Direct, effective communication is the foundation of any successful working relationship. This is especially true between tenants and housing trade operatives, who rely on efficient communications when repairs and maintenance are required.
Good communication leads to faster problem-solving and service delivery, ultimately enhancing tenant satisfaction. However, many social housing providers struggle with their communication channels, which causes unnecessary delays and frustrations for everyone involved.
With the right software, this issue can be quickly resolved, improving overall performance, reducing costs, and fostering a greater sense of trust between tenants and social housing providers.
Here, we discuss the benefits of facilitating direct communication between tenants and mobile operatives in more detail.
Improves first-time fix rates
When tenants can speak to operatives directly before an appointment, either by message or call, they can clarify the exact nature of the repair. They can also share photos or videos of the issue and answer questions in real-time. This means the right tools, materials and expertise can be made available.
This increases the chances of a first-time fix, as operatives can start diagnosing the problem more accurately before they arrive on-site. By reducing the need for repeat appointments, social housing providers can lower their operating costs.
Reduces missed appointments and no-access cases
Good communication tools enable operatives to confirm if the tenant is home before they leave for a job, so they can adjust arrival times accordingly and reschedule or cancel the visit in advance.
Tenants can inform operatives of last-minute issues, preventing wasted trips and improving scheduling efficiency. No-access cases are incredibly costly for social housing providers, which is another major reason why reducing wasted trips is so important.
Enhances tenant satisfaction and trust
Allowing tenants to engage directly with operatives makes them feel more involved in the repairs process, fostering transparency and building trust.
It helps social housing providers to offer a more personal and responsive service, with real-time updates and the ability to discuss concerns efficiently. This leads to higher overall tenant satisfaction and an improvement in an organisation’s reputation.
Speeds up emergency repairs
When an emergency strikes, such as a leak or an electrical fault, direct communication allows tenants to provide operatives with real-time updates about the situation. Operatives can then assess the severity of the issue and respond as soon as possible, ensuring quicker response times and better prioritisation for critical repairs.
It also means operatives can offer safety advice, helping to prevent further damage or risk to the tenant.
Reduces burden on contact centres
Nobody likes the arduous task of having to exchange back-and-forth calls with contact centres. This is especially true for tenants seeking urgent repairs and maintenance. By eliminating the need to call a contact centre all the time, tenants and operatives can sort routine inquiries and scheduling matters out between them.
The reduction in call volumes also frees up time for office staff to focus on other tenant needs. This means they can handle more complex or urgent cases and cut operational costs.
Supports digital and self-service solutions
Modern housing management is increasingly reliant on digital tools to streamline processes. Online portals and mobile apps have changed the game for social housing providers offering repairs and maintenance services.
Revolutionary housing repairs platforms, such as ROCC Resolve and ROCC Tracker, can provide in-app messaging and automated SMS updates between tenants and operatives. This ensures communication remains traceable, secure and convenient without requiring excessive phone calls.
Therefore, tenants can benefit from reporting issues, tracking progress and communicating with operatives in real-time.
Conclusion: A more efficient and tenant-centric repairs service
To summarise, as a social housing provider, you can benefit from the following by enabling direct communication:
- Reduced inefficiencies
- Lower operational costs
- Enhanced tenant experience
- A happier operative workforce
- Improved repairs and maintenance service performance.
This approach rewards tenants, operatives and housing teams, creating a more responsive and cost-effective service.
If you want to benefit from everything we have discussed in this article, then reach out to our customer service team. At ROCC, our market-leading housing software gives you the tools to revolutionise your repairs service.
ROCC Resolve – our stand-alone automation platform for managing responsive and planned housing maintenance and repairs – can increase business performance up to 35% above any existing system in place with AI-driven automation.
Plus, it can be easily attached to any existing housing maintenance technology stack to provide huge improvements within hours.
Contact us today for more information.
