Propeller’s software has enabled a housing association to transform electrical servicing ensuring compliance with the latest legislation and greater on-site efficiency.

Housing association ateb is responsible for 3,500 rented homes predominately in Pembrokeshire in south west Wales. The organisation also works with the local authority and other partners to develop around 150 new homes every year, delivering affordable housing through a range of tenures.

A digital-first approach

ateb joined forced with Propeller in 2019 to overhaul its approach to workforce management and compliance. Its service and maintenance department had been using labour intensive systems for gas safety checks. Manuals processes and spreadsheets were in place for reporting and compliance which was affecting productivity while risking administrative errors.

To address these issues, Propeller implemented its cloud-based workforce management system. The software is designed to manage large-scale property maintenance with access to a powerful suite of compliance dashboards, intelligent scheduling, asset tagging and QR codes, schedule of rates support, job costing and client access portals.

Since then, the system has evolved to meet ateb’s needs and is now used to manage all compliance areas. The most recent development has seen the team adopt Propeller’s new electrical solution. This includes the certificates required to comply with the latest electrical wiring regulations (BS 761) as well as extra functionality making it quicker and easier for operatives to carry out electrical safety checks.

“Instead of having to use different systems for scheduling jobs and completing electrical certifications, we can now manage everything through the Propeller software,” explains Rob Davies, Electrical Supervisor at ateb. “Electrical safety checks are booked and monitored using Propeller. Once on site, our operatives can complete all electrical compliance documents using an App on their iPad. This is saving significant time as previously they had to complete the certificates on paper.”

The information recorded during the on-site inspections is automatically fed into a dashboard. This data is translated into graphs, providing real-time visibility of compliance, including which homes are due for an electrical safety check and if any properties are at risk.

“From my conversations with our compliance team, the dashboard has been very well received,” adds Rob. “It provides a simple and effective overview of where we’re up to in terms of compliance making management much easier.”

Productivity gains

Since the software has been implemented, Propeller has continued to collaborate with ateb to refine the electrical solution in line with the organisation’s needs. This includes the development of electrical circuit templates as well as bespoke digital forms.

“We were using a lot of paper forms for PAT testing and other safety checks including smoke and carbon monoxide alarms,” says Rob. “Propeller has resolved this by generating separate digital forms for each activity, which can be easily accessed on the operative’s iPad, further driving efficiency.”

He continues: “The support we’ve received from Propeller has been brilliant. If our operatives have any questions or issues, they can simply email Propeller and get a response or solution within an hour or so.”

All under one roof

By partnering with Propeller, ateb now has a central compliance system for gas, electrical legionella and fire safety.

Concludes Rob: “We’ve had very positive feedback on the Propeller software from our operatives and compliance team. It’s simple to use, saves significant time and overall is delivering a more robust compliance programme.”