Your Housing Group says it has boosted the efficiency of its field force operations by using the FLS VISITOUR scheduling solution from FAST LEAN SMART (FLS), reporting a 25-32% increase in productivity for operatives.
Following a strategic business review that set new objectives for operational efficiencies to achieve value for money and customer satisfaction targets, Your Housing Group (YHG) embarked on a technology investment and digital transformation programme.
Based in the north of England with 29,000 homes, YHG utilises Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 platform and selected FLS VISITOUR to provide a dynamic scheduling and mobile solution that could also integrate with its MRI AccuServ repairs management system.
The first priority was to deliver the FLS solution for fix360, YHG’s dedicated repairs team with circa 200 operatives; secondly the voids team; and then subsequent business functions to include surveyors and tenant liaison officers.
Darren Halliwell, Your Housing Group’s chief information officer, said: “We did our research and were determined to find a technology and partner that aligned to our five-year business plan, which had the capability to adapt as we develop and implement our wider technology roadmap.
“At the heart of our functional requirements was dynamic scheduling and accurate routing.”
YHG proceeded with a formal tender, ultimately choosing FLS.
Project delivery
As the project started, the global pandemic meant workshops had to be held remotely.
Darren Halliwell said: “Our joint team adapted well to the new circumstances, and it did not hinder timescales or quality of design.
“FLS provided accelerators and guidance for integration that was tailored by our team to unique requirements.
“We went live on time and on budget and have been exceptionally impressed by the adaptability of the product and the FLS consultants who worked with us.”
Fix360 has over 3,000 categories of repair.
Once a customer’s need is qualified by the call centre or via its 24/7 self-service resident portal, Your Home Hub, FLS VISITOUR provides AM/PM appointment choices according to available operatives and existing commitments, with the customer receiving confirmation text messages as reminders.
In partnership with FLS, a repairs app was designed together with operatives, with the forms modified and reduced in a bid to help operatives deliver a more efficient service and quicker completion of jobs.
Adrian Mostyn, head of Repairs and Maintenance at Your Housing Group, said: “Our new way of working has been transformational for my team – we’re completing around 30% more jobs per operative on a like-for-like basis, which is tremendous.”
During the pandemic, YHG says the FLS solution enabled it to to assign scheme-approved operatives who had the skillset to support on repairs and maintenance for those specific schemes.
Post pandemic, new pressures emerged including rising costs and shortage of materials, fuel prices, wage pressures, and challenges retaining and hiring new operatives, increasing focus on sustainability, and reducing carbon emissions.
Adrian Mostyn said: “The FLS solution has proven flexible and functional, enabling us to make the best use of resources available, with sustainability and costs in mind, and to focus on our objectives as a business.”
Voids
The next area of focus was the voids team.
The inspector first visits the property and captures the work and sequence of trades required in the FLS mobile app.
This is fed back to Dynamics, which owns the overall process.
Conan McKinley, director of Asset Management, said: “Our investment in FLS has provided a tool we can rely on across the business, rather than just repairs and maintenance, which is its USP.
“FLS is more adaptable than alternatives and is revolutionising the internal management of scheduling for YHG, providing a clear insight for how to manage teams, delivering the right service at the right time to the customer.”
Darren Halliwell said: “With FLS, we brought experience from outside the sector and applied it to social housing, using all of that knowledge, maximising the opportunity for this organisation.”
The project received recognition at the Housing Digital Innovation Awards 2023, with Your Housing Group a finalist for ‘Best Digital Transformation’.
Main image: fix360 with a Your Housing Group customer
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