A bespoke approach for Sovini Group

Who we work with is everything to us, our relationships with customers really matter.  We love working with people who think like we do. We want to inspire everyone to see how important the safety of their staff, themselves and anyone around them is and we’re doing a great job.

The Challenge

We’re experts when it comes to working with a large and varied customer base and we’ve been partnering with Housing Associations for many years.  Like most other Associations, Sovini’s locations include many private, individual residential homes as well as a mix of multi occupied communal properties. We know that each type of property will come with its own set of challenges that require a unique approach. Our industry leading approach to planning and reporting is exactly what’s needed to keep our customer and their people out of harm’s way.

Traditional methods of arranging an inspection involve a telephone call to a customer to arrange a suitable date for one of our Engineer Surveyors to attend.

We understand that we may encounter vulnerable people whilst we’re trying to arrange our inspections and they may not always trust a phone call from an unknown party.

Previously, this had caused some difficulty in agreeing the best date for our Engineer Surveyor to complete their inspections.  On a number of occasions, Engineer Surveyors were even refused access to the equipment that needed to be examined.

Our Solution

We pride ourselves on working around the needs of our customers.  Avoiding disruption and making sure things continue to work smoothly is key. We worked with our customer to find a solution that met everyone’s needs. Using our bespoke inspection booking system, we can now provide a long-range schedule of inspections, grouped together at a location level which we share with Sovini Group. We then contact residents via postal letters four weeks before the date we plan to attend. These letters include both our own and Sovini’s branding and contact details to give recipients additional reassurance. The letters also provide an example of the ID card our Engineer Surveyors carry with them on the day of inspection. Another letter is sent two weeks before our people arrive to complete the inspection, as a reminder.

If our Engineer Surveyor finds that no one is at home on the day of the inspection, they post a card through the door with their phone number and details and will reattend at any point whilst they are in the area.

With a focus on safety at all times, the Sovini Group team are kept up to date using our detailed e-Reporting tool. They can look for location trends, making sure plant is always made available for inspection by our Engineer Surveyors and that any follow up actions are completed quickly. Our Key Account Manager plays an important role in communicating with the council, broker and our team to make sure all aspects of the contract run as smoothly as possible.