The Coronavirus outbreak has provided a huge challenge for the repairs team at West Kent. The lockdown restrictions on visiting people’s homes meant only the most urgent repairs could be completed, but the Asset team quickly started exploring alternatives so they could continue to deliver services and keep residents safe.
The solution they came up with uses a new technology called augmented reality- or AR- to assess a repair and, if possible, guide the resident through fixing it. But this is more than just a phone call or video call. 
While the resident is pointing the camera at the area needing a repair, they will see a live image of a staff member’s hands, as well as hearing their voice, so the staff member can point and demonstrate how to complete a repair. 
A group of residents agreed to be part of a pilot for this project and to test the new software.
They all had a virtual appointment scheduled and completed a range of repairs and checks around their homes. All of them were very impressed, agreeing that the software was easy to use and a quick and efficient way of dealing with repairs.
One resident’s appointment included checking the smoke alarms in his home were working- he told us,
“We were able to pick up that one of our smoke alarms wasn’t working. This has now been reported on the West Kent portal. Lifesaving equipment, so it certainly gets a thumbs up here!”
If a repair can’t be resolved during the appointment, the service allows staff to get all the information they need to make sure the right person, with the right equipment, attends, so the whole process becomes much more efficient. A resident who had a fencing issue assessed in her virtual appointment commented on how useful this was:
“Fantastic that I spoke directly with the surveyor. Could show the problem straight away without numerous visits and incorrect information. Great service.”
The staff and contractors involved in the trial have also been very positive about how easy and helpful this new software is.
Joanne Hiscock, Head of Property, explains that they hope to roll out this service very soon:
“It’s exciting stuff, and with the pilot finished we will be going through the results to see how we can use this on a much bigger scale. I for one can’t wait as it offers an efficient way to deliver a safe repairs service at a challenging time”