Housing Solutions has launched a new AI-powered repairs tool in collaboration with its digital partner, Prodo.
Having worked with Prodo on a number of digital projects in recent years, including its self-service tenant portal, Housing Solutions was keen to collaborate with them again on the development of AI Assist.
AI Assist is a diagnostic solution for repairs built on the Azure platform. It lets tenants ‘snap and send’ boiler identification details via a single photo. The visual diagnostic tool has been trained on machine-learning models to correctly identify gas boilers and damp problems with near 100 per cent accuracy. Housing Solutions said that it plans to extend the tool’s capabilities to cover the most commonly-reported repairs.
By enabling tenants to simply send a picture of their problem, they can bypass lengthy repair-reporting processes on the phone or online as well as limit the need for them to interpret or diagnose problems themselves. The AI Assist data-collection process also means that repairs are reported in the same way each time, reducing data inconsistencies and the need for clarifications. And with access to more accurate and relevant data and images, Housing Solutions’ engineers are expected to achieve a higher rate of first-time fixes.
Rich Harvey, head of digital and information services, Housing Solutions, said, “It’s fundamental to housing providers’ success that they become truly digital. That’s why we’ve made online the first choice for our tenants, and our joint AI Assist development with Prodo shows just how much we’re pushing boundaries.”
