Hotline to an integrated service through the PfH Materials Framework stores solution!

PfH Member Blackpool Coastal Housing (BCH) has implemented a remote working solution for the Property Service’s in-house maintenance team. To put the system together and tailor it specifically to the organisation’s needs, BCH teamed up with Telecetera. The Connect system, as it is called, handles all aspects of the Property Service’s workflow management requirements, and covers appointing and scheduling, SOR codes and skill sets, job costing, stock control, location monitoring and lone worker protection, and time sheets.

During the first phase, implemented from February this year, BCH has focused on its repairs services, but forthcoming phases of the system will focus on voids management, gas and electrical repairs. The system integrates front and back office functions to provide “seamless handling of repair requests”. The Repairs Hotline has access to real-time job information throughout the day, so that customers have access to an accurate and informative response at the first point of contact.

“Quality of customer service is important to BCH and we want to provide a service that is more ‘cutting edge’,” said Sharon Pickford, customer support manager. “The appointing and scheduling function within the system allows the Repair Hotline to make intelligent and appropriate appointments with our customers.

“The Connect system informs staff of where they need to be, when they need to be there, and ensures they arrive at the right time, with the right equipment and have enough time to complete the repair ‘right first time’. BCH’s mobile solution means technicians are never sent to fix something they don’t know about. Effective fault diagnosis means they know exactly what parts to use.”

Connect’s automated approach to job recording eliminates the need for timesheets, BCH says, which saves technicians time in filling out ‘old fashioned’ paper sheets. A further advantage is that it provides a more accurate approach to job costing, thereby reducing delays in the approval of work and also in the required administration time and associated costs.

Other advantages to the Connect system include the ability to undertake risk assessments ensuring that safe working practices are adhered to. The system generates alerts that advise technicians to check their work environment before starting a job. It also provides asbestos alerts, advising staff where the hazardous material is located.

An essential element of the system is the handheld PDA, with each operative being issued one, so that jobs are instantly uploaded wirelessly, to enable constant communication between ‘home base’ and ‘front line’. The devices also allow information on the diverse needs of tenants to be sent to the technicians while they are in transit. This ensures that BCH can provide a service tailor-made to the needs of its most vulnerable tenants, the organisation says.

This roving, wireless approach is assisted by the use of a GPS vehicle tracking system, supplied by M asternaut, to work alongside the Connect mobile working system. By working closely with its new supply chain partner ‘Builders Supplies’ and Procurement for Housing, BCH has also provided an automated store system that sits alongside these other aspects of the system to create a seamless union. “Our all-inclusive approach, capturing the core business elements, means that we now have the ability to get the correct technician with the appropriate skills to attend appointments with the customer, in the most efficient manner with the knowledge we have all the materials on our vehicles to ensure we complete a first time fix,”Pickford added.

“These initiatives are supported by the partnering arrangements we have in place for our stores provision, via the Procurement for Housing Materials Agreement. We have now developed a dedicated mobile stores solution which has resulted in BCH not needing to set up a depot and having all materials delivered to site. These arrangements have also eliminated the need for a myriad of smaller suppliers.”

Overall, BCH anticipates between 30 and 40 per cent efficiency savings as a result of the new integrated system of managing property repairs. In real terms, the organisation has reduced the average cost of a job from £89 to £79. Meanwhile another tangible outcome has been a reduction in the amount of work that has to be sub-contracted out, which is expected to save BCH £360,000 this year alone.  Other savings have included £11,000 on fuel costs as a result of the GPS system and SAFED driver training, while the arrangement with Builders Supplies and the subsequent removal of any overhead for depots has resulted in a saving of £260,000.

“This is a fantastic outcome for tenants who are receiving improved services at a reduced cost,” Pickford added. “We have been able to generate a greater level and more qualitative management information since the introduction of the remote working solution. We are already using this to re-engineer our service provision with the longer term aim of providing a more planned approach to service delivery with the introduction of ‘Property MOT s’ later in 2010. This is anticipated to drive even greater efficiency savings while improving our performance in all areas.”

The ALMO is looking to achieve further efficiency savings as its rolls out the later phases of the implementation programme. The second phase, underway at present, focuses on empty homes, with the aim – among others – of achieving a quicker turnaround of void properties.

“If we can achieve that, then BCH will be able to help people in housing need get a home sooner than at present and we hope to reduce the level of rental loss on empty homes,” Pickford said. “The real time job information will allow accurate and realistic dates to be arranged with the prospective new tenant to move into the property.”

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