The Approach
The first stage of the project focused on the customer experience, introducing a new online account and additional ways for customers to get in touch. But progress was constrained by VIVID's existing legacy repairs system, Locator Plus. The platform held outdated information and contained broken links that relied on old Schedule of Rates codes, making it difficult for the team to maintain.
VIVID needed a repairs solution that could support its broader digital ambitions: one that made it simple for customers to report repairs and gave staff the tools to diagnose issues quickly and accurately.
In the next stage, VIVID migrated to M3Central, adopting the platform's repairs diagnostics and reporting capabilities to rebuild its repairs process from the ground up.
Rather than replicating old workflows, the team used the implementation process as an opportunity to reconsider how repairs reporting should work in a digital setting. As Vickie Hamlyn, Business Analyst at VIVID, explains: "We sat down and redesigned it from scratch."
Working with M3, VIVID created ten repair profiles tailored to different tenure types and circumstances, ensuring customers saw only the options relevant to them. The aim was to strip back unnecessary complexity, so customers could quickly identify the right issue and report it correctly first time.
The new system was also customised to reflect VIVID's brand and tone of voice, as well as its operational needs. The team updated headings, imagery, guidance and labelling to help customers understand what information they needed to provide. Dedicated profiles were created for property and communal repairs, estates, garages and defects.
The new defects profile illustrates this approach well. Customers are prompted to provide more detail about an issue, giving VIVID's teams and contractors better information about the problem before they arrive on site.
Self-service was another priority. VIVID added advice, FAQs and links to its own how-to videos, covering issues such as unblocking a toilet, to help customers resolve straightforward problems themselves. For issues that do require staff support, the additional diagnostic information helps teams reach faster resolutions.
Delivery was a close collaboration between the two teams. M3 supported VIVID by uploading its customised Schedule of Rates, configuring priorities, adding groups and tiles, repositioning labels and providing training.
"The M3 team's responsiveness and expertise turned what could have been a complex upgrade into a straightforward transition," says Hannah Bailey, Digital Experience Lead at VIVID.
The Results
The change has had a measurable impact on how customers report repairs and how staff manage them.
More than 30,000 customers have now set up online accounts and around 3,000 repairs are logged online each month. In addition, weekly online repair volumes have grown by between 40% and 80% year-on-year.
For VIVID’s customers, this means repairs can be reported at a time that suits them. For their customer experience advisers, it means more time available to support customers with more complex needs.
For staff, M3Central provides a single, integrated diagnostics view within VIVID's existing CRM system, helping them identify the correct repair and capture the detail contractors need, reducing the likelihood of repeat visits.
Vickie Hamlyn explains, "We've definitely made the system smarter and more user-friendly. It's really helping us deliver excellent customer service."
What's Next
VIVID regards M3Central as an ongoing platform for improvement rather than a completed project. With the transformation programme now underway, the organisation is extending its digital services into income, tenancy management and neighbourhoods.
Several further enhancements to M3Central are already planned, including clearer guidance on repair responsibility, urgent HHSRS risk functionality, additional emergency messaging and a new voids profile for staff.
The objective remains consistent: to make services simpler and more accessible for customers, while equipping staff with the information they need to deliver a high standard of service.
For VIVID, the move to M3Central has delivered more than a technology upgrade. It has established a more flexible foundation for the next phase of its transformation.
As Hannah Bailey puts it, "The new version has enhanced the customer journey, enabling us to better visualise key elements and streamline repair diagnostics."
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For more information about M3Central visit our webpage or contact clientservices@m3h.co.uk