In the UK housing and facilities management sectors, the challenge of managing condensation, damp, and mould has become more critical than ever. Outdated, reactive approaches are no longer cutting it, leading to a host of problems from resident health risks and poor living conditions to increased maladministration cases, costly fines, and severe reputational damage. The landscape has fundamentally changed, with new legislative pressure like Awaab’s Law putting significant pressure on social housing providers to be proactive in addressing these issues.
The urgency is underscored by new data: The Housing Ombudsman expects resident complaints to increase by a staggering 50 - 80% over the next 12 months. This is where the askporter Welfare and Compliance Manager comes in—a solution designed to transform how you approach mould and damp, moving from reactive chaos to proactive, structured, and compliant operations.
The Cost of Old-School Methods
For years, the standard approach to mould has been reactive. A resident reports a problem, a team member is dispatched to investigate (often involving time-consuming and costly door-knocking), and a resolution is attempted. This process is not only inefficient but fundamentally flawed. It often leads to:
- Communication breakdowns: A fragmented process means issues can get lost, leaving residents feeling ignored and frustrated.
- Failed compliance: Manual tracking of cases across a large portfolio is difficult, leaving providers exposed to compliance risks and new legal obligations.
- Health and safety risks: Delays in identifying and resolving mould can have serious consequences for resident health, as tragically highlighted by the case of Awaab Ishak.
- Wasted resources: Inefficient diagnostics, repeat visits, and a reliance on manual effort all drain valuable time and money.
Introducing the Proactive Solution
askporter's Mould Compliance Agent is a powerful AI-powered solution that helps your team stay ahead of the problem. It’s a tool built for the reality of modern property management, designed to help you become proactive with mould, damp, and condensation across your entire portfolio.
Here are the core components and benefits:
- Efficient, Multi-Channel Resident Communication
The platform streamlines communication with residents, providing an immediate and user-friendly way for them to report issues. By leveraging multiple channels like webchat, email, and WhatsApp, it eliminates the need for expensive and often fruitless door-knocking campaigns. The system automatically engages with residents, guiding them through diagnostics and providing educational content on preventing mould, which helps to self-serve many issues before they escalate. - Proactive and Automated Diagnostics
The AI-powered assistant automates the initial diagnosis of an issue. When a resident reports a problem, the system uses natural language processing and, in many cases, image recognition, to accurately triage the issue. For example, if a resident sends a picture of a mould patch, the AI can immediately identify the potential cause and suggest a solution or create a high-priority work order for a tradesperson. This ensures that when a technician is dispatched, they have a clear understanding of the problem, leading to a higher first-time fix rate. - Prioritised Risk Management
With askporter, you can assess and track compliance risks across your entire portfolio at scale. The platform helps you identify high-risk cases that require immediate attention by flagging and prioritising issues. This is especially important for compliance with Awaab’s Law, as it ensures you have a clear, audit-ready trail of all communications and actions taken. You can easily prove that you are being proactive and responsible, protecting both your residents and your organisation.
Proven Results in Action
The askporter solution has already delivered tangible results for clients in both the social housing and facilities management sectors:
- High Diagnostic Accuracy: Case studies with partners like Legal & General Affordable Homes and WISAG have shown that the platform achieves a high percentage of successful automatic diagnostics.
- Increased Self-Service: Tenants are empowered to self-serve, with a significant number of inbound requests being resolved without the need for manual intervention from a helpdesk team.
- Process Transparency: The platform creates a clear, automated audit trail for all resident communication and task management, ensuring full transparency and accountability.
By adopting a proactive strategy with askporter's Welfare and Compliance Manager, you can not only meet legislative demands but also significantly improve the resident experience, streamline your operations, and protect your organisation's reputation and bottom line.
Ready to Transform Your Compliance Strategy?
Considering that 74% of customers prefer chatbots over a human corporate agent to solve their queries (Demand Sage Statistics Report 2024), now is the perfect time to explore how Askporter can deliver automated, instant support.
Ready to see how a proactive approach can benefit your business? Book a meeting with us today to discuss your specific needs and find out more about how we can help.
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