian Hippach, commercial director at Propeller, said, “In our experience, the main causes are a reliance on manual job-scheduling processes and poor contractor management.
“Adopting manual processes or not using a suitable system to organise repairs and maintenance visits takes up too much time, increases the risk of errors and often fails to allocate the right resources. Engineers can be assigned to jobs that don’t match their skills or they’re not prepared for.
“Inefficiencies then filter through a repairs and maintenance operation and snowball further because performance isn’t properly monitored. If service level agreements aren’t met, contractors are rarely held to account and when they are, the demand for remedial action isn’t strong enough to drive positive change.”
Where are the common technology bottlenecks?
Jeremy Squire, managing director of FLS – Fast Lean Smart, said, “Legacy systems without the ability to connect or unify repairs and maintenance operatives result in technology bottlenecks. Consider the right technology for the right job; for example, many housing management systems lack the necessary specialist functionalities that can solve persistent resourcing issues.
“Many housing providers are tempted to delay adopting these functions because of their perceived complexity, such as application integration. Service automation must be financially worthwhile; value creation isn’t just cost savings, but ongoing business management to improve tenants’ satisfaction.”
Sarah McRow, head of housing sales at Infinity Group, said, “A lack of real-time integration to contractors’ systems and an over-reliance on manual updates are the main problems. And where integrations do exist, there is often a lack of detail about the progress of jobs, resulting in the both call-centre and resident being in the dark about the status of a job.
“With good integrations, not only do the resident and call-centre know the exact status of the repair but also service issues, such as a lack of resources for a given trade, can be reported and actioned.
“More generally, poor integration between systems for repairs, contractors, voids and asset management inevitably leads to a disjointed view of the overall maintenance history for a property – what was fixed or replaced when, and how much did it cost?”
Emily Shaw, product director at Plentific, said, “The main technology bottlenecks often stem from fragmented systems paired with disparate communication channels.
“Many housing providers rely on outdated systems which don’t provide open APIs, making it very hard to streamline workflows or share data between teams and service providers. This elongates the repairs process unnecessarily and leads to information falling through the cracks.”
Nicola Brown, head of account management at Voicescape, said, “The over-reliance on booking and rescheduling appointments manually is a key bottleneck; housing providers simply can’t afford to do things this way any more.
“Many housing providers still rely on outdated methods, such as prescriptive appointment-setting, which lead to inefficiencies and missed visits. When you lack real-time data integration across platforms, it can also hinder the process and affect the customer experience, resulting in delays.”
Why are some jobs unresolved for so long?
NEC Housing’s Aston said, “When multiple tradespeople are needed to complete a repair, a lack of co-ordination between teams can cause unnecessary delays. This can be further complicated when work might need to be coordinated between different contractors, each running different systems.
“Effective planning is crucial to keep each stage on track. For example, a wall might need tiling in a bathroom after a toilet has been replaced. With the right plan in place, the tiler will know exactly when they must go in to start their part of the job and what equipment is needed to complete it. Details such as whether there are elderly people or those caring for vulnerable residents in the household should be shared too so work can be prioritised.”
Propeller’s Hippach said, “A lack of resources and budget can be to blame along with a tendency to put more complex jobs on the back burner. For example, if there’s a leak into a tenant’s front room which needs multiple trades to fix such as a plumber, electrician and plasterer. Trying to manually coordinate and manage those different trades can be challenging, so inevitably the job will take longer to resolve.”
Voicescape’s Brown said, “Our research shows that when jobs remain unresolved, it’s often due to no-access problems and breakdowns in communications between tenants and housing providers. Without an efficient system to coordinate appointments or follow up with tenants, jobs get pushed back.
“It’s therefore essential to engage tenants in the whole process; they need to understand how important these appointments are and that housing providers are invested in securing their family’s safety.”
How can you achieve more first-time fixes?
Plentific’s Shaw said, “Housing providers can achieve more first-time fixes by thoroughly reviewing their current processes and identifying areas for increased optimisation. Breaking down the repairs process into its constituent parts, from diagnosis to delivery, can yield multiple opportunities for improvement.
“Some of these might be technology-led improvements, while others might be operational changes; I’ve found that the best results are often driven by a combination of the two. We’ve shown that first-time fix rates can rise to as high as 93 per cent through the use of real-time data and automations to make effective decisions from the outset of the repair journey.”
FLS’s Squire said, “To increase first-time fix rates, housing providers must set themselves suitable targets, such as ‘time to respond’ ‘time to fix’ and ‘value for money’, because managing asset data, better HMS-CRM integrations and seamless customer service tools only go so far.
“One example is to truly understand appointment types. Algorithm-backed dynamic planning supports housing providers in meeting their obligations and quality goals, including reactive repairs, compliance checks, annual upkeep, linking jobs and audits; these are all complex appointments to manage.
“Effective workforce scheduling requires real-time data, flexibility and a clear understanding of the cost and capabilities of the operatives and their equipment. A dynamic workforce scheduling system will consider factors such as operative availability, skills, proximity to job sites, job priority and SLAs when designing schedules.”
Askporter’s Yexley said, “Housing providers can achieve more first-time fixes by using technology for accurate diagnostics capture, scheduling and communication, all of which improve resident satisfaction.
“The first and most important goal should be getting an accurate diagnosis at first contact by capturing as much information as possible from the customer in a helpful and friendly way. Traditional diagnostics scripts unfortunately don’t cut it anymore; instead, dynamic diagnostics are significantly more helpful. Acting in this way also avoids the need for investigatory visits and multiple emails back and forth.
“When teams have access to solutions which provide operatives with job details, history and resident information, the need for follow-up visits and multiple specialists at various times is reduced.
“Through data-driven insights and better communications between residents and teams, housing providers can ensure that operatives are better prepared, leading to a more efficient service provision and happier residents.”
Voicescape’s Brown said, “Housing providers need to improve tenant engagement by using automation to achieve a more consultative approach to booking appointments. A system that allows tenants to choose convenient times creates greater choice and reduces instances of missed appointments or no-access visits, all helping towards more first-time fixes.”
What do operatives & engineers need?
Propeller’s Hippach said, “First of all, technology should be used to ensure an operative is assigned to the most appropriate task. For example, intelligent scheduling will allocate work by priority, availability, location and skills.
“When an operative arrives to do the job, instant access to property information such as details of asbestos registers, earlier repairs and the condition of appliances will save them significant time and improve performance. With the right software, all this information can be viewed via an app on a mobile device and updated in real time.
“The ability to validate electrical and gas certificates on a mobile app is another significant time saver, improving service levels, and minimising the risk of non compliance. For the housing provider, all information recorded during a visit can be fed into a dashboard to provide real-time visibility of compliance and any outstanding actions.”
NEC Housing’s Aston said, “Access to an accurate and full understanding of the repair needed, alongside relevant details on the household, can make a huge difference to a repair team’s ability to do a good job.
“For example, a team sent to fix a broken roof should know if there is a young child or a dangerous dog on the property so they can make sure that access points, like garden gates, are secured for everyone’s safety. And if operatives are aware of asbestos at the property in advance, they can carry out the relevant safety assessments before they start work.”
MIS’s McLaughlin said, “From a technology perspective, operatives and engineers need a better understanding of the role they play within the wider field of housing operations.
“The training of operatives and engineers is key to accessing the wider benefits of technology. Often incremental changes based on the analysis of data can drive huge improvements in job completions.”
Plentific’s Shaw said, “To do their jobs better, operatives need access to real-time, accurate information via a centralised platform. This ensures they have the relevant details, tools and materials at the right time. Additionally, better communication paths to coordinate with tenants and property managers help prevent unnecessary delays.
“Giving operatives the ability to complete their work on-the-go with a native app that can be downloaded onto their phones or tablets will make them more efficient, yield better results and increase job satisfaction.”
What drives tenant satisfaction?
Askporter’s Yexley said, “Faster response times and efficient communication are the two key drivers for residents’ satisfaction with repairs and maintenance. Residents appreciate when call-out requests are addressed as smoothly and quickly as possible. Quick and simple answers to confirm that maintenance is on the way or provide residents with self-help solutions or measures to stop problems evolving all help to reassure and build trust.
“Proactive communication is hugely important in keeping residents informed and thereby increasing satisfaction throughout the repair process. Regular updates reduce uncertainty and frustration because residents are in the loop. At the same time, creating a flow of automated information fosters a sense of transparency.”
FLS’s Squire said, “Some housing providers may prioritise reactive or emergency repairs over planned maintenance due to rising costs, such as fuel and skills retention. This approach can lead to a cycle of tenant dissatisfaction and escalating complaints.
“Real-time management helps mitigate these risks by optimising productivity and deploying operatives with the right skills and resources (including parts and training) at the right time. This ensures timely, effective service, reducing the need for reactive repairs and improving overall maintenance. The balance between value for money and tenant satisfaction comes in cost-optimisation; what is the cost, both in real terms and the cost you have assigned to your SLAs and KPIs?”
NEC Housing’s Aston said, “Anyone who has ever taken time off work or changed their normal routine to be at home for a delivery or a tradesperson who doesn’t turn up when expected will know how irritating this can be.
“You are therefore much more likely to keep a resident happy if you can send an automatic email to confirm their report of a broken door has been received then ensure they are fully informed of the progress of the repair, including any changes in the time or date you are due to arrive so people can adjust their plans without being inconvenienced.
“Residents are far more likely to rate their housing provider highly in satisfaction surveys if their repairs are fixed on the first visit, with no need for repeat appointments, and they’ve been kept informed of progress along the way.”
Quantitative metrics for improved repairs & maintenance
FLS’s Squire said, “Predictive analytics are adding huge value for housing providers to improve their repairs and maintenance operations, achieving faster response times and more first-time fixes. For example, data is helping planning teams to avoid long lead-times for spare parts across different times of the year, as well as predicting mechanical failures years ahead of time.
“FLS has partnered with Amey Secure Infrastructure to meet its business needs across the 33,500 military homes it manages. Alongside Amey’s customers, FLS has developed a customer self-service portal featuring SMS and email notifications with real-time tracking of operatives’ arrival times.
“Our partnership is on track to surpass our repairs and maintenance targets, alongside significant cost savings, a 20 per cent increase in completed tasks and a 25 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.”
Plentific’s Shaw said, “Housing providers using Plentific’s platform have seen significant improvements in their repairs and maintenance operations, all of which can be reported on from within the platform’s analytics offering.
“For example, housing providers have reported a 93 per cent first-time fix rate and 92 per cent resident satisfaction for repairs completed via the platform. Additionally, many have achieved up to 25 per cent operational cost savings through more streamlined repair processes, reduced inefficiencies and faster. These tangible improvements show how a single platform for repairs and supply chain management streamlines workflows, using the latest technologies to improve performance.”
Voicescape’s Brown said, “Positive real-world results are being seen by many repairs and maintenance teams. For example, by using Voicescape Compliance, Places for People saw a 32 per cent decrease in its no-access rate for gas safety checks.
“Platform Housing Group also achieved an increase in access rates, and South Tyneside Homes reported engagement rates above 50 per cent since implementing Voicescape’s automated communication platform.”
Propeller’s Hippach said, “For the past five years, we’ve been working with Ateb Group to improve the efficiency of its repairs and maintenance operation, with our cloud-based workforce management system replacing the housing provider’s previous manual processes.
“Live reporting, which provides a real-time view of Ateb’s compliance and servicing requirements, has helped Ateb to achieve a compliance status of 98-100 per cent.
“Our software also ensures consistent communications with tenants, improving engagement and no-access rates. This has enabled Ateb’s heating and plumbing team to achieve consistently high customer satisfaction rates of 99-100 per cent.”
Housing Technology would like to thank Ben Yexley (Askporter), Jeremy Squire (FLS – Fast Lean Smart), Sarah McRow (Infinity Group), Chris McLaughlin (MIS Active Management Systems), Kay Aston (NEC Housing), Emily Shaw (Plentific), Ian Hippach (Propeller) and Nicola Brown (Voicescape) for their editorial contributions to this article.
