Quality Heating Services (QHS) are delivery partners for both Paradigm Housing Group and St Albans Council in improving Home Life Safety, as they provide an end to end solution, with a significant number of it’s employees having completed an AICO programme of staff training, starting in it’s High Wycombe Call Centre, through to it’s Electrical and Gas Service Engineers on the ground, all overseen by it’s also AICO trained Electrical and Gas Operational Managers. AICO are leading suppliers in the UK of domestic fire and Carbon Monoxide (CO) protection equipment.
Paradigm appointed QHS as a Strategic Partner to support their Direct Labour Organisation to carry out EICR, electrical repairs and safety upgrades across their existing housing portfolio and recently acquired homes from a stock transfer. The areas for delivery include primarily Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and North-West London, although QHS engineers will travel to wherever Paradigm’s properties are located.
AICO Regional Specification Manager Ben Malton has also trained QHS Gas Engineers working in St Albans, assisting us to identity alarms requiring upgrade or replacement during the annual gas service and safety check, leading to safer homes, efficient and better compliance and improved convenience for residents, as these works can now be delivered in a single visit. All engineers are now Aico Expert Installers, trained in head replacement and house coding and carry impress van stock, to enable a successful first visit first fix. Installations requiring new easy-fit bases are installed by qualified QHS electricians.
QHS were awarded the contract to support the in-house electrical team at Paradigm based on quality of work, local knowledge and our reputation for exemplary customer service. The contract award resulted from competitive pricing, excellent local knowledge, track record of service delivery and our added value resident centric service proposals.
Paradigm’s customers see no difference in service delivery between Paradigm’s Direct Labour Operation and QHS, as both service delivery teams work together as “one team” to ensure a customer friendly, efficient and safety focussed delivery, resulting in safer homes. This strategic partnership has worked well. The additional workload has enabled us to increase our directly employed staff, QHS chose to reach out to each local community where we work with Paradigm to recruit electricians to deliver the contract by employing local people from the communities in which we operate.
In terms of adding value, the AICO trained QHS Gas Service Engineers working for St Albans City and District Council are now able to identity alarms requiring upgrade or replacement during a routine Gas Service visit, leading to safer homes, better and swifter compliance, whilst reducing inconvenience for residents, resulting in higher levels of resident satisfaction.
Ben Malton also trained QHS call centre staff to enable triaging and understanding of any incoming alarm related queries from residents. They know how to represent QHS as AICO Approved Installers, and how to best to communicate with residents to ensure exceptional professional service delivery.
Paradigm required a professional organisation, that could mobilise quickly and deliver at scale a compliance contract in occupied homes over a large geographical area. QHS was able to demonstrate tried and tested systems, processes and procedures that gave confidence to the Contract administrator, and we had the resources (contract managers and engineers) with the skills needed to deliver the works, on time and within budget. Upon contract award, as part of our mobilisation process, we engaged with AICO at the earliest possible time to include Expert Installer training as part of the mobilisation phase and induction for all staff involved in the contract delivery. This ensured all staff were skilled in the correct installation of the products specified by the client.
The fact that QHS chose to reach out to the local community to recruit electricians in the contract operational areas, taking on new employees and that it continually looks to recruit, is a significant success in itself by adding social value to the initiative.
Our success is also measured internally and by the client. KPI’s include Customer satisfaction e.g. works completed right first time, completed with one appointment, no recalls and conduct by the engineers within residents’ homes. In all areas we score highly. QHS is committed to continuous improvement and staff development and we will be completing further training modules of the Expert Installer programme as well as ensuring all new starters are trained by AICO. The impact will be safer compliant homes that are fitted with the correct products as specified by our Clients.
QHS is able to genuinely assist to transform neighbourhoods thanks to it’s ongoing commitment to diversity throughout it’s workforce, which has given the delivery team the ability to effectively engage and communicate with Client’s residents in their own language, as it’s employees between them can speak 12-14 different languages, plus we use additional translation support when necessary.
Additionally, QHS has seen the benefit of being a key stakeholder along with Paradigm, CEF and AICO. All these stakeholders work closely together to deliver the works as specified on time and on budget. As a result, all staff working on this contract are fully aware of the products, the siting requirements to ensure compliance, safer homes and secure communities.
