Orchard Information Systems

Orchard Information Systems and Keystone Asset Management Solutions have agreed a formal commercial partnership, allowing Orchard to enhance its Housing Management product suite by offering Keystone’s best of breed asset management solutions as an optional product set, to meet the needs of Property Services and Technical Services teams.

Keystone, a web-based solution, provides modules covering asset management, contract management, asbestos, and servicing/inspections, and includes a fully integrated mobile solution covering handheld data collection for each module. The system has developed rapidly from being a new entrant to the market in 2002, to now supporting over 75 social housing providers in meeting their asset management needs, with around 800,000 assets under management. Keystone’s success has been largely built on an ethos that places excellence of customer service at the heart of its operations – from provision of innovative, customer-driven products and features, to unparalleled customer support, both during implementation and live running. The company has established a reputation in the industry for constantly exceeding their customers’ expectations, and working exceptionally hard to maximise client satisfaction.

Amongst the Keystone and Orchard client bases, 20 social housing providers already use the combined services and software of the two organisations, and a suite of interfaces have already been developed between the respective products. Going forward, the new partnership between Keystone and Orchard includes a commitment from both companies to extend this interface suite, and ultimately to achieve a level of integration between housing management and asset management which has long been the ‘holy grail’ for the sector.

Rob Hewes, Keystone’s Client Relationship Director said, “We are obviously delighted to have secured this partnership with one of the leading providers in the housing management sector. It endorses our commitment to excellence in product development and customer service, and the reputation that we have worked hard to build in the marketplace. Our impressions of Orchard as a company are that they have a very similar culture to Keystone in their approach to business and customer service; we have thoroughly enjoyed working with their team, and look forward to a great deal of synergy in providing joined-up solutions and services to our mutual clients.”

John Doughty, Orchard’s Sales and Marketing Director commented, “We are extremely pleased to have secured the services of Keystone as one of our key partners for the supply of Asset Management solutions and look forward to forging a successful working partnership. External forces within the market sector meant Orchard was actively seeking another Asset Management provider and in Keystone we firmly believe their solutions complement Orchard’s Housing Management portfolio.