Peaks & Plains Housing Trust is now using Capita’s OpenAccess software to create a tenant portal, integrated with its OpenHousing, DRS and Totalmobile software for housing management, scheduling and mobile working.
Gary Naylor, repairs operations manager, Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, said, “By using OpenAccess integrated with OpenHousing, DRS and Totalmobile, the tenant simply logs into their account to report a repair, which then automatically raises a job and searches the maintenance team’s diary for the next available slots. These are then offered immediately to the tenant to select and book their appointment. Customers can also upload photos of the repair and a description, so that the maintenance engineer can arrive as prepared as possible to fix the issue on the spot, reducing the need for a second visit.”
Neil Bancroft, head of service improvement, Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, said, “Already more than a third of our customers, around 2,000 people, have signed up to manage their account online and around 30 per cent of the available repairs and inspections are now booked via the portal. More than 4,000 rent payments have also been made online.
“And because OpenHousing is fully integrated, whenever our tenants make a payment, log a repair, or change their contact details, this is all written directly into our Open database as a result, we have the most up-to-date information in real-time, ensuring we’re better able to get in touch with our tenants, and that we have the full picture at our fingertips.”