INDUSTRY LEADING TECHNOLOGY

It’s technology for a fast growing consumer base of home owners who understand the benefits of mobile communication! Just consider the facts …

• 57% of adults use their mobile phones for internet access. Mobile telephony is vital for the UK’s economic competitiveness, and in promoting social inclusion

• Household take-up of tablet computers has almost doubled over the past year to 44% up from 24% in 2013 and 11% in 2012. 14% of homes claim to have two or more

• Over 35% of tablet users say the device is their main way of connecting to the internet – only 29% preferring to use a laptop

Happy as we were with our old system which had served us well since 2002, the time had come to take it up a notch and provide clients and occupants with access to our system to fulfil their varied and many needs After 12 months of planning and system build we went live in February 2015 with a roll out of Microsoft Dynamics’ CRM platform. For the less interested of our readers that simply means we have one of the most powerful advanced software packages available to manage our service and provide the latest in customer relationship management. Okay I know it may still sound pretty dull – but it’s not. Forget the ‘techy’ acronyms and look at user benefits. By user I’m referring to three groups in particular.

• Homeowner or occupant

• Developer or Housing Association

• Contractor

After Build provides a growing suite of fixed-price services to the new build sector, post pc, of which our core offer is defect management. To achieve cost effective service we have focussed on providing the widest array of communication channels possible. Clearly we couldn’t overlook the nations’ growing love affair with smart phone and tablet technology. We already know that for years the preferred method of defect reporting has been email – because pretty much everyone has access to it at some point in their day (at home or at work). So we have designed our new system to provide an internet portal for homeowners/occupants to:

• Report a problem

• Track an existing problem

• Participate in customer service polls

Contact is through a secure password protected environment in which only information relevant to their address can be viewed. The upsides are many and apparent, not least the utter convenience (log on at anytime from anywhere) but the ability to interact with updates and information otherwise not traditionally available without talking to a Coordinator.

In balance we have created a separate portal for clients. So developers and Housing Associations have the same level of password protected access to real-time reports. Previously our client base has had to rely on manually produced system updates that have been emailed out at pre-agreed points of the month. No more! If a developer needs to know how many plumbing failures have occurred at a specific site – and its 3am on a Sunday – the information is sitting waiting for them to retrieve it.

Our ability to better serve the contractor is also substantially enhanced, largely due to the speed and additional automation Dynamics is able to provide.

Underlying the technology is over a decade of system evolution. That is all of the data we have collected concerning every aspect of defects reported and actions taken – across the UK as a whole. But also the layers of questions asked, actions taken and procedures implemented. Our Q&A rich files have now been stitched together with clever Work Flow Processes that help reduce error or omission, resulting in quicker outcomes and greater accuracy.