Mobile technology is rapidly developing and early-adopting housing providers are already seeing the benefits to their frontline staff, field service operators and their customers. Capability is developing all the time and some technology specialists are working directly with housing providers to provide systems exactly tailored to the housing sector.
There are three elements that make mobile technology so appealing to housing providers:
- First-time fix: sending the right person, with the right skills, at the right time;
- Financial efficiency: reducing overhead costs and minimising waste;
- Improved tenant experience: the ability to self-serve via online tools and apps.
As tempting as these benefits may sound, it’s worth remembering that it’s crucial to choose a mobile solution accurately aligned to your business processes. When selecting mobile systems to enhance your offer, the specific requirements of your day-to-day operations must be taken into account; the mobility workflow solution needs to work for you.
For example, a member of staff might be called out to an ASB case – a situation that is likely to entail a multi-faceted or even multi-agency approach. The case may require a range of responses and need a more sophisticated tool to record the entire process in one place. It would include elements such as the ability to take witness statements, record signatures and take photographs, so every aspect of the task is mobile.
The capacity for mobile repairs has been around for some time, with varying degrees of success. New products are evolving to better support dynamic management and scheduling. These products ensure that an operative can complete a task end-to-end with a properly thought through business process such as, for example, the ability to take payments for chargeable repairs. This saves a huge amount of time for staff (one visit instead of two) and vastly improves the service to the customer.
So, not only does mobile capability improve the front-line staff experience, it also has the power to greatly improve business functions. There are two key ways in which this is apparent:
- The ability to automate tasks to improve efficiency and effectiveness;
- The ability to remove duplication.
There is some discussion about the difference between mobile apps and mobile applications and their use in the field. There are certainly some processes that appear to be better suited to be delivered as a mobile app on a phone. An example of this might be a tenant checking their rent balance, which is a simple task requiring a just few clicks without the complication of entering personal details, such as an address, every time. However, the data captured via a stand-alone app may need to be integrated with back-office systems, adding another layer of complexity and maintenance overhead.
Mobile applications, however, are the platform to drive true, agile and responsive mobility. Mobile applications ensure that all data is automatically fed back, making the system fully integrated. It holds all relevant data, which can be accessed and actioned remotely. There is a perception that apps from platform-based applications are not as straightforward for the user, but they can be just as intuitive and user friendly, with the added advantage of automatically updating and continually recording all relevant data.
Housing providers will rightly be looking at the potential RoI possibilities of changing their systems to fully mobile solutions. There is no doubt that prudent investment in the right technology can dramatically improve efficiency and therefore RoI. For example, removing the possibility of the duplicated handling of requests means an immediate reduction in wasted staff time, together with improved outcomes.
Mobile solutions can also lead to greater job satisfaction for staff; instead of battling with disparate systems, mobile solutions support staff to deliver right-first-time resolutions to customer requests. Mobile applications also offer the prospect to work flexibly, which is very appealing to some and could lead to greater staff retention.
This new way of working provides the opportunity for a shift toward a mature management style to establish coherent teams. Managers will need to think imaginatively about how to encourage working relationships by creatively scheduling team catch-ups and meetings. This may mean meetings take place in more flexible locations instead of in offices, which has the added advantage of more visibility within the community.
The capacity for dynamic scheduling is of utmost usefulness for housing providers today. It means that field-based staff can hold all the information they need for their daily appointments on a mobile device. For example, if your staff are working over a 25-mile patch, smarter scheduling will make sure those appointments are arranged in the most time-efficient way, eliminating doubling back over the territory or needless trips to and from the office. This depth of scheduling holds specific details of each task, making it easier to achieve right-first-time allocation of staff and resources.
Sequential scheduling is also a particularly beneficial function within a mobile solution. Historically, successful sequential scheduling has been very difficult to achieve. Some new platforms have developed this capacity much more effectively, allowing tasks that require the input of multiple trades to be automatically sequentially scheduled. For example, a replacement door may require a carpenter, a painter and a locksmith; the ability to automatically schedule appointments for these different trades in the right order is very time- and labour-saving.
How does all of this technology work if there is no mobile signal, for example in a rural area? Mobile systems must include offline capabilities. That is, the capability to store data until the device is connected again. This ensures that no information is ever lost and cloud-based technology makes it a reality.
In conclusion, every organisation will come to this new technology with different needs and desired outcomes. Working very closely with the technology provider has to be of primary importance. This is not just an opportunity to choose new software, but an opportunity to choose a new partner to collaborate with you and your staff through the change, support your evolution into the future and take pride in your success.
Mobile solutions offer a new way of working with a 360-degree overview of the business. However, it can be a daunting prospect to know where to start. Carefully choosing a sympathetic technology provider capable of supporting housing providers to realise their full potential in a fast-changing world is the first step.
Cher Lewney is head of housing for Hitachi Solutions Europe.
