We spoke to four organisations that have an in-house repairs and maintenance team, and based on the insight gathered, we created a 10-point plan to help organisations considering a move to an in-house service/DLO.

1. 10KEY CONSIDERATIONS
when creating an
in-house repairs service

2. The DLO is back.

3. And it’s fitter and leaner than ever.

4. We spoke to 4 organisations
with their own in-house team.

5. And based on their experience, created the
following 10 key considerations for other
organisations considering creating their own
in-house service.
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Four In-House Repairs & Maintenance Teams Share Their Experience
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6. 1.
Get your strategy right

7. It’s important to draw out the core reasons
for bringing works in-house and to have a
long-term strategic view.

8. Some of the key drivers for the organisations
we spoke to were:
• Control
• Mitigation of risks
• Service quality
• Cost savings
• Increased revenue

9. 2.
Have those difficult conversations

10. If you’ve identified issues, you need to get to
the root cause of them.
That might involve some difficult questions,
but they are necessary.

11. An example given was a discussion that took
place within one housing association about
how willing they were to behave like a
commercial business.
Would this affect the perception of the
brand? How about its impact on staff terms
and conditions?

12. 3.
Make that cultural shift

13. The modern DLO is very much a commercial
venture, so a cultural shift of sorts needs to
happen.

14. However, none of the people we spoke to
said this shift was simply a case of becoming
more commercial.
Indeed, the focus should be on the
customer. How can you bring together value
for money and service while incorporating
the culture of the contractor?

15. 4.
Run it like a business

16. There are a few things to remember when
creating an in-house service.

17. First, you need to invest upfront.
For example, you’ll probably need to buy
mobile devices and vans for your workforce.

18. Second, you will need to drive the service
with commercial measures.
For example, customer retention, cost
control and quality were cited as key drivers
by the people we spoke to.

19. 5.
Inject commercial expertise

20. The modern DLO needs to have a
commercial aspect to it.
For some organisations, this may mean
taking a new approach and adopting new
ways of working.

21. That’s why it is a good idea to bring in
commercial expertise.
Indeed, according to someone we spoke to,
“all of the major DLOs have brought
commercial experience in.”

22. 6.
Engage your people

23. Recruiting, training and retaining the right
people - from managers to supervisors, and
customer service staff to operatives - is vital.

24. Some staff may be uncomfortable stepping
outside their comfort zone.
Therefore, employee engagement is crucial.
Ensure staff understand the changes that
are being made and the reasons for them.
It’s also important to ensure staff feel valued
as individuals.

25. 7.
Put processes in place

26. With an in-house service, you have the
opportunity to design and configure
processes in a way that suits your
organisation.

27. “You look at the process and follow it right
through from a job being raised, or a call
being received from a customer, through to
the job being completed. All the while asking,
‘what’s the perfect flow for our
organisation?’ Then you need to look at
where you can automate elements. That’s
where the IT system comes in.”

28. 8.
Implement the right technology

29. Everyone we spoke to highlighted the power
of software to support their plans.

30. In particular, a fully mobile solution that
eliminates paper-based processes and
forms.
Staff can access jobs on their mobile device,
record travel and working times, take on-site
pictures, and even complete surveys. All of
this greatly reduces the administrative time
spent on each job.

31. Here are some other benefits the right
solution can provide:
• Create, manage and schedule tens of
thousands of jobs per year
• Manage and allocate stock and parts
• Manage void properties
• Integrate the call centre with field
workers and customers
• Provide actionable analytics to enable
better decisions

32. 9.
Mobilise effectively

33. It’s best to introduce new systems gradually
so your staff have time to get used to them.
The same goes when you’re introducing new
ways of working, such as using smartphones
or tablets instead of paper.

34. The companies we spoke to suggested
allowing 2-3 months to mobilise.
It’s also a good idea to run old and new
processes in parallel for a short period of
time (2 weeks, for example). This lets people
make mistakes with the new system in a
controlled manner.

35. 10.
Manage, monitor and measure

36. When harnessed correctly, modern
technology offers powerful tools for
collecting and reporting on your
operational data.

37. Being able to do this is increasingly
important these days.
In fact, all of the people we spoke to
highlighted the crucial role of having
accurate information at hand and the
ability to analyse it.

38. Download our eBook to read more:
Is Insourcing the Answer?
Four In-House Repairs & Maintenance Teams
Share Their Experience
Download now