| Challenge: | To upgrade from standalone legacy systems to an integrated, web-enabled environment in order to improve the Authority's efficiency and residents' satisfaction levels. |
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| Solution: | The CherryRoad team helped to develop and implement a strategic plan that included a successful upgrade of ERP Financials and HCM applications and an implementation of CRM and Portal. |
| Benefits: | The core HR and Financials system has reduced manual labor, eliminated error, and enabled staff to focus on evaluating data rather than processing it. Financial controls are in place. Additionally, they have laid a foundation for visionary use of Portal and CRM applications. |
The Philadelphia Housing Authority develops, acquires, leases, and operates affordable housing for limited-income people. As the fourth-largest public housing authority in the country and the largest landlord in the state of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) has substantial assets to manage, including nearly 34,000 units, housing more than 76,000 residents. They supply housing for 18,000 families through certificate and voucher programs, and manage home ownership programs. The Authority was struggling to do all this with outmoded systems support.
In 2000, PHA identified strategic operating initiatives including maximizing the use of technology to reach its constituents and improve the efficiency and accountability of its operations. PHA's vision began with the implementation of Financials and HCM applications. They chose to partner with CherryRoad Technologies based upon the firm's expert knowledge and longtime public sector experience, and became one of the first public housing authorities in the country to implement an ERP system.
PHA is now building on that strategic foundation by implementing Portal and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications. CherryRoad's Management Consulting team has helped PHA identify strategic initiatives to achieve its business objectives. In addition, CherryRoad has evaluated the application capabilities and developed implementation plans for their deployment.
As a result of the first phase — CherryRoad's implementation of ERP Financials and HCM applications — PHA has achieved operations improvements including the following:
In preparation for PHA's planned implementation of the CRM and Portal applications, CherryRoad's Management Consulting team conducted a visioning session for the PHA executive team to determine how PHA could further leverage technology to achieve its strategic objectives. CherryRoad interviewed the Executive Director and his team members and conducted an interactive brainstorming discussion with the group to discuss the ideal future state and how it would benefit PHA and its customers. CherryRoad developed high-level maps for several key PHA processes and a strategic roadmap for PHA to use in its deployment of technology and process change.
Improving public housing is a core challenge for PHA. It continues to drive the Authority's technology initiatives, and is at the core of the Portal and CRM initiatives that are underway. An important perspective is that the people PHA serves are not viewed as “residents,” but as “customers” who deserve excellent service and whose satisfaction is critical to the success of PHA.
By structuring CRM software to support organizational goals, PHA will be able to provide one-stop service and improved responsiveness to customers. Employees will be proactive in meeting customers' expectations, and greater personal accountability will characterize PHA's relationship with its customers.
Through the CRM application, PHA will facilitate call center operations, leveraging access to integrated customer data from across the organization. CherryRoad has assisted PHA in completing a high-level system design and tactical implementation plan to leverage the delivered capabilities of their CRM Help Desk and Support applications. This design incorporates tracking capabilities to improve information sharing and problem-solving accountability. The design also includes an expanded customer data model to capture resident and property owner data from PHA's proprietary housing applications using open integration tools.
PHA recently implemented Portal technology to provide employees with easier, more consistent access to its systems and knowledge base, as well as to create more frequent and consistent communications with customers. The Portal application has given the Authority's employees a single, integrated pathway to all critical data, with vital features such as:
An important element of CherryRoad's approach to PHA's initiatives continues to be incorporating business process redesign (BPR) to optimize system use and align employee actions with organizational goals. By engaging PHA's front-line resources to define optimal processes that minimize duplication, maximize speed, and support a culture of accountability, employees will gain a strong sense of ownership. This BPR effort helps ensure uniform adoption and high rates of employee satisfaction with the new processes. In addition, CherryRoad's structured change management program supports employee and customer buy-in to new ways of doing business. This approach mitigates the risk of failure typically caused by resistance to change, and provides PHA with the maximum opportunity for success.
Overall, the Philadelphia Housing Authority has gained the benefits sought from their systems implementation to date. They have reduced manual labor, eliminated error, and enabled staff to devote more effort to evaluating data rather than processing it. Most importantly, PHA managers now have financial controls that enable them to control costs in detail, ensuring the best possible outcomes for all expenditures. Equally as vital, they have laid the foundation for visionary use of their Portal and CRM applications to help achieve the Authority's mission of quality low-cost housing for every person.