Severn Vale Housing Society has chosen mobile technology from 1st Touch to support its responsive repairs operation across 3,500 homes around Gloucestershire, with the implementation due to be completed imminently.
Following a review of its responsive repairs operation, comprising 18 multi-skilled tradesmen and gas engineers, Severn Vale decided to overhaul the purchasing of materials, reducing the time spent travelling to suppliers, and drive economies of scale in its purchasing. Severn Vale also wanted more transparent information on job costs as well as allowing imprest van stock information to be transferable between workers, suppliers and its own Orchard housing management system.
The 1st Touch Integrator module was a key part of Severn Vale’s purchasing decision. The module enables data to be sent to and from workers’ PDAs and Severn Vale’s various back-office systems. The seamless integration also extends to Severn Vale’s invoicing processes, allowing materials invoices to be logged weekly rather than for every job.
Dave Johnson, finance manager, Severn Vale Housing Society, said, “1st Touch will improve our mobile workers’ productivity by reducing travel time and visits to the suppliers and ensuring that the customer gets their repairs completed faster, and we will benefit from better pricing and control of supplies, reduced administration and greater cost transparency.”
Severn Vale plans to extend the use of mobile technology to other areas of its business including responsive repairs, voids, and rents and arrears.
