89% customer satisfaction increase at Saxon Weald
Results & ROI
- Customer satisfaction with the HomeFix service increased to 89% and continues to rise
- Repair jobs completed at the first visit, using an improved van stock of tools and materials, increased from circa 50% to 78%
The client
Saxon Weald is a housing association providing around 6000 affordable homes across Sussex and Hampshire. Like other housing providers, they are responsible for providing a repairs service to maintain their homes. After a period of outsourcing this repairs service, the organisation decided to bring it in-house. This led to the creation of Saxon Weald’s HomeFix service.
The challenge
It was recognised that customer satisfaction of the HomeFix service was falling and was low compared to repairs services in similar housing associations. Saxon Weald commissioned a detailed survey, entitled “Let Us Have It”, aiming to understand the causes of tenant dissatisfaction and proactively asking tenants where they felt the organisation could improve. The survey provided feedback for all services including repairs by HomeFix. With this information and a new senior team in place for HomeFix, Saxon Weald recognised an opportunity to redesign the service to be more streamlined, more effective for residents and more efficient. They engaged us to support them with the service review.
The approach
Our approach can be split into 4 distinct phases:
Leadership Engagement
We worked with Saxon Weald’s management team to clarify responsibilities and to better equip them with the knowledge and tools to support the changes.
Diagnostic
We found HomeFix operatives were focussed on delivering a good service, however productivity was low – typically 25% of an operative’s time spent on a repair. Processes were complex, labour-intensive and lacked proportionate controls. Additionally, existing measures were misleading – fix on the first visit was reported as over 85% but was around 50% in reality.
Redesign
The management team agreed redesign principles and the project team redesigned the process. This was helped greatly by participation from Saxon Weald’s primary materials supplier.
Implementation
The new process and changes in working practices were implemented and Lean Foundation tools introduced.
The benefits
An improved process, a more effective van stock and a new suite of measures means the team are all focused on completing jobs on the first visit. This and other changes, such as follow-on appointments booked with the resident at the earliest opportunity, have resulted in the process being more customer-focused. Additionally, a new standardised process for managing contractors has improved the service they provide to customers on behalf of HomeFix and improved the relationship between Saxon Weald and the contractors.
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