Improve Safety: Inspection Management Software Benefits

Creating, implementing, and managing Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) procedures have come a long way with technology. As a result, more organizations are turning to EHS software to eliminate the time-consuming, error-prone, and inefficient methods of manual paper-based processes and are flourishing with the benefits.

Inspection management software is a digital platform where companies can manage, identify, track, and report health and safety-related issues all in one place. The effectiveness of these platforms also helps boost company culture by promoting positive engagement and collaboration throughout the organization, especially when it comes to the inspection process. Additionally, utilizing inspection management software can improve safety and ensure customer satisfaction by avoiding product recalls, reducing the cost of quality, and ensuring that all product specifications and quality metrics are met before goods are released into inventory.

If you’re still doing paper-based inspections in your business, you’re missing out. Keep reading to learn what inspection management software is, its benefits, and the determining factors when choosing one for your business. 

What is Inspection Management Software?

Manual inspection tracking received some help in the 90s thanks to Word docs and Excel spreadsheets, but they were still highly paper-based. These programs are great for generating small checklists, like to-do and grocery lists, but they’re inferior for successfully operating a business requiring flexible, detailed forms and checklists. Enter mobile inspection management software, an innovative, feature-rich, cloud-based software tool built to make running your business easier, more accessible, and safer for both iOS and android devices. Key features of inspection management software include easy collaboration between team members, integration with other business systems, and the ability to streamline inspection processes and reduce the risk of errors with customizable inspection software options.

Say goodbye to your faithful clipboard and inefficient paper checklists and hello to an all-in-one digital solution accessible by phone, tablet, or laptop. Inspection management software connects to your company’s central data library sharing instant results department-wide. 

With inspection management system, like monitorQA, you can effectively:

• Submit reports and inspection data in real-time
• Eliminate paper-based records for good
• Analyze real-time data to develop appropriate corrective actions quickly
• Track supply chain accountability
• Embed images and other media right into your reports
• Set checkpoints for quality control
• Maintain collaboration between departments by sharing the same platform
• And more

Does Your Business Need Inspection Management Software?

Inspection and auditing software offers efficient and effective solutions for managing compliance in the workplace. These programs provide quick access to data that identify potential hazards and minimize risks. The essential compliance elements of these systems include policy enforcement, hazard reduction initiatives, risk mitigation strategies, and training on best practices.

Notably, these software solutions also help foster a safety culture by promoting knowledge-sharing capabilities that inform decision-making within the organization. For these systems to be effective, inspectors and managers must ensure the risk reduction plan gets properly documented, carried out daily, and tracked accordingly.

It’s clear how these compliance program solutions can benefit an entire business by reducing incidents of injury or death. However, companies can save time and resources by using such tools while improving their bottom line. 

The following pain points can help determine if this solution is right for your business. Are you:

• Having difficulties meeting compliance with the high demand for inspections?
• Struggling with arranging inspections in multiple facilities with multiple auditors?
• Encountering recurring problems with inefficient inspection report paperwork?
• Aware that using automation can help with the repetitive nature of inspections?
• Struggling to investigate or track the source of recurring issues on the inspector’s reports?
• Frustrated that the rising costs of inspections are making it apparent that something has to change?
• Wasting time manually completing some of the more complex inspections?
• Aware that communication, collaboration, and the product information organizing process need streamlining to share inspection results effectively?
• Lacking the information the auditing team needs to provide correct and informed answers resulting in noncompliance and a poor reputation?

Above all else, if you want to ensure compliance with rapidly changing regulations, optimize your operational efficiency, and upgrade the well-being of your employees, clients, visitors, and others who may be affected by your business, then you need inspection management software.

Benefits of Inspection Management Software

The last few years have brought a rising demand for inspection control software. But why the sudden need for digital solutions? What problems are we solving by using such tools? 

Here are 13 reasons why switching from paper-based inspections to inspection management software is a significant improvement for businesses.

Benefit #1: Robust Reporting

Inspection management software lets you evaluate data and quickly generate comprehensive, complex, and detailed reports. You can also create custom reports using real-time data captured at the source or other information beneficial to making informed and timely decisions.

Benefit #2: Centralized Data Management

One of the distinctions of safety management policies is that they require a lot of data collection, documentation, and management. Inspection software is proficient at collecting, storing, organizing, automating, and managing different types of data. By streamlining organizational processes and utilizing operations management, inspection management software boosts a company’s overall productivity while ensuring compliance and saving you time.

Benefit #3: Boosts Overall Efficiency

Mobile inspection software considerably boosts the overall efficiency of your organization — from using pre-configured workflows that speed up your processes to having satisfied, engaged, and productive employees resulting from having higher company safety standards, open and transparent communication between departments, and smooth, easy collaboration.

Benefit #4: Data Analytics

An inspection management solution like monitorQA has data-rich dashboards that provide real-time, meaningful data. You can spot trends and make necessary adjustments with just a glance. Efficiently interpreting dashboard metrics and insights makes increasing your organization’s quality and safety standards almost effortless.

Benefit #5: Immediate Inspection Results 

The paper-based method can take days, maybe even weeks, after the inspection date for management to see the results. Field inspectors, for example, may only drop by the office every week or two to hand in their reports, and that’s only to ensure they get paid. Moreover, this type of inspection system downplays the importance of the inspection in the first place — safety. 

With an inspection management system, management can watch the inspector fill out the forms and checklists in real-time right from the app to ensure nothing gets left longer than it has to. Even if the telecommunication signal gets interrupted, the inspector can continue their audit offline, and the information will automatically upload to the internet for all to see once the signal returns. Additionally, the system can send notifications and reminders to management about pending or upcoming inspection activities, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks and improving overall safety. These alerts can be received through in-app pop-ups, email reminders, or text messages, making it easier for management to stay on top of inspection activities in real time.

Being able to enforce corrective actions immediately can make the difference between life and death. For example, when an infraction occurs, managers can quickly send a repair person to correct the problem, mitigating the risk of injury or incident. Once the repair is complete, the repair person simply updates the app and clears the infraction. The result is that the organization can bill for their services faster and feel confident knowing they have a system to promptly and efficiently identify and resolve critical deficiencies.

Benefit #6: Eliminate Double Data Entry

Paper-based inspections go hand-in-hand with deciphering someone’s illegible writing to transfer the data into digital spreadsheets. However, inputting data a second time is time-consuming, leading to wrong entries and creating liability. 

With inspection management software, field inspectors enter the data straight into the system. The software shares the information across the program, making generating and emailing customer reports easy. Inspection software eliminates the need to pay administrator staff for double-entering data, scanning, copying, and mailing out reports to customers. 

Benefit #7: Create Master Checklists

With paper-based inspections, inspectors must rely on memory or old hand-written notes to know which devices require inspecting and can lead to inadvertently missing a critical check. 

A digital inspection management tool lets the inspector enter crucial information about each device, creating a master checklist for every inspection location. If a device is removed out of service or replaced, the inspector simply notes the new information in the master list — no need to rely on memory next time. An accurate master checklist makes for more thorough, detailed inspections and deviations, and doesn’t restrict the assessment to only inspectors already familiar with the facility.

Benefit #8: Field Inspectors Save Time 

Paper-based inspections usually have auditors writing device data every time they do an inspection. This repetitive action is time-consuming and unnecessary when performing inspections digitally. Likewise, hand-delivering manual reports to the office becomes unnecessary with digital software. These time-saving efficiencies allow auditors to increase the number of assessments they can do.

Benefit #9: More Efficient and Quicker Corrective Actions

Deficiencies found using paper-based inspections have been known to disappear, get left on somebody’s desk, or have significant delays in resolving them. With inspection management software, there are no cracks for deficiencies to fall through. Instead, quickly resolve deficiencies by clearly identifying and setting a priority level. Assigning accountability for corrective action is done within the program and can’t be cleared until the deficiency is corrected through the CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action) process. More efficient and quicker corrective action reduces risk and liability and improves safety. 

Benefit #10:  Photographic Proof 

An inspection management app allows auditors to snap and annotate photos for a more efficient inspection. Inspectors can use photos to create certainty and an enhanced corrective action plan. Accomplish accountability by using pictures to verify the completion of a repair. 

Benefit #11: Improved Liability Protection

Paper documents get misfiled, lost, or thrown out, providing limited liability protection. The inspection management app from monitorQA not only enables photos to be snapped and annotated, but it also provides timestamps, notes GPS coordinates, and authorizes signatures to maximize liability protection against accidents or incidents.

Benefit #12: Cloud Storage 

When using paper-based inspections, businesses and organizations require more and more filing cabinets and storage space for their safety documents. This is because the law says they must keep their safety audits and inspections for a certain number of years, depending on their state or province. With inspection management software, your storage is all cloud-based, which minimizes file cabinet and office space and puts data at your fingertips for easy access rather than endlessly searching through paper files. 

Factors When Choosing Inspection Management App

Knowing your company’s pain points and what you need to achieve your business goals will help you decide on the right inspection management software. You also want to consider the following factors:

• Easy Access: Can the software be accessed from anywhere and with multiple devices? Mobile access is necessary for inspectors and auditors to deliver data straight from the job site in real-time, enabling management to make informed decisions and take action promptly. More efficient and faster communication across all channels optimizes your safety operations.
• Customization: To achieve operational excellence, your company must have customizable inspection software. Custom workflows, add-ons, and resources should integrate with your current processes seamlessly.
• Scalability: Look toward the future and make sure the inspection management software you choose can grow with you. Ensure the developer offers consistent upgrades and evolves with the demands of your growing industry.
• User Friendly: A user-friendly experience means effectively using the software and knowing its capabilities to maximize safety while improving bottom lines. 
• Reporting and data analytics: The software should be able to compile data, crunch the numbers, and generate reports as soon as an inspection is complete. Automation enables you and your team to perform analytics and make informed and effective decisions asap. 
• Accountability: It must be easy to track accountability and know who is responsible for taking care of what. The right software can schedule and notify workers of their duties with workflows and timelines to increase efficiency.
• Customized checklists and forms: monitorQA has a smart audit form builder. You can quickly get started with industry-specific pre-designed inspection templates or customize your own forms and checklists using conditional logic to skip and auto-fill steps.

Choosing Inspection Management Software — Common Mistakes

Choosing inspection management software is a crucial step in improving safety and efficiency. Avoid making these common mistakes when choosing your inspection management solution:

• Not considering integration with existing systems
• Forgetting the importance of privacy and data security
• Ignoring usability and user experience
• Disregarding customization features

Improve Your Bottom Line With monitorQA’s Inspection Management Software

Safety inspections are an essential part of doing business, so it’s crucial that you get them right. 

Not only does monitorQA’s inspection management software keep you in line with compliance and eliminate repetitive, mundane tasks, but it also helps to prevent costly accidents.

monitorQA offers everything you need for high-quality inspections — assign inspection responsibilities, upload photos, create actionable checklists, work with real-time custom reports, and more anytime, anywhere. 

Improve your bottom line and ensure everyone involved with your business gets home safely at the end of each day. Ready to leave your old paper-based inspections behind?

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