The Cost of Missed Repairs & Maintenance Appointments: How Cyferd Platform Saves Money and Keeps Tenants Happy

How Implementing a Repairs and Maintenance Management System Can Streamline Operations and Improve Customer Service Introduction

For housing associations and landlords, missed maintenance appointments due to no access incidents can lead to substantial financial losses. The costs of each missed appointment can be up to £100, and with an average of 67 appointments missed per day, expenses can quickly add up. Furthermore, these incidents not only result in extra costs for repair and maintenance staff, but also in additional administrative efforts to reschedule appointments. With housing providers utilizing a large number of operatives and managing multiple jobs daily, the impact of missed appointments can be significant. However, an innovative solution like the Cyferd Platform offers a way to reduce missed appointments, save money, and enhance tenant satisfaction.

The Importance of Efficient Repairs and Maintenance Management

Visits by repair and maintenance operatives are often the most frequent point of contact between social housing residents and landlords, making them crucial for customer satisfaction. Unfortunately, missed appointments not only frustrate tenants but also increase costs for housing providers. Efficient deployment of repair and maintenance staff is essential for delivering excellent service to residents and ensuring financial efficiency. It is also fundamental to maintaining safe and well-maintained properties.

A Survey on Missed Appointments

A survey conducted by Inside Housing of 74 housing providers (including housing associations, local authorities and large and small landlords), revealed that the sector struggles with a significant number of missed appointments. More than 80% of respondents reported that up to 20% of their repairs and maintenance appointments were missed.

The survey found that the primary reason for missed appointments, cited by 80% of respondents, was customers being unaware of or not present at home during the appointment. This is backed up by the Housing Ombudsman who found that residents were not notified of the appointments meaning they were not at home at the time of the appointment. However, in some cases where the resident was not told what the appointment was for, or why the work was necessary, this made them reluctant to grant access to contractors. This lack of awareness and accessibility poses a significant challenge for housing providers in delivering an efficient service and maintaining tenant satisfaction.

Addressing the Challenge with Cyferd Platform

Implementing a repairs and maintenance management system, such as the Cyferd Platform, can provide effective solutions to reduce costs incurred through missed appointments and improve repair and maintenance services. The Cyferd Platform offers a digital self-service option allowing tenants to book their own appointments and choose a time slot that works best for them. This feature empowers customers to take control of their appointments, minimizing the occurrence of no-access incidents.

Benefits of Cyferd Platform

Aside from reducing missed appointments, the Cyferd Platform provides numerous benefits for housing providers. It streamlines internal operations by reducing the time spent managing appointments, enabling staff to focus on complex cases and offer personalized support to vulnerable tenants. By leveraging technology such as self-service appointment booking, mobile working, and automated scheduling, organizations can enhance their customer service, streamline operations, and cut costs. Not only this but by bringing together all aspects of a housing providers data into one platform, it makes information sharing between departments easier than ever. In fact, the Housing Ombudsman said that getting Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) right is the “the closest thing the sector could get to a silver bullet”.

Addressing the Wider Issue of Knowledge and Information Management