New Systems are go!

NEW SYSTEMS are go...

In May 2017, Rooftop procured a replacement housing management system (HMS) to replace its current system which, has been in use since long before stock transfer way back in 1994. In May 2017 we awarded the contract to Aareon UK Ltd for their product, QL Housing.

Aareon UK Ltd are one of the leading providers of housing management systems in the UK accounting for over 5 million homes being managed through QL Housing.

The explosion in digital technology means that the current system is becoming a hindrance to the aims of the organisation and in particular, the desire to give customers and staff the ability to interact in a much more modern and efficient way.

A good example of this is our existing customer portal which allows customers to log a repair. What happens in reality is that a request made over the internet generates an email to a generic inbox. Staff at Rooftop have to constantly monitor for emails. When a request is received, that email is then converted into a job by a member of staff on our current HMS. More often than not, they have to phone the customer back to make the appointment. This is because our system does not currently talk to our contractor’s appointment system. This is why we currently cannot offer appointments over the internet.

With the QL HMS we are building it so that low cost, high volume jobs can be ordered, including an appointment, without the need for Rooftop staff to get involved. Via the mobile app or the customer portal, registered users will be able to use interactive software to identify the repair, raise the order and choose an appointment slot. Once submitted, all that information will pass seamlessly into the new QL system and automatically on to our contractors.

Staff will also benefit from the new technology. An app will allow us to access customer details when we visit them and send data back to QL, quickly and easily via a tablet or smart phone. Our building inspectors, for example, will be able to carry out inspections without the need to return to the office to raise the repair order. Using the staff app, they will be able to convert their inspection ticket straight to a works order there and then!

18SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOP

One of the main drivers for change is that the old system is simply not up to the job, accessing different parts of the system that do not talk to each other and having to use spreadsheets to hold certain information creates a very fragmented and frustrating experience for customers and staff alike.

As part of the implementation we will have a new Customer Record Management system (CRM). This will give us a much better view of our customers when they interact with us. Information on all key areas of a customer’s journey will be available at the click of a single button. The overview screen (as shown in the screenshot below) will act as a one stop shop, showing information such as previous contacts, rent balances and current repairs orders.

The single integrated database of QL Housing holds everything in one place, creating a CRM that will meet expectations of customers. Staff can see information from a single screen creating a consistency of service.

When a contact is created in the CRM, it fires actions and workflows, with timescales to them, to prompt staff to deal with them. It is fair to say that CRM is the central to our drive for improved customer service.

You will also be able to contact Rooftop in new ways! Weare currently building our text messaging service whichgive customers the ability to access information by simplysending a text to us. Being able to access your currentrent balance or list of current repairs orders will be possibleby texting the ‘balance’ or ‘repair’ direct into the database.More details on this will be published in due course.

So, when does all this wonderful new technology go live?

Monday 29th October 2018 !!

(No pressure on the project manager!)By John Sutton, HMS Project Manager

EDITION 91 SUMMER 2018 19