Repair and Maintenance
Overview of the new R&M System
What is wrong with the old system?
The "old" Repair and Maintenance is burdened by out-of-date technology that lacked visibility and clarity. This leads to frustration, confusion, and sometimes anger within and between our Technicians, Coordinators, and Residents. This system is an inhibition to Riparian's plan for growth and visions for being a best-in-class workplace and best-in-class property manager and home services provider.
ο»ΏAppFolioο»Ώ lacks the customizability needed to tailor Repair and Maintenance Work Orders, workflows, and datapoints specifically to affordable, single-family rental managers. Furthermore, its Work Order management interface is extremely cumbersome and can turn ordinary workloads into extraordinary feats of mental strength.
What is better with the new system?
Riparian's new Repair and Maintenance scheme smoothly integrates four platforms, RipOS, Zuperο»Ώ, Hey Prosο»Ώ, and AppFolio. Instead of forcing the team to use one platformto facilitate all of their work, we are using two Field Service Management tools (Zuper and Hey Pros), joined together by RipOS. This allows for better specilization of our teams abilities, more focused workflows, and easier workload management across our entire R&M pipeline. AppFolio will become the invisible back-end platform from which all of our historical data is pushed into our new softwares.
Each of the platformdoes something that the other cannot. But they all integrate into RipOS, allowing for much better visiblity, stronger chain of custody, and clearer handoffs between team members.
What does the new system look like?
At the highest level, the new Repair and Maintenance system can be broken down into 4 distinctive steps:
1) Intakeο»Ώ: Understanding the Issue
Our Property Management team is responsible for:
- Letting the Tenants know their voice is heard by Riparian
- Asking additional, clarifying questions of the Tenant to further diagnose their Maintenance requests
- Recording all data regarding a Maintenance request before handing it to the Maintenance team
- Following up with Tenant regarding Property Management concerns (Unit cleanliness, hostility, etc.) to ensure Maintenance Technicians' concerns in the field yield action by the Office
Property Management is responsible for facilitating good customer service between our Tenants and our Maintenance team. The Tenants are their primary customers, but Repair and Maintenance are also customers.
A general rule of thumb for the Property Management team members in Repair and Maintenance is: Do not pass on anything you do understand to the Field.
2) Branchingο»Ώ: Letting the Data Guide the Solution
RipOS leverages Work Order and Property dataο»Ώ to support both the Office and Field teams with assigning:
- the correct Personnel
- to the right Unit
- at the right time
- with the correct skillset
- and with the proper materials and tools necessary
- to calmly and effectively resolve maintenance issues in a timely manner
Riparian uses it's large database including forecasted maintenance issues, vendor and technician skills, unit data, portfolio geography, and time-to-completion assumptions to provide a smooth workflow for our Office team, our Technicians, and our Residents.
3) Dispatchο»Ώ: Putting the Right Person on the Job
Although data heavily guides the scheduling and assignment of Work Orders, our Dispatch team members have the final touch on all requests before they reach the Field team.
4) Work Managementο»Ώ: Seeing the Job Through
Although ideally we are successfully completing every Work Order on the first visit to the unit, we know that this is often not the case. The new Repair and Maintenance system makes it easy for Technicians to complete work and report on any bottlenecks preventing a job from being completed successfully.
Where does this system live?
The new Repair and Maintenance System lives within a few interconnected platforms that connect resident requests to our capable team for assessment and completion in the Field. Keep reading to learn about how our platformswork together and are better suited for managing real-world issues than our current solution.
RipOS
ο»ΏRipOS is the source of all truth across Riparian's operations. Specifically for Repair and Maintenance, it is the place where all work order data (history, issue type, dates received / scheduled, etc) live to be accessed by our teams. Furthermore, RipOS is a platform where Riparian Technologies has customed tailored some of the R&M workflows to specifically suit the needs of our residents and our staff.
If you imagine the Repair and Maintenance tech stack as a sandwich, RipOS is the bread. It is where the process begins and where the process ends.
A tech stack is like a stack of building blocks that technology companies use to build websites, apps, or platforms. Each block does something special, like tracking customer information or sending invoices.
AppFolio
ο»ΏAppFolio is a company that provides cloud-based software solutions primarily for the property management and legal industries. Their software aids in streamlining operations such as leasing, rent collections, and maintenance management for property managers and landlords. For legal professionals, AppFolio's technology assists with case management, billing, and client communication. AppFolio is designed to be an all-in-one software for real estate owners and operators, like Riparian.
However, it is well known to Riparian team members that AppFolio is deficient as a Field Service Management (FSM) software, especially with regards to Repair and Maintenance.
"Field service management typically involves dispatching workers or contractors to a location outside company premises to install, maintain or repair equipment, systems or assets. Field service managers keep track of an organizationβs field resources and coordinate the work of field service practitioners who deliver skilled, specialized or proprietary services to clients."
Riparian is not abandoning AppFolio as a whole. Rather, the Repair and Maintenance team members will be moving to a suite of integrated platformsthat are better suited for their needs.
Zuper
ο»ΏZuper is an all-in-one field service management software designed to streamline and enhance our Repair and Maintenance (R&M) operations. It serves as a central hub for managing work orders, scheduling, and dispatching maintenance tasks efficiently. With Zuper, our R&M team can track job statuses in real-time, ensuring timely completion and accountability.
The software offers comprehensive features for managing assets, handling service requests, and maintaining detailed records of all maintenance activities. By integrating Zuper into our operations, we aim to improve productivity, enhance communication, and provide better service to our tenants through an organized and efficient maintenance process.
Zuper (and all it's data) integrates directly with RipOS. Meaning, actions taken by the office in RipOS' custom modules are automatically reflected in Zuper for completion. Additionally, actions taken in the Field in Zuper are automatically reflected in RipOS for the Office team to complete.
HeyPros
ο»ΏHeyPros is a dynamic platform designed to connect our Vendor Managementteam with skilled professionals and contractors efficiently. It enables us to quickly source and manage external vendors for various maintenance tasks, ensuring we have access to the right expertise when needed.
HeyPros streamlines the process of finding, vetting, and hiring professionals, reducing downtime and improving the overall quality of our maintenance services. By leveraging HeyPros, we can ensure that our properties are well-maintained, and that repair issues are addressed promptly and effectively, contributing to a better living experience for our tenants.
Like Zuper, HeyPros (and all it's data) integrates directly with RipOS, cutting downtime between Riparian and our 3rd party partners. Additionally, the connection between HeyPros and RipOS provides clarity-of-action across the board, ensuring issues are addressed in a calm, effective, manner.
In conclusion, we expect the new repair and maintenance platform to provide:
- Specific (team and individual) level accountability
- Clear chain of custody from Tenant to Office to Field and back
- Unit- and issue-specific "next actions" to keep work orders moving in a direction of resolution
- Elimination of leakage in routine repair and maintenance
Keep reading to learn more about the new platform and how to use it.