Fix Me Now

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

I was down in Paddington just the other week in one of my favourite boozers, The Victoria. Not part of a pub quiz team, but I was helping some lads from Brighton with the questions from north of Watford. It was the best I could do. 

This included, which Scottish Whisky has a name meaning “The Valley of the Deer”? (Glenfiddich - Gaelic “Gleann Fhiodhaich”), highest mountain in England which stumped many (Scafell Pike at 978 m, just over the height of of a Scottish Corbett) and finally, what is the common name for the “Gravelly Hill Interchange”? (Easy one for anyone from the NW of England who has wasted days of their life on it, “Spaghetti Junction”).

One question that stumped me and the whole pub, was what did the “B” represent in B&Q ?

The answer, if you need it for your next pub quiz is “Block”, after original founders “Richard Block and David Quayle”, from 1969. 

If you have ever visited B&Q you will no doubt have encountered one of their excellent team of enabled pensioners with lots of practical building experience, who can guide you to section 6 for that copper plumbing joint, or rack 18a for that heavy duty shed hasp and staple. An amazing number of retired folk have decades of experience that are being cleverly leveraged by B&Q, that's valuable knowledge too.

The same principle has been provided by Help Me Fix since 2022. It’s a clever service with great feedback satisfaction reports. A lot of data could be built up from 500 or so repair reports weekly, as well as supplied images. If that was 50,000+ or so examples, that was always clear after the advent of modern AI, that could only be a suitable learning database for a language model. Effectively, it was obvious that much of that experience could be encapsulated into AI, to reduce the costs of having staff in the process, based on that many use-cases. So possibly, that’s more potential staff for B&Q, as well as a leaner business.

My money would have been on Plentific buying up Help me Fix, however this month Aareon serial snapper upper have snapped them up. See Homemaster & ActiveH blogs....

This makes some commercial sense as some of Aareon's Fixflo product has had integrations since October 2024 and clearly proved its worth. The AI developed has been named Aidenn and looks to have initial capability to interpret uploaded images and cross-reference to supplied text or spoken details. Most likely “Aidenn” might be Aareon’s future AI anchoring. It will be to be seen if this has realistic Agentic AI capabilities that can operate beyond this tightly constrained use case.

A lovely substantial payday then for Ettan Bazil, nice juicy return for just over 3 years work, get that Sunseeker ordered and the condo plans prepared in Sandbanks. There is no indication of what this has cost Aareon, who posted a £10m+ loss last financial year. Hopefully some German’s in Mainz have done the mathematic on this. Perhaps the next financial postings will reveal the cost of this, Homemaster and ActiveH and also of course the positive effects on the bottom line. Lack of turning a dollar (or a Euro perhaps in Aareon UK’s EU parent context) puts organisations at risk of takeover, being the smallest of the UK remaining big four.

In the UK public sector, organisations value great products, acceptable service, stability, low risk and value pricing. As choice in the UK continues to narrow, it will be interesting how existing customers and new ones coming to market, react to these new developments. 

Some chapter & verse here 

Multiple councils are expected to merge, how best to manage bringing systems together?

Get in touch , I will drop in for a brew & bring the essential Jaffa Cakes ☕

       Related Post: Repairs - how can landlords do it way better?

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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.

Garbage - Fix Me Now

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


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts 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,Aidenn,Affinity,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 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, ...

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Swell Maps

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

I  don’t know if you have noticed this last six months, the shear volume of software solution buy up and acquisition activity in the public and socialhousing sector? Its reducing actual choice and I have heard it said it actually stifles innovation. 

Its sure as hell easier for some outfits to buy up solutions, also bagging customers needing yet more numbers in their sales ledgers, than getting out being hungry and winning new business. What with MRI concluding its purchase of Capita’s public sector offerings after challenge, Aareon doing it with Designer Software’s Homemaster and MIS-AMS ActiveH, its as one colleague confided to me, “well its just down to a few players now for modern procurement”.

The trouble of course with buying up just anything, is suppliers can end up like having an overfilled golf bag. When that difficult opportunity comes it, its 3 times as hard to work out what club would be best to hit that ball with. In the last few months I have heard multiple pitches telling different stories about the same products in the inventory, with often the sales team confused. We are in a sector where good staff are leaving because they are approaching retirement, family life is changing for them, or just don’t want to be TUPE’d over (again) to a corporate monolith. A good merger also is a time to cut down that dead wood that you haven’t tackled in many years and fortunately your new owners will do the unpleasant pruning.

Unfortunately if acquisitions are not done well and managed well, your product offering becomes more like a soup, a thick and not too present one too. No wonder some of the new kids on the block are doing so well, such as the dinosaur slayer (you know who I mean), who is proud to just sell 3 things really well and tell you what the cost per property is. Simples !

Also, for balance, other alternatives on CRM based solutions are available with D365 & Salesforce. Other dinosaur slayers of a kind !

So, to be blogging about yet another acquisition, is unfortunate, although to be honest, a little less so.

This month another of those big public sector software suppliers picked up a GIS solution. NEC (nee NPS Northgate Public Services) ‘strategically’ acquired CadCorp. Full chapter and verse can be read here. 

I am familiar with Cadcorp, as back in 2011 at my old shop (MIS-AMS) we were resellers of its UK based product and even back then it had clever and flexible integrations and rich features. It’s a good product and I still hear good things about it. 

In contrast to a few others this feels less like a desperate hoovering up of solutions and more like adding an essential part of a jigsaw into their offerings around Blue Light, safety, energy, infrastructure and others in addition to social housing, via API’s.

It would be hoped that the comments on the marriage ring true and this brings something bigger than the sum of its two parts, rather than what is often experienced elsewhere, merged help-desks and a tin-ear in reference to general customer service. 

Aside from taking over Anite OHMS back in Nov 2008 (after the OFT decided not to refer it to the Competition Commission), NEC now have pretty much one of everything to pitch. Less of the multiples,  “which contractor, which mobile, or which housing solution this time”, type nonsense.

Paradoxically, having more traditional product to choose from with the same logo on the front, can often cause more problems than it solves. If mixing products, always check if they have been integrated in that manner before, successfully tried or not. I hear far too many occurrences of this, with often bigger landlords often being caught out worse. I am sure some contacts of mine may be reading this and thinking “yes”, its easier to be caught out than you think! So, readers, let the buyer beware. 

Two many products? - how to scope your options ?

Get in touch , I will drop in for a brew & bring the Stem Ginger Cookies ☕

       Related Post: Software contracts - such a minefield. What to be aware of and what to try to avoid..

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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.

Swell Maps – Read About Seymour

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


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts 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,acquisitions, 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,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 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, ...

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Old Highs, New Lows

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

Having worked in all sectors of IT across my working life, I can’t say I made a conscious decision to spend getting on for 28 years in SocialHousing ICT, but there you go. Over the years I have been the natural sponge and absorbed whatever sectors I toiled in, even remembering my retail or logistics experience, often decades later.

Many of my friends, contacts and clients will know I spent my first fourteen housing sector years at MIS Active Management Systems, home (originally of HAMIS and) ActiveH, last 5 of which as Managing Director for my sins. Mostly happy times with many decent hardworking people, not without its quirks and politics as most small companies have. Glen Lewis and Richard Chambers will be familiar to many, as will some of the others, a few with a SOH bypass who made a Christmas appearance in my ‘Hamis Recorder’.

In some of the sales demos I attended back in the 2010's pitching for MIS, we often bumped into Ian Lockwood or Chris Harvey coming into the prospect for the afternoon session. It was good to take a good few of those back then. Many of those RSLs are just about back out again now.

When I first started, there were over 25 products/suppliers available to anyone needing a housing management system. With the agreed sale of MIS-AMS announced today (somewhat quicker than Homemaster last month), that reduces the bigger supplier beast to the UK Housing procurement equivalent of the four corners of Jurassic Park. Aareon, Civica, MRI (now Capita owners) & NEC. Which of these might be the most precarious and whose long term fate might be more tied to its VC owners?

A bit like the movie, a lot of these solutions feel like they are sharing a lot of the old shared stale DNA. With such similar multiple solutions in so little hands, it’s a wonder the Competition & Mergers Commission is asleep at the wheel yet again with this new ‘we are thrilled & proud’ PR messaging from the purchaser. Where will this leave InclineIT & ActiveF (ActiveFinance) then? 

Still that leaves one true indy innovator left standing, Rubixx. No debt, no external investors or shareholders. What a luxury to only answer to clients. A solution that if you have not already taken a look at, you should take a shufty. Simon Reay has got most legacy solutions on his bingo card, he should have picking up over 30 deals in the last three years. I recall Simon proudly telling be when he had won Melville HA from MIS up in Midlothian. Actually that was the first HMS implementation I ever did back in 1998.  Like Simon, I will be fascinated to see how selling a culture of caring about customers, now plays out under a new regime

One class of alternative solutions that I can hardly see spooking the C&MC, are the resellers of CRM based platform housing solutions. You know the ones, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce. These are the new alternatives to the traditional suppliers, providing freedom from solutions being bought up and flexibility to do something else. These RSLs often have deeper pockets too. Strangely when some of these housing CRM resellers are historically snapped up by big outfits, they are often suffocated. Why can’t some of the Jurastic’s manage to tap into this potential and take on a reseller building more expensive solutions? Maybe their management structures cannot support it or maybe just the imagination is not there. Maybe we will have to wait until Plentific try their hand at this?

What will the big suppliers propose to the market from their bag of product? Even now I experience confusion where rival options are available. One of the biggest challenges, is often integration, that is particularly older products have not been plugged together before and its still challenging at time in 2025. Just cause it has the same logo on it, should not con you into thinking integration will be a breeze.Also, how much innovation is occurring ? Some of our larger suppliers seem reluctant to invest big.

With the urge of the sector to select best of breed to mix and match, how will this pan out with achieving data standards aspirations? Also, how much more needs to be budgeted for more client side maintenance of solutions, rather than contacting that single supplier help desk?

When merged and the usual skill ‘wastage’ occurs, how well will that combined helpdesk for three housing systems going to function for customers? A new call logging system does not always make a better helpdesk. While Aareon have recently moved to a new system, how will all those support staff and clients take now to going back to a supplier they may have left just a few years ago, or maybe just in a transition away from Aareon?

So how will success be judged here?

Well by RSLs & SocialHousing organisations, probably if these buyouts lead to significant investment & innovative product. That has certainly appeared to have happened with Rubixx and NEC, as can be seen by consistent new wins. Will we see a return to procurement wins from the others, or just a sweating of existing customer revenues? No one wants to just feel like a number in a supplier's sales ledger, squeezed each year by increased costs. Always as ever, are the dangers of suppliers trying to re-contract. It will take 12-18 months to see how this all settles down.

Well if you are staff or customer touched by this today, I wish you well on your journey to or from AWS Appstream, Fixflo, Arthur, Assetcore, MRI Documotive, Homeo, OpenAccounts etc. Thinking about it, these are all blending into each other now, aren’t they? Maybe only Rubixx & the CRM resellers will clean up after this one - lets see !

Any comments, observations or queries, please share.  

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ *** Join the discussion with Claire & Aiden *** _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Old and stale Social Housing systems - how to scope your options ?

Get in touch , I will drop in for a brew & bring your fave biscuits ☕

       Related Post: How best to understand the products you know & the vast options you maybe don't know about?

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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.

Bob Mould – Old Highs, New Lows.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts 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.

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Sell Out

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

I got down to ‘The Smoke’, this last Monday to present at the DIN (Disruptive Innovators Network), invited by Ian Wright. I recall him some years ago lamenting the lack of any significant new Housing System Platforms, being created since way back in the 2010’s. 

 

Paul Hackett CBE,CEO
Southern Housing

It was a very interesting day with input from Glen Robinson, National Technology Officer, Microsoft UK, Paul Hackett CBE, CEO, Southern Housing, Christine Paxton / Steve Key of SHINE (Social Housing Innovators North East) & John Vary, former Head of Innovation, John Lewis.

He had a point as any charity, HA, RSL or council in the UK & British Isles of any real size, has a pretty shrunken choice of solution(s) that offer modern ‘Responsive Browser’ presentation, SAAS and full Cloud. Most COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf Solutions) come from barely a handful of reliable suppliers, since the buy-out consolidations of the last decade.

I thought very carefully how to encapsulate the archaeological dig needed to explain how exactly we got here, of course being gentle to our hosts at Two Kingdom Street, Paddington (Natch). The latter of course has resellers with various degrees of productised config and ability to sell you some bespoke-ing if required, in order to ensure you need plenty of staff to manage that uniqueness way into the future. Other CRM/ERM platforms are available and it would be amiss for me to not name Salesforce too, as the extra economical option with very reasonable licensing for SocialHousing, that those 1980s DJ jocks ‘Smashy & Nicey’, could only describe as ‘C-H-A-R-I-T-Y---M-A-T-E’.

At the end of the presentation, I talked about ‘The Young Pretenders’.

Yes, guess what? There are two new solutions out there, created within the last 5 & 3 years, that meet those basic modern standards, also combining housing/finance.
 

The first was Homemaster from Designer Software, the ex-Kypera Castleton PLC lads. One solution that has been particularly successful in Scotland, converting ex-Kypera, Aareon, SDM and other supplier legacy solution sites. It’s a good COTS solution designed for the under 6k home providers, with self-service portal provided by acquired just last year, ‘Housing Online’. A quick solution to implement, just carefully check your contract conditions.

Secondly, maybe something for the bigger provider, we have Rubixx, maybe the dinosaur supplier slayer solution, attracting larger and larger customers month on month. True multi-tenant Cloud solution that utilises all those technologies that your geekiest developers, would love to be developing in. Modern free open API’s and out of the box integrations with modern Cloud partners, such as MoreIQ, Propeller, HousingInsight, CxFeedback etc. Finance is claimed to exceed the functionality of OpenAccounts, so maybe an alternative consideration to OneAdvanced Cloud Financials.

Rubixx have already converted legacy Capita, Kypera, Aareon, MIS-AMS and MRI sites over to the modern world, at a fixed price per rentable property.

I have worked with clients who have chosen these new solutions and appeared to have had some good experiences.

Well, they do say ‘A week is a long time in politics’, well a week in Social Housing IT seems to be even longer. Its barely Thursday and a big sell out has already occurred. After failing over 4 years to write a new Cloud solution, one of the Jurastic Park big beasts have splashed out on Homemaster. How they beat Plentific to that, I don’t know. That’s who I had on my Bingo-Masters Break-Out card.

No doubt a plan is already in the works to show the new prize to existing QLX & QLF customers later this year, and promise a more elaborately engineered version, on the roadmap, capable of handling bigger stock portfolios. Maybe let someone else be the first bigger pioneers on that one. It would be interesting to see what’s produced, in a 4 way penalty shootout with the bigger modern beasts out there. Hopefully this will not go off-radar like Yuneo, the "QL NG". Its worth rebranding as 'Homeo' I think (Aareon are welcome to that advice for free!).

Having taken quite a few QLX sites over the last five years, I am unsure if those Homemaster customers will be over the moon returning to Aareon’s sales ledger. Also, inevitably a merged helpdesk is sure to result, as all mergers tend to do. How will that continue existing strong relationships and stem ‘brain drain’ of experienced staff? Looking on the brightside, Aareon can at least celebrate their first win of the year at Waverley Housing, once that one is quietly waved through.

I am sure many organisations (and suppliers of course) will mull this over, across the weekend and let it all sink in. Are the dinosaurs waking up to the asteroid, or just hunkering down with new primates, carnivores, herbivores and vegetarians, then hoping for the best?

02/04/2025 Update (a whole week later) - Aareon finally officially announce the acquisition - maybe they were avoiding the MMC, after MRI & Capita challenge ? Do you think choice in the market is being reduced or enhanced? Do let us know.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ *** Join the discussion with Claire & Aiden *** _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Help with your legacy woes or moving to penalty shootout ?

Get in touch , for a chat soon over a cuppa and a cookie or two ☕😋

       Related Post: What questions should be asked at big HMS procurements ?

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


Access a quick list of our Social Housing ICT blog posts 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,acquisitions, 07854655009, 1st Touch,1stTouch,360,365Agile,3squared,4Js, ACL,ALMO,AMS,AX,Aareon,Abritas,Academy,Accuserv,Accuserve,Active Housing,ActiveH,ActiveHousing,Acutence,Advanced,Affinity,Agile,Agile365,AirWatch,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,Browser Applications,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 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Systems,Hitex,HomeMaster,Homeo,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, Housing Support Pro,HousingIT,HousingSupportPro,HyperOptic, HydrogenBI, Hydrogen BI, IMS,IT,IT Budget,IT Training,ITIL,Impact Response,In,In4,In4Systems Promaster,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, Keyfax,Keylogic,Keypera, Keystone,Kirona,Kypera,Keynamics, Landlord,Ledgers,Linkedin,Liquid,Locality,Localz, M3,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 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