Quotes chased by email, approvals stuck with someone on leave, and jobs that drift towards an SLA deadline unnoticed. Our latest askporter release fixes the work that follows a reported repair or fault. Enhanced quote and work order management automates routine approvals, alerts you before deadlines slip and puts every step on record. We've also made it easier to report in the first place: on WhatsApp, and in any language. Here's what's new, whether you manage homes, deliver FM contracts or run commercial property.
1. Enhanced work order and quote management
Raising the job is only half the story. Work order management in askporter keeps everything after it in one place, from first quote to final sign-off.
Send to several suppliers at once, with or without a quote request. If nobody accepts or no quote is approved, resend it to others in a couple of clicks.
Route approvals by quote value. Set cost thresholds, and each quote goes to the right approver automatically. Add more than one approver so work keeps moving when someone's on leave.
Automate routine jobs end to end. Depending on the value, the type of work and the resident's or occupier's requirements, a job can be raised, assigned and approved with no manual step. You decide how much runs automatically. Work orders for a specific asset can go straight to a named supplier, and quotes under your threshold are approved automatically.
Get alerted before a deadline slips. If a job hasn't been accepted, or its status hasn't moved as an SLA limit approaches, managers get an alert in time to act.
Capture follow-on work on site. When further repairs are needed, contractors add the next steps to the task notes, so the follow-up doesn't wait for a phone call.
See a timeline for every work order: when it was raised, who quoted what, who approved it and when.
That timeline is your evidence. It shows you met your deadlines, settles supplier disputes quickly and makes reporting easy, with no digging through email chains.
What this looks like in practice
Housing providers: Awaab's Law sets legal deadlines for investigating and repairing hazards, and the clock starts when you're notified. Phase 1 has covered damp and mould and all emergency hazards since October 2025. From 30 November 2026, Phase 2 extends those deadlines to more hazards, including electrical hazards and pests. A timestamped record from the resident's first message to the approved quote gives you the proof, and SLA alerts flag a job before it breaches.
FM providers: When a client asks why a job took three days, you can show them the timeline: when it was raised, when the subcontractor quoted and when their own approver signed it off. Routine jobs under your threshold are approved automatically, so your team spends its time on the work that needs a decision.
Commercial property: Every repair cost comes with its quotes and approvals attached, so you can explain service charge spend to occupiers with confidence. Multiple approvers mean a holiday or sick day never holds up an urgent fix. When a contractor finds more work on site, the next step is already in the notes.
2. Welcome to WhatsApp for reporting issues
WhatsApp is here! Residents, tenants and occupiers can now report issues on the app they already use every day, in whatever language they're most comfortable with.
It's one more step towards something we care about: people reaching you however they prefer. WhatsApp, email or web chat, it's their choice. Whichever they pick, they get the same quick triage and you get the same complete record.
Think about the leak someone spots at 9pm. Before, it waited until morning. Now they send a WhatsApp message with a photo, answer a few follow-up questions and the task is raised there and then. By the time your team logs on, it's already triaged and assigned.
And there's no extra inbox to manage. WhatsApp, email and web chat reports all land in one place and follow one process. Someone who reports on WhatsApp and follows up by email is still one conversation and one record. That means fewer chaser calls, no duplicate tasks and nothing to re-key.
What this looks like in practice
Housing providers: A resident reports damp on WhatsApp on a Sunday evening and sends photos of the wall. By Monday morning the task is triaged and with the right contractor, and the resident never had to wait on hold. Tenant Satisfaction Measures keep showing that residents rate landlords lowest on listening and acting on their views. Meeting residents on the channel they use is one of the simplest ways to change that.
FM providers: An occupant at a client site messages about a broken hand dryer instead of hunting down a helpdesk email address. The task lands straight in your workflow against the right site, so your team starts the SLA clock with the full picture rather than a vague email.
Commercial property: A tenant in a multi-let office reports a faulty access gate from their phone between meetings. Building management sees it immediately alongside every other report for that building, with nothing scattered across personal inboxes.
3. Language is no longer a barrier to getting the full picture
People can now report in any language. Whether they write in Arabic, Polish or Welsh, askporter translates the conversation as it happens. They see a clear note that it's AI-translated, so there's no guesswork about what's going on.
Your team gets the task summary in English or whichever working language you've chosen. That means:
No more vague reports from people struggling to describe a fault in a second language
No interpreter call-backs before you can act
No wasted visits to find out what the problem really was
You stay in control as well. You choose which languages to offer, so the list matches the people you serve and the quality standard you're happy with.
What this looks like in practice
Housing providers: A resident who has avoided reporting a boiler fault because of the language barrier can now describe it in Arabic. Your repairs team reads a clear English summary and books the right trade first time. That matters most for residents who might otherwise stay silent.
FM providers: Cleaning and site teams are often multilingual. An operative can flag a hazard or a supplies shortage in their first language, and your supervisor gets it in English straight away. Issues get raised that previously went unreported.
Commercial property: International occupiers and visiting staff can report issues in their own language, and your building team works in one consistent language behind the scenes.
One record from first message to finished job
Put it all together and the gaps between the people in your buildings, your team and your suppliers close. They report in the language and on the channel that suits them. Your team gets a clear, complete task. Every quote, approval and follow-up after that is on record and runs automatically wherever you choose.
Book a demo and see it in action, from the first message to the approved work order.
Get in touch
-
-
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
