Rethinking repairs

Central to the Act is the issue of building repair and maintenance, which is a crucial issue – particularly so in the wake of a break-in or arson attack.

By their very nature, emergency repair requirements are extremely stressful. Long gone are the days when facilities and security managers could rely on a trusted pool of plumbers, electricians and builders to carry out repairs (in particular those funded by insurance claims).

Why – as is most often the case – are the insurance companies prepared simply to hand over a customer call to a third party with no accountability? That is especially true when a bad customer experience results in brand damage.

Using ‘zero client’ mobile communication the customer can now be kept informed, from the instant the emergency call is placed right through to the repairs being completed and insurance claims processed. Should problems arise, the contractors themselves can then update their ETA on their own handheld device to trigger an instant text message to the customer with their new expected arrival time.

Such a small, low cost action could transform the customer experience.

Why are such devices not a prerequisite for all building services contractors (not to mention security installers, for that matter)? Perhaps they ought to be.

Martin Taylor, Managing Director Impact Applications