Thursday, 23 October 2025

Agent Dan

If you do the X / Bluesky thing, follow me at @HousingITguy or LinkedIn here https://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy

Agentic AI has become one of those phrases you cannot escape in UK #socialhousing tech conversations. Suppliers talk about it with great confidence. (OBVs)

Agents that plan, decide, act, learn. Systems that do things for you, not just respond when clicked. Yet when you scratch the surface, most of what is described still lives firmly in the future tense.

Currently as far as I can see, practical use is still quite limited, but not entirely absent.

Where agent style behaviour is starting to show real value is on the CRM platforms, particularly Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Not in fully autonomous decision making, but in tightly constrained, supervised tasks. Things like AI driven case triage, where incoming repairs, ASB or damp reports are automatically categorised, prioritised, and routed to the right team based on rules, patterns, and historical outcomes. That is agent-like behaviour in practice, (even if nobody really calls it that on the ground).

I think we are also seeing early but useful examples around assisted case progression. AI nudging staff officers with next best actions, chasing missing information, drafting responses, or flagging cases that are stalling against policy or SLA. Traditionally these might be templated anyway for policy consistency. In D365, Copilot style tooling is already being used to summarise long case histories, prepare updates for managers, or draft resident communications that staff then review and send. It is not autonomous, but it genuinely saves time and cognitive load.

Salesforce based housing solutions look to be a bit further along with orchestration. Some providers are experimenting with agents that span multiple systems, pulling data from CRM, repairs, and finance to support a single outcome, for example preparing a voids readiness pack or highlighting risks ahead of a mutual exchange. Still this is reliant on quality of integrations  in place at times. Again, these are supervised agents, operating within guardrails, not free ranging AI making housing decisions on its own.

On the HMS side, things are quieter.

Most UK housing management systems are still focused on embedded AI features rather than true agentic behaviour. Things like predictive repairs, arrears risk scoring, or document classification. Useful, but largely reactive and contained within a single module. The bigger challenge is that many HMS platforms are still finishing the journey to full responsive-browser based, API rich architectures. Without that foundation, serious agent orchestration across modules and systems is very hard to deliver safely. So for some its jam tomorrow.

There are a few tentative examples. Some suppliers are piloting AI driven scheduling optimisation in repairs, image diagnosis or automated follow ups in income collection. But these tend to be narrow, rules heavy, and carefully constrained. Some not really AI at all in its recent clever Trevor LLM incarnation. Sensibly so. Housing is not a domain where most CEO’s want an AI agent learning through trial and error with real people’s homes and lives.

So where does that leave us.

Right now, agentic AI in UK & Irish social housing is most credible when it behaves like a very capable assistant, not an autonomous decision maker. CRM platforms are better placed to support this today because they are already designed around workflows, orchestration, and integration. HMS suppliers are not out of the race, but many are still building the track while running on it. Many trad HMS already have plenty of under-implemented workflow and similar capability – so think on, don’t be reaching for AI if you haven’t even got to first base!

The danger is not that agentic AI will fail. It is that suppliers & CRM solution partners oversell it before it is ready, and housing providers either over commit or switch off entirely. The sensible path is boring but effective. Start with small (pay as you go), practical agents. Keep humans in the loop. Prove value in time saved, errors reduced, and residents better served.

So, less talk about the art of the possible everyone. More evidence of the possible working on a Tuesday afternoon in a housing office, over a bookies, grocers and a chemists.

Are you sufficiently implemented to be ready for AI  ? 
Get in touch , I will drop in for a cuppa & bring the Jammy Dodgers 

       Related Post: Don't suffer from system under-implementation

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

I would be pleased to connect with you on LinkedIn - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tonysmiththathousingitguy Message me with any issues or queries, you would like to be explored in this blog. We generally receive a couple of suggestions each month.

Agent Provocateur - Agent DanAgent Provocateur - Agent Dan

(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting 
www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts here , what projects do we get involved in? Access them here


Could we help you or your organisation? Our contact details are here , get in touch we will be pleased to chat about your problems and help with your organisation issues.


File Under: #HomesForBritain,#HousingDAY,#InternetOfTenants,#Shout,#UKHousing, 07854655009, 1st Touch,1stTouch,360,365Agile,3squared,4Js, ACL,ALMO,AMS,AX,Aareon,Abritas,Academy,Accuserv,Accuserve,Active Housing,ActiveH,ActiveF,ActiveFinance,ActiveHousing,Acutence,Advanced,Affinity,Aidenn,Agile,Agile365,AHB,AirWatch,Alscient,Alfresco,Alignment,Allpay,Amazon Web Services,Anite,Apex,App,ArchHouse,Archouse,Asprey e-state pro,Asset Management,Associates,Aurora,Average IT Costs,AWI SX Integration Toolkit,AWS, BI,BO,BPR,BancTec,BigChange,Blockwise,BluTek,Bluebox,Blueprint,BrikHousing,Browser Applications,BC, Business Central, Business Objects,Business Planning,Business Process Review,Business social networking, CACI,Capita One Housing,CBL,CCS IT Keystone CCSIT,CEDRM,CHICS,CHR,CIH,CMS,COA,CORE,CPL,CRM,CRM2013,CRS,CTI,CTX,Cadcorp,Capita,CapitaOne,Capita One,Capital Management,Cashflow,Castle,Castleton,Castleton Technology,Cedar Open Accounts,Cerrus,Change,Charges,Chartered Institute Of Housing,Cheaper Housing IT,Chics, Citrix,Civica,Civica CTX,Civica Cx,Civica Genero,Civica Saffron,Clearview,Clik,Cx Assets, Cloud Dialogs,CloudDialogs,Coactiva,Codeman,Comino,Commontime,Community Reward Services,Company,Competitive Dialogue process,Component Accounting,Consilium,Consolidation, Consultancy,Consultant,Consultants,Contact Manager,Context,Contractor Systems,CorVu,Cost Reductions,Covalent,Crystal Reports,Customer Relationship Management,Cx,CxFeedback, DRS,Deeplake,Designer Software,Development Systems,Director,Document,Documotive,Docuware,Dynamic AI,DynamicAI,Dynamics 365,D365,Dynamics365,Dynaway ECMK,EDM,EDRMS,ERP,ESRI,Elmhurst,Enghouse Interactive,England,English,EnterpriseBI,Estatecraft,Esuasive,Esynergy,Etive,Exhibition,Exponential-e, F&O, Facebook,Factorwise,Field Service management,Finance,Financial Systems,Financials,FLS,Footprint,Forms,Freezes,Fusion,Fuzzlab Gas Tag,G-Cloud,GCloud,GDPR,GGP,GIS,GasTag,Genero,GeoSolveIT,Getting best from,GoTonySmith,Grasp,Grip,Group Apex, HCL,HFI (Housing Financials interface),HG,HRA,Hardware,Hitachi Systems,Hitex,HomeMaster,Hometeam,HouSys,House,Housemark,Housemark survey,Housing,Housing Contact,Housing Group,Housing Insight,Housing Management,Housing Management Consultant,Housing Partners,Housing Portfolio Management System,Hub Asset Management,Homeswapper,Housing jigsaw,HousingOne,Housing-One, Housing Support Pro,HousingIT,HousingSupportPro,HyperOptic, IMS,IPC,iProperty Cloud,IT,IT Budget,IT Training,ITIL,Impact Response,In,In4,In4Systems Promaster,InfinityGroup,InfoBoss,InHouse,InMotion,InMotion2015,InMotion2016,InfoBoss,Infoflow,Information,Information Technology,Information@Work components,Informix,Innovation, Informetis,Inphase,Inside Housing,Insight,Internet Portal,Internetalia,Invu,Ireland,Irish,itLab,InclineIT, Keyfax,Keylogic,Keypera,Keystone,Kirona,Kypera,Keynamics, Landlord,Ledgers,Linkedin,Liquid,Locality,Localz, M3,MadeTech,MAVIS,MD,MDM,MI,MIS,MIS-AMS,MISCS,MRI,MS Dynamics,MRI,MS Dynamics CRM2011,Microsoft365,microsoft 365,MWL,Management,Management Server,Manifest,Measuring,Mebus,More IQ,MoreIQ,Microsoft Dynamics 365,Microsoft dynamics GP 2013,Miracle,MobileIron,Mobysoft,Monopoly board images and pictures,Montal,Mr Void,MriEngage,MrVoid,MoreIQ, MRI,MRI/Capita,MRI Housing One, NDL,NINTEX,NINTEX workflow,NPS,NPS ASSIST,NPS Housing,NPS Job Manager Mobile,NROSH,Natural,Neighbourhoods and Communities,Nintexworkflow,Northgate,Northgate Codeman,Northgate Public Services,Notice, OA,OGC Buying Solutions,OJEU Limits,ORS,Ohms,OmFax,Omniledger,One,OneAdvanced,OneServe,Open source,OpenContractor,OpenHousing,Opti-time,Options,Optitime,Oracle,Orchard,Outsource and outsourcing,OutSystems, PIMMS,PIMSS Data,PM,PRINCE2,Paloma,Pamwin,PanConnect,People Value,Peoplevalue,PfH,Pick,PlanForm,Planned maintenance,Plentific,Plus,Portfolio Management System,PowerObjects,Pro,Pro-Points,Prodo,Progress,Promaster,Propeller,Propoints,Proval,Providers,Pyramid, QL,QLX, QLF, QL Yuneo,QuantSpark,Qube,QLX,Qlikview,QueryView,Queryview reporting,Quiss, RM865,ROCC,RPs,RSL,Rave,ReAct,Reality,RedkiteCRM,Red Olive,Registered,Registered Social,Rent Increase,RentSense,RentSenseLite,Repairfinder,Reporting,Reports,RobotAutomation,Rocket,Rubixx, Salesforce,Salesforce.Org,SAP,SASSHA,SDM,SHBVN,SM,SOTI,SP,SQL,SQL Open Housing,SQL Reporting,SQL Server,Saffron,Safron,Saturn,Scenario,Scotland,Scots,Scottish,Scout,Sequoa,Serengeti,Serros,Server,Service,Services,Servitor,Sharepoint,Sim,SimPro, Simdel,Simdell,Slash and Burn,Social Housing ICT,Social Housing Software Applications,Social Media,Software,Software solutions,Spotlight Service,Spotlightservice,Star rating,Stores and Stock,Strategic,SunAccounts,Sunguard,Surveys,Streetwise, Swordfish,Sx3,Symatrix Human,System alignment,Systems,Systemwise, T-Files,TEAMS,TED,TFiles,TP Tracker,TSG,Tagish Casework,Tagra,Task,TAIM,Techlabs,Technologies (India) PVT Limited,Telecetera,Template,Terminal Services,That,Three Star,Tilt,TiltAffinity,Today,Tony Smith,Tony Smith That Housing IT Guy,TonySmith that housing IT,TonySmithHou,TonySmithHousing, ,TonySmithHousingITguy,Total,Total Mobile,Totalmobile,Trace,Tribal,Twitter, U2,UC,UK,UK Housing,Ukhousing,UniClass Enterprise,Unidata,United Kingdom,Universal,Universalcredit,Universe,Unrest, Valueworks,Van Stock,Vantage,Vantage Sentinel,Version,Virtualisation,Visitour,Visualmetrics,Voice,Voice and data,Voicescape,Voluntas, Wales,Welsh,Wheatley,Windows Server,Workflow and,Work Hub,Works Connect, XML,Xen App,XenApp,Xmbrace, Yuneo,TS Acutance Consulting, ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . ES | FR | DE | IT | UK


No comments:

Post a Comment