South Somerset Works (SSW) has improved field service management by equipping housing maintenance staff with mobile technology to enhance customer service, automate paper processes and assist with compliance requirements.

Last year the housing association equipped 58 mobile tradesmen with PDAs to access and complete electronic job sheets relating to the property repair and review work they undertake.

Consilium Technologies’ TotalMobile product allows the tradesmen to receive jobs or send information directly to central servers via their PDAs, so they no longer need to be on a fixed network to access corporate information.

Rob Barker, finance manager for SSW, says the technology has improved efficiency levels by 10 per cent.

“We have made a quantum leap from our old in-van radio system which relied on a signal that was often not great to contact operatives, and meant they had to return to the depot at head office to receive their daily workload and update maintenance records,” he says.

Feedback from a pilot scheme helped ensure procedures matched operatives’ working practices and determined usability.

“We matched the PDAs to tradesmen’s needs to accelerate acceptance. Jobs can be sent to their PDAs so work is coming in all the time, and they have a one-touch button to phone tenants so contact and access to properties is easier, which has improved customer service,” says Barker.

“Previously, maintenance staff had to keep hold of their paperwork and travel to the office to update records, but now all administrative work is completed over the mobile devices.”

Barker says the system also makes it easier to demonstrate that compliance requirements set by the Housing Corporation have been met, as information about how jobs are completed can be quickly and reliably accessed for auditing proces ses.

The technology also incorporates stock management functionality, linking front-line operations to the stores depot. Following the logging of a completed job, information can be captured from the electronic form and used to help restock the van at the depot.

“Operatives only have to come back to base to replenish stocks,” says Barker.

The technology has also helped reduce mileage, petrol costs and paper use in the office, while improving work/life balance of employees and allowing the organisation to focus on increasing its property portfolio.

“Everyone needs a competitive edge and this technology is part of our armoury in hunting for business,” says Barker.