Case Study – Empowering Operatives to do the right repair at the right time

In August 2022 we were scheduled to replace a bathroom at a property in Nursling Crescent in Havant as part of our regular maintenance contract. When our Operative visited to scope the job the tenant – Miss Nathan - asked if she had to have a new low level bath as she was already struggling to use the current one. She suffers with bad sciatica and severe asthma which have left her with poor mobility. She is very unsteady on her feet and uses a walking stick to get around. This had resulted in her no longer using her bath as she couldn’t get into and out of it.

Our Operative contacted his supervisor to explain the situation and see what we could do for this tenant to provide the right repair at the right time. The supervisor got in touch with the client to explain the issues and it was agreed that rather than a replacement bath, we would install a shower tray instead.

This is an example of how each of our Operatives are empowered to diagnose the issue when they arrive onsite to scope the work.

As can often happen with jobs, it was not as straightforward as was first imagined. As our Operatives will be the first to say, no two jobs are the same and all come with their individual challenges. Once the old bath had been removed the floor needed levelling and an old pipe needed removing. Electricians needed to come in and replace trunking for the new shower.

Speaking to Miss Nathan she said she was very pleased with Alan (our Multitrade Operative) who had explained thoroughly what he was doing at each step of the job. He allayed her fears and reassured her that he would leave her with a working bathroom sink and toilet each day as the job understandably was completed over a few days.

As the saying goes, ‘it takes a team to do anything of lasting value’ and this is what we always strive to achieve at Comserv. Working within the client's ‘scope of service’ and tailoring the works to meet the individual requirements of the tenant is essential if we are to deliver truly what the tenant needs.

Miss Nathan was a firm lover of blue and so we made sure we painted her new bathroom a lovely shade of her favourite colour. She was one very happy tenant!