Why are repair demands higher now than a decade ago? And how can we meet this rising demand, cut costs, and still maintain our quality of service?
In this episode, we speak with Paul Walker, Executive Director of Repair and
Maintenance at Home Group—one of the UK’s largest housing associations and
social enterprises.
Paul shares his extensive cross-sector experience and forward-thinking strategies for managing increasing repair needs, while balancing customer expectations and improving service efficiency.
We dig into the real reason behind this surge in repairs, the changing expectations of customers and the potential for collaboration within the housing sector to reduce costs and boost service delivery.
Paul reveals his outside-the-box thinking and experience in developing partnerships and in-house models to improve efficiency. He highlights sector-wide challenges, like attracting skilled tradespeople and balancing urgent repairs with long-term asset management.
Covered in this episode:
● How COVID changed customer behaviour around repairs.
● 3 reasons the frequency of property repairs are going up.
● The untapped potential for collaboration in the sector.
● One reason organisations struggle to innovate.
● A better way to track and flag potential issues like damp and mould.
● Why data visibility is key to driving efficiency in repairs and maintenance.
● How Home Group is addressing skilled trade shortages.
● How to use data to predict and address customer failures before they escalate.
● The importance of balancing planned work with reactive repairs to reduce demand on services.
● How adopting a DLO maturity model can optimise resources and costs.
Packed with actionable strategies and real-world examples, this episode offers inspiration for housing professionals looking to set the standard in repair and maintenance.