Devon-based Tor Homes is moving towards mobile working for its 70-strong maintenance and repairs team using a system from Brighton-based ROCC Computers.
The adoption of the new PDA-based service follows Tor Homes’ tenants expressing their frustration at having to stay at home all day for repairs. The new system will give tenants a specific time and date for their repairs appointments, and it will also reduce repair waiting times and cut down on travelling and fuel costs.
John McCue, business maintenance manager, Tor Homes, said, “We regularly ask our tenants about how we can improve our services – they said that when they reported repairs, the lack of a definite appointment was causing frustration. This new service is aimed at tackling that cause of dissatisfaction.
“Prior to the introduction of the mobile technology, team members picked up their job tickets for the day before setting out on their day’s work. This could mean inconvenience for tenants with short notice of appointments and the consequent need to re-schedule the job.”
Each job is now planned on a route so that the appropriate person, such as a plumber, is sent to the nearest property. Now tenants will get definite appointments, with text messages sent to their mobile or landline confirming and reminding them of the appointment time.
The system went live in June 2009 with the gas servicing team. The rest of the direct maintenance team will be using the system by September 2009 as part of Tor Homes’ five-year-contract with ROCC.
Also in the news, ROCC has announced orders of more than £2 million in the last quarter for its Uniclass Enterprise product suite, which includes a browser-based contract management system, mobile scheduling and a KPI reporting system.
