Automated Worktray Manager (AWM): What It Is, How It Works, and What It Can Do For You?
In today’s challenging social housing landscape, efficiency isn’t just a goal – it’s a necessity. Income teams are readily being called upon to ‘do more with less’, meaning that the more man hours that are freed up to deal with complex arrears cases (and diverted away from routine admin tasks), the better. That’s where Mobysoft’s Automated Worktray Manager (AWM) comes in.
Designed to help social landlords maximise productivity and make the most of their resources, AWM is an additional module for use alongside RentSense that intelligently automates routine arrears case management. By reducing caseloads and handling straightforward tasks, it frees up officers to focus on the complex cases where their expertise makes the biggest difference. The result? Less admin, improved performance, and better outcomes for tenants. In this blog post, we’ll explore what AWM is, how it works, and the tangible benefits it can deliver for your organisation.
Why Was AWM Developed?
Social housing organisations face significant challenges in rent collection due to increasing workloads, manual processes, and inefficiencies in case management. Income officers often struggle to keep up with arrears cases, leading to delays in rent recovery and financial strain on housing providers. AWM was developed to eliminate these challenges by introducing automation and data-driven decision-making into worktray management.
The Problems AWM Solves in Social Housing Income Collection
Traditional income management systems often lead to:
- High arrears levels due to delayed intervention and inefficient case allocation.
- Overworked income teams managing cases manually, increasing stress and decreasing productivity.
- Inconsistent follow-ups, where crucial cases are missed due to lack of structured prioritisation.
- Reactive rather than proactive approaches to rent collection, resulting in avoidable escalations.
AWM addresses these issues by automating workflow distribution, enabling a proactive approach to arrears management, and ensuring teams focus on high-priority cases first.
Challenges in Traditional Worktray Management
Manual Intervention and Inefficiencies: Income teams often rely on manual case sorting, which is both time-consuming and prone to human error. Without an automated system, income officers spend valuable time sifting through cases instead of focusing on tenant engagement and resolution strategies.
Backlogs and Workload Imbalances: A common issue in housing income teams is the uneven distribution of workloads. Some officers may be overwhelmed with complex cases while others handle lower-priority tasks, leading to inefficiencies and unresolved arrears.
Inconsistent Follow-Ups and Missed Arrears Cases: Without a structured system, follow-ups can be inconsistent, causing cases to be neglected. This inconsistency directly impacts rent collection rates and tenant relationships, as delays in communication may lead to financial difficulties for tenants and increased arrears.
Time-Consuming Processes Leading to Delays in Rent Recovery: Manually managing worktrays often results in slow decision-making and processing times, which negatively impacts cash flow and organisational efficiency. Delays in identifying and addressing arrears cases allow debts to escalate unnecessarily.
Why Use Automated Worktray Manager (AWM)?
1. Intelligent rules engine that actions and escalates/de-escalates cases
AWM is built with an advanced rules engine that ensures cases are handled efficiently based on priority. It can automatically escalate urgent cases (e.g. tenants at risk of arrears or legal action) while de-escalating resolved or lower-priority cases, reducing unnecessary workload. This ensures that officers focus on the most critical tasks at the right time.
2. Personalise and suppress messages to tenancy types
Not all tenants require the same level of communication. AWM allows landlords to customise messages based on tenancy type – for example, sending gentle reminders to vulnerable tenants while issuing direct payment notices to others. It also allows for message suppression, ensuring tenants don’t receive unnecessary or irrelevant communications.
3. Provides a full Omni-channel platform
With AWM, landlords can communicate across multiple channels (SMS, email, phone, letter, and even self-service portals), ensuring tenants receive messages through their preferred method. This leads to higher tenant satisfaction and improved responsiveness.
4. Enables landlords to send campaign & service messages
Beyond arrears and case management, AWM allows landlords to use the platform for proactive tenant engagement. It can send targeted campaigns, such as energy-saving tips, rent reminders, or service updates, enhancing overall tenant communication and support.
5. Typically reduces caseload by 35%
By automating manual tasks and prioritising cases intelligently, AWM significantly reduces the number of cases officers need to handle. This efficiency gain leads to a 35% reduction in caseload, freeing up teams to focus on more complex cases that require human intervention.
6. Improves performance
With fewer manual tasks, optimised communication, and a smarter allocation of cases, landlords see improvements in overall performance metrics—such as faster case resolution, improved rent collection rates, and higher engagement. It ensures that teams operate at peak efficiency while delivering a better service to tenants.
How Automated Worktray Manager Works
Full Integration with RentSense: AWM works seamlessly with Mobysoft’s RentSense arrears management platform by leveraging its predictive analytics to prioritise arrears cases based on urgency and likelihood of resolution. RentSense identifies cases requiring attention whilst AWM automates their allocation to the right officer.
Prioritisation and Task Allocation: AWM intelligently categorises cases and assigns them to the most suitable income officer based on workload, expertise, and urgency. This ensures the highest-risk cases are actioned first while maintaining a balanced workload across the team.
AI and Data-Driven Decision-Making: AWM utilises advanced algorithms to assess arrears cases, enabling more precise decision-making. By analysing historical payment patterns, tenant engagement levels, and case complexity, AWM optimises workflow distribution for maximum efficiency.
Reducing Manual Handling of Cases: By automating repetitive tasks such as case sorting, allocation, and follow-up reminders, AWM allows income officers to focus on meaningful tenant interactions and complex case resolution.
Key Features and Benefits
Smart Prioritisation: AWM ensures the most critical cases are addressed first by dynamically prioritising tasks based on risk level and urgency. This reduces the likelihood of arrears cases escalating.
Workload Balancing: The system evenly distributes cases across income officers, ensuring no single team member is overburdened while others remain underutilised.
Automated Task Management: AWM automates repetitive administrative tasks, including case allocation, status tracking, and follow-up scheduling. This eliminates unnecessary delays and human errors.
Customisation & Configuration: Housing providers can configure AWM to align with their unique workflows, policies, and rent collection strategies, offering flexibility and adaptability.
Real-Time Insights & Reporting: AWM provides detailed analytics on team performance, arrears resolution times, and case progression, allowing managers to make informed decisions and measure success.
Impact on Housing Teams
Supporting Income Officers and Managers: AWM simplifies workload management for income teams by automating case allocation and prioritisation, ensuring that officers focus on tenant engagement rather than administrative tasks.
Reducing Workload Stress and Increasing Efficiency: By eliminating manual case handling, income officers experience reduced stress and improved efficiency, allowing them to focus on supporting tenants effectively.
Empowering Teams to Focus on High-Priority Cases: With AWM, officers can dedicate their efforts to complex cases requiring intervention, leading to improved rent collection rates and tenant outcomes.
Improved Collaboration and Communication: AWM fosters better coordination within income teams by providing visibility into case statuses and ensuring tasks are clearly assigned and monitored.
Impact on Tenants & Rent Collection
Faster Responses to Tenants: Automated case prioritisation enables quicker resolution of tenant issues, fostering trust and compliance with rent payments.
Proactive Rather Than Reactive Intervention: AWM identifies arrears cases before they escalate, allowing income teams to take preventative action and support tenants early.
Increased Engagement Leading to Improved Rent Payments: By enabling timely and structured communication, AWM helps tenants stay informed and engaged, improving their likelihood of paying rent on time.
Supporting Tenants with Tailored Communication Strategies: AWM ensures that tenants receive personalised and relevant communication, improving engagement and rent collection outcomes.
ROI & Measurable Outcomes
Improving Cashflow and Collection Rates: AWM accelerates rent collection, reducing arrears and improving financial stability for housing providers.
Time Savings and Cost Reductions: By automating administrative tasks, AWM significantly reduces operational costs and frees up resources.
Unlock the Full Potential of Your Income Team with AWM
Mobysoft’s Automated Worktray Manager (AWM) isn’t just a tool – it’s a game-changer for social housing income teams. By automating routine tasks, intelligently prioritising cases, and freeing up valuable officer time, AWM helps organisations improve performance, reduce arrears, and deliver better outcomes for tenants. Whether you’re looking to boost efficiency, enhance tenant engagement, or support your team in managing complex cases, AWM provides the smart, data-driven solution you need.
Ready to see how AWM can transform your income management? Book a demo today.
