Elde

r Deploying IT systems inasset and customer relations

management

NHF Conference Presentation

Jonathan Elder

12th July 2010

Elde

r “Asset Management” IT Systems• Traditional

– Housing management– Asset management– Finance– Contractor– HR & payroll– Own Website

• Corporate– CRM / Contact Management– Document management– Workflow– ASB– Purchase Order Processing– Scheduling and Appointment Systems– Performance

IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r Housing Management Suppliers

• IBS / Capita• Civica• Orchard• Northgate• Aareon• MIS• Others

– with significant share <2,500 units

IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r Key IT Strategy Choice

• What IT should you develop and deploy next?– Needs? Why mobile? Why Integration?

• Housing System Single Supplier• Housing Best of Breed Suppliers

– Corporate IT Strategy - Supplier Constraints• IT Strategy Factors

– Size / Scale– Scope / Flexibility

IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r So, why mobile?- increased efficiency

• Herefordshire Housing– Reduced operative visits to HQ from 5 to 2 per week

Vale of Aylesbury – Outsourced stores– Reduced annual running costs by £150,000– Stock Cost £400,000 reduced to £60,000– Eliminated warehouse / stores costs

• Rotherham– 1.5 Million sheets of paper taken out of process which in turn

delivered identified saving of £300,000• Across a range of customers

– Reduced fuel costs from 15%-25%– Reduced admin requirements for input of paper tickets- 100%– Reduced workload for planners – 75%

IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r So, why mobile– increased productivity

• Herefordshire Housing– No of jobs per operative per day increased by 2– Savings unnecessary travel 3,500 hours (30 mins per worker

per day)• Powys County Council

– Portal provides timely information to those with low IT skills. Leisure Centre Managers. Head Teachers.

• Stevenage Homes– Operatives complete, record and notify office where additional

jobs required via mobile device as part of standard process• Across a range of customers

– Operative productivity up 20 – 30%– Clearance of jobs backlog– Automated production of timesheets

IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r So, why mobile?– increased customer service

• Coast and Country – Successful appointments from14% to 75%

• Thames Valley Homes– Information to customer service centre reduced by 3-5 days.

Contractors are then notified on Properties / Grounds / Estates– Mobile contractor scorecards has meant a higher standard of

work is delivered first time• Knowsley Housing Trust

– First time fixes from 40% to over 80%• Across a range of customers

– Appointments are made and kept– Customers are notified when operative is on route– Satisfaction and quality measured immediately and negative

feedback responded to within hoursIT Systems Breakout

Elde

r

IT Systems Breakout

Mobile Technology Business Case- Drivers and Options

• Cost efficiencies• Keeping in touch• Increased productivity• Increased customer service• Management Information• Options

– Single Supplier Housing System– Corporate Enterprise Platform

• Best of Breed

Elde

r Single (or Prime) Suppliereg Northgate Housing

• Northgate Housing is an advanced system. It provides housing functionality, it integrates with other key functions; CRM, self-service and remote working.

• The system takes away manual tasks to increase all-round business performance. Helps achieve target efficiencies.

• e-Government principles and meet e-Government targets. Can deploy it over the Internet.

• Northgate Housing is a scaleable, modular system that offers the following functionalities;

• MyPortalTask Manager Housing AdviceHousing OptionsAllocationsChoice Based LettingsHomelessness Estate Management

Customer ServicesSupport Services Void ManagementRents and Arrears ManagementeBenefitsService ChargesProperty PurchasePrivate LeasingRepairsRepairFinderContractors and dynamic schedulingPlanned MaintenanceCodeman Asset ManagementProperty LifecycleEnergy Performance CertificatesMappingSelf-Service and InterFinderIntelligent MobileOpen Business TransactionsDocuments QueryView – Management InformationTargetView - Executive Information

IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r Mobile Platform

• Provides a range of components which together enable the configuration of best practice mobile applications:

Application ServerForms ManagementWeb Document PortalData WarehouseField Report Generator

Plus options:Job Point GPS TrackingDiary & SchedulingIntegration

IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r

IT Systems Breakout

EPCElectrical

CertsGasInspectionVoids

Mobile Supplier1st Touch – Solution overview

ResponsiveRepairs

1st TouchMobile

GuaranteedSecure data delivery

Integration toMultipleBack office

DataWarehouse

YARDLEY Wk Ending 3rd Sep

Wk Ending 10th Sep

Wk Ending 17th Sep

Wk Ending 24th Sep

Wk Ending 1st Oct

Wk Ending 8th Oct

Wk Ending 15th Oct

Wk Ending 29th Oct Trend Average

To Date

% Completed 49% 48% 53% 53% 35% 34% 34% 42% 43%% Follow On Required 21% 19% 17% 19% 23% 21% 20% 16% 20%% No Access 13% 14% 14% 16% 14% 14% 14% 12% 14%

% Cancelled 9% 9% 8% 6% 6% 5% 7% 4% 7%

% System Reconciliation Req 0% 0% 0% 0% 20% 17% 22% 18% 10%

% Outstanding Failures 9% 10% 8% 6% 2% 9% 4% 9% 7%

HODGE HILL Wk Ending 3rd Sep

Wk Ending 10th Sep

Wk Ending 17th Sep

Wk Ending 24th Sep

Wk Ending 1st Oct

Wk Ending 8th Oct

Wk Ending 15th Oct

Wk Ending 29th Oct

Trend Average To Date

% Completed 52% 55% 51% 49% 45% 43% 42% 47% 48%

% Follow On Required 17% 14% 17% 24% 16% 16% 12% 16% 16%

% No Access 12% 13% 12% 13% 12% 15% 10% 13% 13%

% Cancelled 8% 8% 5% 5% 7% 7% 8% 5% 7%% System Reconciliation Req 0% 0% 0% 0% 16% 14% 21% 17% 9%% Outstanding Failures 11% 10% 15% 10% 5% 4% 7% 3% 8%

SUTTON Wk Ending 3rd Sep

Wk Ending 10th Sep

Wk Ending 17th Sep

Wk Ending 24th Sep

Wk Ending 1st Oct

Wk Ending 8th Oct

Wk Ending 15th Oct

Wk Ending 29th Oct Trend Average

To Date% Completed 41% 42% 46% 41% 34% 39% 40% 43% 41%% Follow On Required 15% 11% 15% 22% 19% 17% 14% 15% 16%% No Access 13% 15% 14% 15% 13% 15% 13% 12% 14%% Cancelled 16% 12% 12% 13% 18% 12% 10% 10% 13%

% System Reconciliation Req 0% 0% 0% 0% 13% 16% 15% 19% 8%

% Outstanding Failures 15% 21% 13% 8% 3% 2% 8% 2% 9%

LADYWOOD Wk Ending 3rd Sep

Wk Ending 10th Sep

Wk Ending 17th Sep

Wk Ending 24th Sep

Wk Ending 1st Oct

Wk Ending 8th Oct

Wk Ending 15th Oct

Wk Ending 29th Oct

Trend Average To Date

% Completed 54% 48% 48% 53% 42% 42% 41% 52% 48%% Follow On Required 9% 9% 10% 15% 13% 12% 11% 10% 11%

% No Access 13% 15% 16% 16% 21% 18% 15% 13% 16%

% Cancelled 13% 14% 11% 13% 11% 11% 12% 11% 12%

% System Reconciliation Req 0% 0% 0% 0% 10% 15% 19% 11% 7%% Outstanding Failures 12% 13% 16% 3% 3% 3% 2% 3% 7%

Key: Improved No Change

Decreased

DISTRICT WEEKLY PERFORMANCE MONITOR

Diary system

Pre & PostFly Tip

Gardens ASB

RentsSupportingpeople ……….

Elde

r

IT Systems Breakout

IntegrationDrivers & Options

• Drivers– Increased accuracy (no rekeying)– Reduced costs– Reduced repair & maintenance visits– Better decision making / management information

• Options– Portal– File transfer / data standards– APIs– Middleware– Web Services (Service Oriented Architecture)

• Hertfordshire Homes Case Study

Mobile Working Responsive Repairs

Case study

November 2009

Herefordshire Housingl 5,300 properties.l 70% of the stock is located within Herefordl 10% in Ross on Wyel 20% in the surrounding rural areas.l The association employs 220 people. l In house direct services organisation (DSO)l 50 Trades colleagues.l Circa 20,000 jobs per annum.

What we set out to achieve…l Higher satisfaction for Residents.l Greater productivity.l Significant cashable savings.l Transfer of Trade colleagues to Capital works.l Enhanced performance measurement and monitoring.l “Right first time” approach to service delivery – flexibility on site.l “Joined up” service delivery – visibility of other teams work with the

Customer & Property. l Convert the rich customer profile data (87% coverage) into positive

outcomes for Residents.l Greater autonomy for trade colleagues.l Built-in work flow for safety checks & risk assessments.

Performance was already good…

Our Goal

Buying a change in service culture.

“buying a quick fix”(Expensive)

Building a new service CultureCan’t get here without the technology

Cul

tura

l Cha

nge

Back office Integration of mobile solutionLow High

High

Low

Cultural change

forced by technology

12 – 18 Months

Cultural change

Driven by people 3 – 10

years

Risks identifiedl Organisational/Cultural barriers to changel Failing to involve & inform stakeholders throughout the changesl Leadership not seen to support mobile working l Training & competencel Employee relationsl Continuity of service

Ultimate success depends Primarily on our people, not the technology.

Constraintsl Audit commission inspection during pilot…l Can be no dip in service performance during introduction.l Can be no dip in morale of trades colleagues during introduction.l Direct Integration; not replacement – i.e. no stores module/optitimel Poor/patchy signal quality in Herefordshire.l Must integrate tightly with Archouse Housing management systeml Must demonstrate utilisation of Census information gathered.l Solution must be flexible enough to meet needs in other areas of business.

Business case assumptionsDescription HHL Assumption Nomad Case

studies

Increased Trade productivity

7% 20 – 30%

Saving in unnecessary travel per person per day

0.5 Hrs Up to 3 HRS

Annual saving in unnecessary travel

3,443 HRS Up to 39,780 HRS

Admin reduction 10% Up to 50%

Annual saving on Diesel 5% 10 -18%

We were deliberately conservative with our assumptions….

We wanted realistic expectations for savings upon which to build further once the system was bedded in.

Technical/Project success would depend on…l How well we prepared our people for, and supported them

through, the cultural changes.

l How well we integrated any mobile solution into the back office systems.

Business Success would depend on…

l How well the solution met the needs of our Context and Culture

The Technical solution we chose…l Location mapping includedl Optitime interface availablel Can be used in other areas of businessl No need to re-engineer business processes from day one – can incrementally

evolve.l Integrates with existing stores and repairs modules from orchardl Mature feature rich product.l Had already been interfaced with orchard (Coast & County)l Simple forms and workflowl Direct access for HHL to forms and workflow, for changesl Data warehouse as part of standard solutionl Simpler to implement than other solutions evaluatedl Can be used when signal drops out – store and forward for when signal re-

established.l Low on-going bespoke work overhead.

The Business solution we Implementedl “Joined up service” view of Customer and their needs.l “Joined up service” view of Property.l Elimination of paperwork & rekeying.l Support for Trades colleagues to deliver excellent services.

“Joined up service” view of Customerl “3rd Party Authorityl Learning Difficultyl Reading Difficultiesl 3rd Party Supportl Mental ill-healthl Religionl ASB – Propertyl Other disabilityl Support Workersl Physical Disabilityl Visually Impaired

l ASB – Personl Visual impairmentl Visit Required l Other Communication

needsl Hearing Impairedl Appointments via 3rd Pty

Correspondencel First Languagel Require 3rd Pty Presentl Hearing impairmentl Partners' first languagel Door Answer Delay

“Joined up service” examples

“Joined up service” view of propertyl Due for demolitionl Property appraisall Structural Repairs l Welsh Water Drainagel Income services Flagl Warrantiesl Immersion Test Overduel RTB application.

l Asbestos type and location.

Trade colleague supportHealth & Safetyl Working at heights policyl Needles in propertyl ASB alertsl Asbestos type and location.

Team workl Details of Last 10

repairs.l Colleague who

undertook them.

Accessl Special access notes.l Quick lookup for jobs.

More time for the actual job..l Automatic reordering of Van

stock.l Elimination of Store “Counter

rush/Queue”l Cut Nonproductive trips to HQ by

60%.

Greater visibility of workloadl Rolling weeks worth of jobs.l Job & non-job appointments.l Special access notes.l Quick lookup for jobs.

Back office colleague supportl Job status information.l Contact centre is automatically advised by email to reschedule the repair work

which can’t start or finish.l Location and availability of a trade colleague displayed on a map. l No data entry –Jobs and associated appointments completed on the Housing

management system automatically.l No data entry for labour - Automatically recorded against Jobs.l Van stock used automatically triggers a bar-coded van stock replenishment pick

list for stores colleagues.

Management supportl Productivity reporting.l Location & Activity status of Trades colleagues.l Easy visibility of all entries made by Trade colleague for particular jobs.

Integration

Business Outcomesl Appointment slots increased from 7 to 9 a day for rapids teaml 1250 job tickets automatically entered into orchard & associated labour recorded last

month.l Visits to HQ for Trades colleagues cut from 5 per week to 2 l “Counter rush” in stores eliminated – more even workload.l Cashable savings of 80-90K pa

What went welll Input from colleagues in other organisations.l Trade colleague involvement in whole process.l Very tight integration with housing management and other systemsl No dip in service performance during implementation.l Morale of trades colleagues has remained high throughout process of

change.l Training & support of Trades colleagues – as individuals.l Extended pilot – refinement & buy-in.l Flexibility of 1st Touch solution.l Very good working relationship with 1st Touch.l Financial model robust – will hit/exceed returns forecast. l Rolling PDA’s out before application

Tips/Lessons learnedl Even if your operation is already efficient there are still significant savings to be

made by introducing mobile working. l Don’t compromise on the degree of integration – you could limit many of the

benefits of your mobile working solution.l Mobile working supports and facilitates good working practices, culture &

processes – it’s not a quick fix if these are poor.l Any solution needs to be driven by clear operational needs within your particular

context and culture – so it needs to be flexible – not prescriptive. l Get a tool for the job – change for your team is necessary but don’t fit the job

around the tool. – remember we’re trying to remove constraints not create new ones.

l Successfully implementing a this type of solution takes time – if you are not to damage performance and morale during the process.

l Extensive field testing & training are critical – team by team.l A good working relationship between IT, Repairs and your supplier is critical to

success, as if you want very tight integration you will have to work through issues.

What’s next?l Gas servicing is currently being rolled out.l We will be exploring the use of the

technology in other parts of the business going forward.

Final word…

This kind of initiative is not about technology..l The right technology just removes constraintsl And allows a more effective and efficient service culture to

develop.

It’s about people… your peoplel The people that provide the service.l The people you serve.

Elde

r

IT Systems Breakout

Contractor Information Integration

• Capture of Real Time Data

• Wider Service Contracts

• Grafton Case Study

Outsourced stores

Housing Organisation

Tenant

Outsourced stores

1. Tenant notifies problem

2. Call centre assesses problem and notifies operative of job by PDA, despatching operative to fix property. Job notified by PDA, telephone, email or paper.

3. Operative arrives and carries out job, using stock from van or identifies parts required for completion, not on van.

4. Operative updates system on PDA, with job status, which notifies outsourced storesof materials used from van stock or newmaterials needed. Order placed automaticallyfor new supply or van stock replenishment.

5. Outsourced stores receive order for materials.They pick materials and arrange to be readyfor collection or delivery.

6. Materials received by operative who completes job.

7. Outsourced stores invoice client.

Stock prices are fixed with client

Client records show exactly what stock is used for what job.

Outsourced Stores with Mobile Parts Ordering Responsive repairs scenario in Social Housing

Key customer business benefits

No need to have own stores• Saves on admin costs, shrinkage, breakages

Improved levels of service to end customer• Right stock is always available, ensuring first time fix

Increased efficiency for the organisation• Minimises off job time for operatives• Reduces opportunity for human error

Improves cash flow with Just In Time ordering

Key customer technical benefits

No airtime charges• Data contract is included

Solution is always on• Operator does not have to wait for a signal for updates

User friendly functionality• Intuitive to use• No need to use external resource for stock updates or addition/deletion of users

Links to Grafton back office systems• Automatic update of stock used, for fast replenishment

Low risk, flexible solution

Hosted by 1st Touch• No internal IT resource needed

One telephone number for supportSystem administrator and end user training providedNew device on contract renewalEasy to grow

• Add further mobile workforce functionality• New device on contract renewal

Benefits to VAHT:

Reduced running costs by £150,000 p.a.Reduced stock commitment from £400k p.a. to £60kEliminated warehousing costs

“ this approach will increase the efficiency of our operatives without putting pressure on them to do more work” Brian Golton, VAHT

Benefits to Morrison Facilities:

• Improved SLAs - increased first time fix levels• Eliminated warehousing costs for Midland Heart• Fuel costs cut by 25%• Operator productivity increased by 12 – 17%

“ where we have deployed this technology we are exceeding our SLAs and in some areas hitting aspirational levels” Ian Bryce, Morrison Facilities Services

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

The Solution 1

Elde

r Future

• How is IT developing?– User expectations are high – iphone “apps”– Security (DWP / LA CoCo compliance)– Middleware?

• Jury is out!

• How will future products / systems impact?– Easier to use– More reliable– Lower support costs– Better interoperability? IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r Critical Risks & Issues

• Change Management– Engage stakeholders– Needs real high level sponsorship

• Past Failed IT Project?– Learn lessons

IT Systems Breakout

Elde

r Conclusion

• Business Case is strong for:– Mobile– Integration– (& CRM, Workflow & Scheduling)

• Different IT strategies have benefits – Single supplier– “Best of Breed”

• No right answer

IT Systems Breakout