Watford Community Housing has upgraded two of its 16-storey tower blocks to a Grade D, LD1 fire detection system from Aico. WCH’s high-rise blocks were recently chosen for mandated safety audits under Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue’s supervision. After an initial review of its housing stock, the housing provider decided to upgrade the buildings’ safety systems…
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087 - May 2022
Caledonia Housing’s future of great customer service
One of the few positives to come out of the pandemic has been a greater awareness of the value of technology in creating and nurturing a sense of connection between people. Used well, a digital approach to customer service in our sector will not only streamline operations but also improve the customer experience. Pre-pandemic, the…
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How to get the best out of your bot
Chatbots are having a positive impact on public services, from answering residents’ questions to helping organisations monitor feedback and deal with larger and more complex queries. They’re also good for us as citizens, providing the ability to engage quickly and conveniently, while also providing a safe environment and anonymity to discuss more sensitive matters. How…
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Is SaaS the ultimate win/win solution for housing?
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) could be a silver bullet for housing providers concerned about how to make digital transformation a reality. SaaS can pose a helpful solution by creating a leading IT service without the need for huge back-end modernisation or large IT budgets. For example, many housing providers are opting for chatbots as a way of…
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Ready for the internet of housing?
When we published the UK social housing sector’s first report on the internet of things (IoT) in 2017, IoT was still in its infancy in our sector. In our 2017 survey, the majority of housing providers reported to us that IoT was unimportant to their future plans, had no IoT strategies and that the technology…
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PayPoint invests in Optus Homes
Optus Homes has announced that PayPoint has taken a stake in the company via a £750,000 investment. Unlike traditional tenant web portals, Optus Homes’ native app takes advantage of all smartphone features including fingerprint and facial login, push notifications and geolocation for reporting ASB, among many other smartphone-ready features. Gerry Kelly, CEO, Optus Homes, said,…
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