East Lothian Housing and MCP Property Services are the first in the UK use Totalmobile’s augmented video solution to reduce face-to-face contact during the pandemic.
The new Remote Assistance Capability developed by Totalmobile enables the two organisations’ housing maintenance and repair specialists to create a live video stream which can be accessed by both the technical support officer and the resident.
The two individuals can then remotely collaborate to identify and discuss maintenance requirements, and in the case of simple issues, the officer can give live instructions so the resident can resolve it themselves. Officers can also augment the video feed by pausing, capturing images and annotating instructions.
Totalmobile has estimated that its new system will enable the two organisations to resolve 10 per cent of issues remotely, avoid the need for 80 per cent of scheduled inspection visits and increase first-time fixes by 50 per cent.
Duncan Mackay, managing director of R3 Repairs at East Lothian Housing, said, “We’ve been working hard with Totalmobile to deploy this major innovation as fast as possible. The ability to deliver virtual technical support directly to the customer or to operatives on site will drive real savings and let us help remote residents much more effectively.”
Matt Clark, managing director, MCP Property Services, said, “We can now be certain that a call-out is essential before sending someone on site. It also ensures quick fixes such as boiler re-sets can be completed by the residents themselves with close, real-time supervision from our expert team. I really think this software will permanently transform the way we support customers.”
Nick Jeffreys, managing director for housing, property and facilities management, Totalmobile, said, “We looked at how best to minimise risk and recognised that an augmented video system would quickly provide organisations with a high-performing remote support function. It drastically reduces face-to-face contact in line with Covid-19 restrictions without downgrading safety or service levels.”
