A Better Repair and Maintenance Service Comes from Keeping it Personal

Can repair and maintenance (R&M) become too focused on numbers? Data collection and reporting certainly has to be thorough as there has to be accountability. And there are many elements in each contract that have to be tracked, which can become a significant task – perhaps an overwhelming one if you don’t have efficient systems.

But behind the numbers there are people’s lives. These are greatly affected by how we work and how well we deliver. The resident customer experience is hard to break down into contract deliverables that can be ticked off and added to the performance data. Beyond response times and first-time fixes there are a range of issues surrounding what we are like to work with as an organisation and as individuals.

The same can be said for the representatives of the local authorities and housing associations we work with. They work in a demanding environment where the need to stay in control has to be balanced with the flexibility to respond to changing needs. Openness, problem solving and a willingness to share financial risks and rewards are prominent concerns.

Profits or People?

Financial data can be a driver in many R&M partnerships. In large corporate entities it is often short-term financial goals that set the agenda. This is particularly marked in the UK where institutional investors own the lion’s share of large companies. These institutions have a responsibility to maximise investor returns rather than to build for the future.

As a privately-owned business our priorities are different. An R&M partnership that delivered a profitable return but didn’t provide an experience that residents appreciated and valued wouldn’t be a win.

The New Deal for Social Housing calls for technical excellence alongside a strong service outcome so that residents are more empowered and involved. This is about personal interactions, how people are consulted and whether anybody is listening, as much as it is about delivery of repairs, upgrades and voids.

It may be possible to instill a greater customer service focus through contractual terms, but it’s much easier if you choose a partner that has this approach at the core of their business in the first place.