Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology in all business processes to change the way organisations operate and deliver services. The construction, build, and housing sectors have been, for the most part, slow to adapt to the ever-evolving digital world we live and work in. The digitalisation of the sector presents an opportunity for businesses to improve employee productivity and better serve customers.

Along with improving performance and driving productivity, adopting digital practices in the housing sector ensures a positive impact throughout the project and after completion, delivering real economic, environmental and social value.   

According to a report by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), housing organisations in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, aimed to be more accessible to tenants by simplifying and making interactions more responsive, leading to  higher adoption of technology. Customers now expect digital services, reiterating the need of the hour to adopt a digital-first approach.  

Nadine Dack, Head of Sales at clixifix®, delivered a presentation on the critical need for digital tools to manage post-completion activities for new builds at the Digital Housing Networking event hosted last month. 

Clixifix® is a smart, integrated digital application offering industry players a centralised and connected way to manage defect and repair aftercare services, leading to higher customer satisfaction. 

In the presentation, Nadine addressed how clixifix® helps housing associations and new build delivery teams to digitise and manage their quality checks, new home handovers and post-occupation aftercare strategy.

Challenges faced by new build customer care teams

Innovative housing communications and digital solutions equip new build delivery teams with the necessary tools they need to address pressing challenges in communicating with parties involved in the supply chain and customers. Outlined below are a few common challenges faced if digital solutions are not adopted: 

• No purpose-built software available to manage post-completion reported defects.
• Difficulty in communicating with contractors and often on a reactive basis, resulting in a negative customer experience.
• No centralised view to understand latest updates amongst project teams. Updates usually live in a disorganised manner in shared inboxes and self made excel trackers
• Quality standards vary from project to project, with reporting not done in a timely, streamlined manner.

These common challenges can easily be overcome by the sector embracing technology, which helps improve communication between contractors and residents, provides more efficient results, increases customer satisfaction, and improves team morale. 

Clixifix’s role in simplifying customer care 

As a digital defect management platform connecting all stakeholders on reported defects, clixifix® is one of the fastest growing proptech companies in the UK. Used by industry players including housebuilders, housing associations, principal contractors and subcontractors, clixifix® provides a single source of truth for all plot data. Through cutting-edge technology with world-class security to offer scalable cloud computing services, clixifix® has resolved 2.3 million defects across 300,000 properties. 

Clixifix® offers a rich suite of features, including a quality framework, home demos, handover and homeowners portal, automated defect management processes, and reporting and measurement tools. These help empower aftercare teams with streamlined defect management and ensure robust operations. 

Commenting on how clixifix® helps our user community, Nadine Dack, Head of Sales, says: 

“Clixifix® is a powerful SaaS platform built on the ethos of simplifying customer care. Our securely protected and connected contractor portals drive efficiency and compliance across aftercare teams in the built environment sector. This helps streamline defect management, minimise complaints and increase overall customer satisfaction.” 

Conclusion

Embracing technology and adopting a digital-first approach for aftercare services in the construction and housing industry can eradicate communication challenges faced by industry professionals, empowering them to deliver first class customer care effectively.