Salix Homes has reported that it is saving around £30,000 each year following its introduction of a mobile working system from Kirona, combined with a new housing management system from Northgate.
Salix Homes’ six housing inspectors were given Motion CL 900 tablet devices and so could start their day by picking up their work on the device rather than on paper after a drive to the office which was wasting valuable time. As they conduct each inspection, each inspector completes a report on the tablet which interfaces directly with the main Northgate housing management system.
Salix Homes has a contact centre of ten advisors, so when a repair is called in, the advisors raise the work in the housing management system which interfaces with their contractors’ system. Within minutes, that job appears on the contractors’ system and they can schedule the appointments.
Chris Henry, technical ICT support officer, Salix Homes, said, “One of the highlights is the real time communications between housing inspectors and the housing management system. Interfacing is instant and the inspectors can interact with the system in real time. Previously it would have been the end of the day before the work was even logged. Customers are a lot happier as inspectors can answer more queries on the spot and, for example, check notes on the system about previous repairs.
“The plan is to give our inspectors a dashboard view of each customer while in the field, which would allow us to offer a fully personalised service to each tenant. So much valuable customer data is held in our back-office systems but it’s about the portability of that data and making it available securely on tablets on site that is key to improving our service and efficiency.”
