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Mark Earle is head of the in-house maintenance service at BPHA
Bring it in: giving residents the repairs they deserve
A consultation with residents led BPHA to bring its repairs service in-house. Mark Earle shares the findings and the changes being implemented
When we asked BPHA customers what they thought about our repairs service, their message was clear: a more effective, efficient repairs service would significantly improve the experience of living in their homes as well as their quality of life.
In response, early in 2021 we committed to bringing our routine repairs services in-house, to be delivered by BPHA colleagues rather than outside contractors. We were determined that customers should significantly shape the new service and to achieve this ran extensive consultations through both face-to-face discussions and surveys.
From this we gathered 23 recommendations, all of which are incorporated into the new service, which launched in October last year, beginning with responsive repairs. A key customer recommendation was to ensure that our staff truly understand the impact the quality of a repairs service – both good and bad – can have on day-to-day lives. So residents have filmed a video for our in-house repairs staff to watch at their inductions, explaining the level of service they expect in their homes.
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It reinforces the importance of keeping residents at the heart of the work we do and showing empathy and respect when delivering the service. Residents also want assurance that the people they let into their homes are indeed BPHA employees. So we’ve developed new branding that is bold, but remains familiar and recognisable. Surveys now indicate that 97% of customers are clear that the operative completing their repair is from BPHA.
Customers also told us that they were frustrated by how long it took to book a repair, coupled with not receiving confirmation that the repair had been booked. They also asked for clarity on how long the process would take. The repairs service is now automated to enable residents to view historic and current repairs through an online customer portal. This details the status of their repair and who has been assigned to carry out the work.
Furthermore, the system has been integrated into our customer relationship management system to allow colleagues across BPHA to be kept updated on any outstanding repair, so they are fully informed if speaking to the resident.
Our discussions with residents also identified a need for clearer timescales and notification of when the repair would happen. Under the old system, residents found that contractors would just turn up without warning, assuming the resident would be at home without considering their needs and working patterns. We now offer more tailored appointment times including morning, afternoon, evening, Saturday morning, and outside of the ‘school run’.
Customers are also messaged when an operative is on the way. As well as these changes, every repair is followed up by a post-repair questionnaire. We ask a series of scored questions as well as offering an open comments section.
Besides identifying what is going well and what needs improving, any low scores are followed up to understand what we could have done better and to resolve any issues raised. So far this feedback shows that our customers are generally happy with the new service.
So what’s next? Void refurbishments will come in-house from February, and we are well under way in planning for the same with electrical repairs in October with the freshly recruited electrical team.
Other improvements for 2023 including letting customers report and book repairs online, along with the introduction of a video diagnosis tool to enable colleagues to identify repair issues remotely.
And in April 2024 we will launch the final phase, including kitchen and bathroom works and minor adaptions, growing the team to 126 colleagues and hopefully continuing to address those 23 recommendations.
Mark Earle, head of in-house maintenance service, BPHA
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