Initial Challenges
Community Housing handled a high volume of gas and electric repair calls, which took up significant time and limited the team's ability to focus on other tasks. Sarah explained, “Making these calls took about three hours each day, even when we were busy with admin." If they didn’t make the calls, they relied on bulk texts, which weren’t suitable for everyone, resulting in lower access rates and delays in completing services.
Objections
The initial hesitation in implementing Yokeru’s system wasn’t about the technology but the team’s limited capacity to test and integrate it. Sarah explains, “It wasn’t hesitation; we just didn’t have the time, with only two of us and our days already full.” Once they made time, the setup was smooth and easy to manage.
Yokeru’s Implementation
Yokeru’s calling platform made the calls on Sarah's behalf to ask tenants if they were happy with their appointment slot or needed to speak to someone to rearrange. If a tenant requested to talk, Sarah would receive an inbound call to book a new time that worked for everyone. This allowed the team to focus on more critical tasks without being overwhelmed by routine outbound calls.
Process and Setup
Yokeru’s system was set up in under 30 minutes, including training and script creation. Ongoing support helped the team adapt seamlessly, and the flexible system was tailored to Community Housing’s needs while ensuring compliance with data protection protocols.
86% improvement in efficiency
Yokeru reduced the team’s weekly manual calling time from 20 hours of outbound calls to under 3 hours of inbound calls, allowing staff to focus on higher-priority tasks.
593 tenants engaged with within 3 weeks
Community Housing reached 593 tenants, ensuring that important service appointments were scheduled efficiently and without delays.
77% appointment confirmation rate
Tenants achieved a 77% engagement rate with Yokeru’s calls, aided by a follow-up process that contacts them multiple times. This boosted confirmation rates, reduced no-shows, and helped the team secure property access and complete services efficiently.
Achievements
Implementing Yokeru significantly boosted the team's efficiency and morale. Sarah noted, “None of my team wanted to make 100 calls a day. Once they got used to Yokeru, it became easy, and their mood improved.”
The time savings allowed the team to assist other departments and finish tasks ahead of schedule. Sarah added, “Now, if anyone finishes early, they can help in other areas. We're able to get ahead and plan.”
“When I showed the system to my team, they were extremely happy. And even my head of service in the company was really happy that I automated the calls. It’s just more efficient, and it lets us help out other teams. To me, because he was happy, and he’s so high up, that’s a win for me. That’s huge.”
Sarah Dusconi - Senior M&E Manager
Recommendation
Sarah recommended Yokeru’s automated system for any team managing high volumes of service reminders and follow-up calls, noting that departments like repairs could easily adopt a similar setup: “They could use the same script format we use.”
For organisations aiming to streamline repetitive tasks, Sarah highlighted the benefits:
“It cuts your time by more than half. I think most teams should use it.”
