Challenges
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD) and their housing repairs subsidiary BD Group needed to modernise its repairs reporting system to reduce manual processing, improve first-time fix rates, and offer tenants a seamless way to report and track repairs. Their existing digital channels were underused, with only 15% of tenants preferring to report repairs online. This left contact centres overwhelmed and tenants frustrated with long wait times. Traditional system implementations in housing are often slow, expensive, and complex, but LBBD needed a solution quickly—waiting years wasn’t an option.
Approach
To modernise its repairs service quickly and efficiently, LBBD and BD Group partnered with Made Tech to deliver a fully integrated, user-friendly system in just 12 weeks. The new platform simplifies the reporting process, reduces admin, and gives tenants more control over their repairs. Key features include:
- Seamless integrations with their housing management and scheduling systems.
- A simplified tenant experience, making online repairs reporting easy and intuitive.
- Live status tracking, allowing tenants to monitor their repairs in real time.
- Self-service appointment rescheduling and cancellations, reducing admin for contact centres.
- 24/7 accessibility, enabling tenants to report repairs anytime, with 42% of requests now made outside working hours.
Results
The new system has transformed how LBBD tenants report and track repairs, significantly increasing adoption and efficiency. With fewer manual processes and faster response times, both residents and the council are seeing the benefits:
- 69% of tenants now prefer reporting repairs online, unlocking a clear demand for digital services.
- 3,000 repairs processed online in the first three months, significantly reducing manual admin.
- NPS score of 4.2/5, with tenants praising the system’s ease of use.
- Faster response times and reduced contact centre strain, as tenants can self-manage repairs.
LBBD, BD Group and Made Tech’s rapid implementation proves that housing providers don’t need to wait years for modern repairs systems. With the right technology and approach, councils can go live in months—improving tenant experience while saving time and costs.
