Digital Developer - Specification 2024
1.1. Housing Solutions - company overview
We own, manage and maintain more than 7,500 homes, across seven local authorities in and around the Maidenhead area. We are committed to harnessing the benefits of digital technology and continue to invest in the platforms to seamlessly connect our colleagues and residents.
1.2. Digital status
We see ourselves as innovation leaders within the housing sector, ready to embrace new ideas and the latest technology to benefit our residents and our business. We have been pushing toward an end to end digital platform for our residents and believe that this is the best way to offer value and deliver first class service.
1.3. Relevant platforms
We currently use Open Housing as our primary housing management system. We have a Website, Customer portal, Mobile app, staff portal and Webchat. These 5 front facing platforms are key for us on our digital development journey. These platforms are as follows;
- Website: Umbraco v10. This is currently a relatively minimalistic website in terms of functionality, we use the following modules; rich text, accordion/tabs, video, forms, quotes, raw html, sitemap, document listing, image gallery, grid layout, maps, contact us, section headers, accreditations and CTAs.
- Customer portal: Umbraco v10. Staff functionality includes upload, create, member types, member groups, API’s into Open Housing, Capita for payments, Civica Servitor for repairs schedule. The front end offers Repairs, Rent, Profile and external links.
- Mobile app: React Native. Android and ios. Mirrors portal functionality currently, Push notifications, field encryption, login/forgotten password, sign up/register, splash/load screen, home screen, news and media feed, rent history, make a payment, repair schedule, forms, web chat support.
- Staff portal: Umbraco v10. Allows our staff to act as a tenant in terms of functionality of customer portal, so raise repairs and make payments. Search function.
- Webchat: 8x8. Same system we use for call centre so easy for our front line staff to access and use. Currently set up as a list picker type funnel which redirects to customer portal for rent and repairs functionality but we have discussed offering these options within the webchat window.
Our current digital partners are Prodo and our current support contract ends with them on April 2024. They operate support using ‘Jira’ service management system and project management through ‘Productive’. We are allocated a certain number of support hours per month and additional developments go through a quote process before sign off and project planning.
2.1. Specification overview
We want to be able to offer all of our customers an easy, quick and efficient end to end digital platform. From the initial point of registering interest of being one of our residents, to carrying out all functionality/accessing services, to reviewing documents, moving properties to ending their tenancy. All in one place, which we see as a native mobile app.
Although we are aware of the current preference of the web portal over our mobile app offering, we believe that the additional functionality that a mobile device can offer is important and worth prioritising development over the web portal. We therefore propose to maintain our web portal’s current development status as it sits whilst putting new development resource into the mobile app, looking towards it being our end to end digital solution.
We require a digital partner who is able to maintain and manage our website, resident portal and staff portal, whilst helping us develop our mobile app to the point stated above.
Ideally we would like to create a partnership that allows flexibility in terms of development without additional cost and resource at every turn of the digital development. We would look to working with our digital partners on a rolling basis with regular performance reviews.
2.2. Timescales
We are looking for a minimum of 3 quotes from developers by the end of January 2024, to develop our digital platforms starting from April 2024. We require our website, resident portal, staff portal and webchat options to be static in terms of their current ability/development whilst we develop our native mobile app offering in line with our digital journey timeline (Appendix A).
3.1. Design
Our website needs to meet our corporate design standards in terms of tone and feel. Minimalistic, easy to use and quick to operate. Functionality needs to be prioritised through our mobile app, portal and webchat. Our current website spec as delivered by our current digital partner is to be maintained (Appendix B).
Our mobile app needs to reflect our corporate tone and style. It needs to eventually offer an end to end digital platform for our residents. It needs to be easy to use for non tech people. It’s design needs to lend itself to return use. . Our current resident app spec (Appendix C) as delivered by our current digital partner is to be developed in line with our digital journey timeline.
Our Resident portal needs to be maintained at it’s current level of development, we do not want to spend more resource and cost on developing this platform further but we also do not want to lose this platform completely as people still use it and are likely to use it until our mobile app is at the stage where the portal becomes obsolete. Our current resident portal spec as delivered by our current digital partner is to be maintained (Appendix D).
Our staff portal needs to be easy to use and offer a quick access point for our staff members to access resident functionality. It needs to reflect our corporate tone and style. Our current staff portal spec as delivered by our current digital partner is to be maintained (Appendix E).
Our webchat needs to be easy to use by both our residents and our staff members. It needs to integrate with our non-digital (phoneline) platform 8x8. We would like the ability to develop portal-style functionality within the webchat window, things like paying rent and reporting repairs. Our webchat spec as delivered by our current digital partner is to be maintained (Appendix F).
3.2. Stakeholders
- Residents
- Potential residents
- Staff
- Board members
- Industry professionals
- Job seekers
- Auditors
3.3. Navigation
Following external and internal analytic exercises we have recently streamlined our website menu, to only include pages that our residents are using. This allows for easy and quick access. Other web based pages and functionality may be present but will be accessible via the search function or webchat signposting.
Our mobile app navigation needs to be developed in such a way that the user is initially guided through how it works, until they are comfortable using the app. It should be intuitive and painless to operate. We also require changes to be possible without long delays or additional costs.
Our resident portal needs to work in the same fashion as it currently does, we do not wish to allocate additional resource to developing the platform beyond it’s current ability.
Our staff app needs to have a predictive and consistent search function so that our staff members can quickly find the correct resident. It also needs to be easy to navigate in terms of functionality.
3.4. Accessibility
The website must incorporate accessibility features appropriate and adequate for our userbase.
3.5. Content
The website will include text, graphics, audio, video, PDF’s, maps, forms, and other features inline with it’s current ability. Our Portal will remain as it is. Our mobile app will be developed beyond it’s current content to include things such as; documents, how to guide through, sign up area, in-tenancy forms and functionality, rent, direct debits, estate inspection area, repairs and end of tenancy area. Our digital development roadmap will list how we envisage the mobile app to be developed.
4.1. Administration
We require a number of CMS admins within Housing Solutions. Ideally we would like some super users who can access the majority of things in the backend, so simple changes and edits do not need to go to the developers. Ideally we would like admin/edit capability for website, portal, staff portal and mobile app.
We need analytic access, training, and support ticket access for all of these platforms.
4.2. Security
We currently use Cloudflare which we would like to continue with or a suitable alternative. We use reCAPTCHA for forms on the website. Our website, portals and mobile app need to be secure and safe for all users.
4.3. Hosting
Our platforms all require secure, scalable hosting.
5.1. Ongoing relationship with developer
We need a digital developer who can work with us in an agile manner. We need to be able to deliver our vision in a timely manner in partnership, with transparency and honesty in terms of cost and resource. We are looking for a long term digital partner who can see the benefits of working with us rather than for us.
