Case study: Cutting costs with automated job scheduling software and further optimisation

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Digital transformation can hardly bring a quick fix for teams’ productivity and operational costs if an inefficient process is just covered with a layer of technology. Тhe nature of these initiatives is strategic and affects many parts of an organisation – people, systems, processes. Sometimes, to get the desired quick fix, organisations need to update the technology and the process itself. So ultimately, the quick fix turns out to be in not such fast motion. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be successful if approached right.

That is the tactical move one of our clients – a national regulator, learned when they deployed our automated job scheduling solution Jobtimizer. It helped them automate repetitive tasks like job scheduling with RPA technology. The result was that they managed to secure efficiency improvement without replacing entire systems. But at the same time, they laid the ground for further optimisation initiatives. This tactical modular digital transformation approach targeted an area from the operations cycle with a huge impact that would subsequently facilitate further process optimisation. Our practice with regulatory agencies enabled us to make the right suggestion at the right time so our client can start their digital transformation journey from a well-thought starting point. At the same time, we helped them plan the following points from this journey ahead of time.

inspection platform modules

Assessing the existing work model

As a national regulator, our client’s core processes are within the inspection management field. They are performing their services with a network of inspectors with different skillsets, certifications and locations. When inspectors are allocated to various jobs, they have to inspect the job site to determine whether it complies with the public safety standard and assess the risk of future hazards. Depending on the outcome of the check, the inspection site is marked low-risk or high-risk for potential accidents.

The regulator conducts approximately 800 000 inspections each year. Their back-end officers are responsible for the inspection schedules. When the caseload is too big, the regulatory agency employs third-party inspectors (external workforce), which results in higher operational costs. Inspectors are using tablets with inspection checklists for the type of inspection they have an appointment for. When they complete the check, they upload the inspection data to the cloud server and generate an automated outcome report sent to the inspectee.

Optimising the inefficient inspection job scheduling

Even though the inspection process functioned with automated rules that guaranteed the inspection execution according to the regulatory requirements, there were a lot of manual processes involved in it. Our client receives thousands of inspection requests every day, and then an employee manually assigns inspectors to inspection jobs based on their availability. Inspectors often had to travel in and out of the same town within the hours of a single day. That was harmful to their productivity, motivation, and impacted operational costs because of the growing spending on fuel for travelling.

job scheduling software

Our client was aware of the inefficiency of this manual type of job scheduling. They knew that the possible solution was within the field of digital transformation and inspection scheduling. That’s why they decided to transform their processor with a job scheduling software that takes constraints likes availability and location to map more efficient schedules where inspectors take the smarter route. Before taking this step, an inspector had to go to and leave the same town twice for a single day because of inconvenient scheduling; with Jobtimizer, they didn’t have inefficient schedules anymore. This transformation itself removed a significant burden off the inspectors’ shoulders.

The further need for process optimisation

job scheduling tool

Our team regularly reviewed the optimisation data our client shared. They managed to optimise the weak points with job scheduling, but another problem in their inspection process was still brewing. The backlog of inspection cases gradually grew, and they had to hire external inspectors to meet the rising number of inspection requests after the pandemic’s outbreak in 2020. Even with our intelligent job scheduling assistant at hand, our client faced increasing difficulty managing the caseload and its balanced distribution.

Step 2: from job scheduling optimisation to changing the entire inspection model

The growing workload and the limited resource meant that our client had to update their inspection management system, not just the job scheduling part. The road ahead for them was to enable inspectors to focus on high-risk inspections and allow the low-risk inspection requests to be self-served.

Since we already had experience with other regulators that transformed their inspection management system with self-service modules, we knew that the risk-based inspection methodology would work with them too. Our client purchased Canalix to change their inspection management system entirely by adopting a self-service module and remote inspection program for low-risk and middle-risk cases. The advanced AI engine automatically scores the risk and complexity of each inspection request, and the high-risk risk cases are allocated to inspectors for the on-site check. In contrast, the low-risk jobs are redirected for completion via a self-submission portal. Since Jobtimizer as a job scheduling tool is built to work flawlessly with Canalix, our client had an easy time adopting Canalix.

inspection scheduling transformation

Why start with a tactical modular digital transformation and not replace the entire system from the very beginning?

Replacing an entire system requires rethinking technology, replacing systems integrated to other core systems, and holding years of data to be migrated. In other words, it’s a costly and time-consuming endeavour. Automation can deliver efficiency improvements and work with existing components, so it was the smart and right starting point for our client’s digital inspection transformation journey. The case with Jobtimizer as an RPA technology enabled them to automate repetitive operations like job scheduling while meeting pre-set goals, criteria, and priorities.

Do you want to get deeper insights into how Canalix helps regulatory agencies to cut operational costs and improve productivity? Download the free case study now!

Resource optimization and business scheduling software

CASE STUDY: OPTIMISING THE RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN REGULATORY AGENCY
          • reducing the scheduling time with up to 75%
          • increasing efficiency of operations with 40%
          • fully eliminating errors in the resource allocation process.
Download the case study.

 

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The essential KPIs for inspection management software

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For inspection team leaders in regulatory agencies is essential to track the KPIs of inspection performance. Those are the metrics that allow managers to track the performance of inspection teams and check whether the pre-defined objectives are met. Inspection KPIs are the indicators that define the success of operations in the inspection process. By tracking their values, team leaders can assess whether the inspection program is working well or something needs to be changed to meet the regulator’s goals in terms of costs and performance.

Is there a universal list of essential KPIs in inspection management?

There is no universal list of KPIs. The inspection performance indicators vary based on the inspection process in different regulators and what kind of resources it involves – field inspection technicians, inspectors for on-site checks, remote checks, technical equipment for special inspections, etc. Inspection team leaders have different responsibilities depending on the regulatory sector, and KPIs vary. So let’s look at the most common roles in the inspection process and the KPIs that are essential to be tracked with inspection management system.

Resource optimization and business scheduling software

CASE STUDY: OPTIMISING THE RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN REGULATORY AGENCY
          • reducing the scheduling time with up to 75%
          • increasing efficiency of operations with 40%
          • fully eliminating errors in the resource allocation process.
Download the case study.

KPIs for Inspection Scheduling

The time needed to appoint an inspection schedule

Inspection scheduling may be a very time-consuming endeavour. Using resource scheduling software for inspections is to improve productivity. In that sense, the more inspection jobs being assigned to an inspector for an amount of time, the better. When regulators switch to an inspection management software from a paper-based process, one of the most essential metrics they should track is scheduling an inspection and whether it is done faster than the old ways of work.

Related: Digital optimisation in inspection services

Time to first contact on high-risk inspection requests

What if many low-risk jobs are blocking the timely processing of high-risk inspections? The time needed to make the first contact from the regulatory agency’s end to the inspected entity is crucial for high-risk cases. If the inspection software has the required data and a reliable engine that can assess the risk category of each job in the backlog correctly, then the time to first contact on high-risk inspections can be made faster. Two things are needed to track and improve this KPI:

    • A self-service portal when inspection data is captured
    • AI engine that automatically assesses the risk category of each inspection request and automatically assigns an on-site check by an inspector to the high-risk ones

Related: Best practices in risk-based inspection management

Travel time between inspections jobs

When regulators are sending inspectors to do jobs that are too far away from each other, it means that:

1) their time is not utilised well

2)the agency is losing money due to ineffective scheduling

3) the inspector’s productivity is declining.

Making the most optimal route for inspectors and automatically reshuffling resources in case of a last-minute schedule change is a reliable tool to minimise the travel time between inspections. This is a KPI that must be tracked for inspection scheduling optimisation. 

 

route otpimisation software

Essential KPIs for Inspection Managers (desk workers)

Inspection utilisation time

What if inspectors spend time on manual tasks – like filling paper checklists – that eats their time and prevent them from completing enough inspections for a day? The time needed for task completion should be tracked to improve utilisation if some tasks take unexpectedly longer than required. Giving inspectors mobile devices to capture details like photos and video and directly upload them to the cloud can improve their time utilisation and reduce unnecessary manual tasks.

Related: Implementing resource scheduling in the inspection workflow

KPIs for on-site inspectors, remote inspectors & field technicians

Customer surveys

The citizens are the end customer of public sector operators such as regulatory agencies. Brief customer surveys are a great way to evaluate whether any transformation inspection-wise improves the quality of inspection service for the citizens. If the surveys show that citizens are satisfied with the inspection service, it’s a good indicator that things are working. If not, it might have something to do with other KPIs, such as response time, timely kept schedules, etc. 

Related: How our inspection software customers achieve significant ROI?

How Canalix transforms the world of regulatory inspections?

Inspection completion rate

If the number of inspections being completed for a month is growing over time, performance is good. If not – then time utilisation should be paid attention to. 

Failed inspection attempts and repeat visits

If an inspector has too many failed inspections in his schedule, probably he should be assigned to lower complexity inspections, or his profile should be checked if he has rightfully set qualifications. When the trends show that the performance is below average – a double check should be made on the inspector’s profile and on the inspection data that is being captured. If data quality can be improved, then perhaps the inspector won’t have to do repeat visits.

Related: 6 reasons why regulators need resource scheduling software for on-site inspections

How does inspection management software make KPI tracking easy?

Cloud, AI and high-configuration technology can make it a lot easier for regulators to track their inspection KPIs. The right mix of technology can serve as a comprehensive solution to:

  • Connect different data sources without having to shuffle piles of paper.
  • Track, analyse and understand inspection data in a way that will enable us to form a strategy and make decisions faster.
  • Automate inspection reporting that is understandable for its intended audience. 
  • Achieve a new level of resource optimisation

Related: Why real-time data is vital for inspection tracking?

Inspection management software for better inspection scheduling and resource utilisation

It’s easy to write and talk about tracking inspection KPIs and their importance. But when it comes to transforming old legacy systems into digital inspection systems, things look scary. That’s why Canalix offers end-to-end inspection management solutions that enable them to track essential KPIs to identify weak spots and potential for optimisation. With tools to reshape resource management, travel routes, schedule optimisations etc., regulators can start walking their rode on the way to better inspection service with the necessary cost optimisation. 

Book a demo with us today! Or ask us for a free 15-min product tour.

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How IoT technologies transform health & safety inspections?

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The rise of health and safety inspection platforms transformed regulators not only in terms of digitalisation but also in terms of changing the role of inspection software from a tool to a service that allows the integration of other tools as well. IoT technologies are a great example of a tool that can optimise the inspection model by being integrated into an existing inspection platform. Before going deeper into this topic, let’s have a quick look at the definition of IoT:

What is IoT?

IoT (Internet of Things) is the connection between devices and the internet that serves to register changes in the environment. This information is often used to inform decisions and transform many sectors into smarter versions of themselves.

IoT has a big optimisation impact on safety inspections by helping regulators enforce inspection activity when they receive IoT notifications for dangerous activity registered by IoT sensors. The faster notification for high-risk events is a prerequisite for more effective risk mitigation that may save lives.

How the IoT can be integrated into the inspection management system?

There are as many IoT examples, as there are many regulatory sectors in the inspection software segment. For example, if we’re managing food safety inspections in restaurants, we must regularly run inspect checks on how food is being stored. By installing temperature sensors in the fridges that collect data and sends it to the inspection platform, the inspection prioritisation becomes more efficient, because the IoT devices improve safety, reduce costs for unnecessary inspection checks and enables safety inspectors to spend their time on jobs with a relevant risk score.

Related: Food safety inspection and digital transformation

IoT devices may collect complex information that enables inspectors to predict accidents and therefore mitigate high risks on time. The inspection platform enables inspectors to do their job smarter, while IoT helps inspection platforms to become more helpful and provide more actionable information for the tasks that matter the most.

IoT making inspection services smarter – who benefits the most?

The use of inspection software for document management, inspection tracking, scheduling and planning, reports generation etc. gives regulators better visibility on where safety inspectors should focus their time. IoT gives them better visibility on what’s happening in the environment. If the inspection software categories a field of wind turbines as a low-risk entity for the next 6 months due to a recent inspection outcome report, then a thunderstorm may occur and require a new inspection due to a change in the environment. IoT provides inspection platforms with this data and therefore the actionable insight from the platform becomes more valuable.

Integrating IoT on inspection platforms is more than an alarm notification feature. It’s a new way to approach risk management in safety inspections. For more information on how your inspection process can benefit from inspection software and IoT integration, contact us here.

How Canalix transforms the world of regulatory inspections?

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5 inspection scheduling software features that help regulators cut costs

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Adopting cost-efficient inspection models is more relevant than ever for regulators and will keep its rising trend in 2022. Public sector regulators often ask us about cost reduction strategies for inspection operations. Our answers are quite often related to optimising inspection scheduling. That’s why we decided to publish our most given recommendations on what should be expected by inspection management software in terms of cost optimisation.

What is inspection management software?

There are many good inspection software definitions. But what defines Canalix most accurately for our customers is:

The inspection platform serves as a job scheduling and inspection optimisation tool that improves the inspection process, from completing tasks faster to making more efficient inspection schedules that ensure more intelligent management and less expensive operations.

This definition of Canalix as an inspection platform works well for regulators with on-site and remote inspection programs. Also, it helps them to evolve and embrace new remote models like self-inspections for low complexity inspection requests. The user-friendly interface and cloud-based nature are facilitating the adoption of Canalix as a cost-reduction solution to regulators.

 

Resource optimization and business scheduling software

CASE STUDY: OPTIMISING THE RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN REGULATORY AGENCY
          • reducing the scheduling time with up to 75%
          • increasing efficiency of operations with 40%
          • fully eliminating errors in the resource allocation process.
Download the case study.

Which areas in the inspection process endure the most major optimisation with Canalix?

  • Connectivity

All of the participants in an inspection have access to the inspection platform where they can communicate and find the latest and greatest attached to each task.

  • Inspection scheduling

Make inspection schedules for seconds with the most optimal resource allocation. If the inspection program endures a last-minute change, all resources are reshuffled to find the most optimal planning.

  • Decision-making

Having all of the inspection data in one place gives valuable insights for decision-making. The inspection team leader can make important decisions faster. And even make a long-term plan with clear goals set ahead.

  • Costs

The employing of various inspection optimisation solutions in one platform ensures many opportunities for cost reductions. It pretty much delivers optimisation of everything connected with the finances in a regulatory organisation.

 

There are various areas in which inspection software can change things for the better. But of course, there are also a variety of inspection models across different regulatory sectors that have their specifics. That’s why it depends on how much of the potential of an inspection platform like Canalix can be employed to achieve a maximum positive outcome.

A ready to use inspection platform is excellent news for regulators making their first digital transformation step. But it must go together with a degree of customisation to achieve the desired efficiency level. That’s why Canalix provides inspection software with expert help configuring the solution specifically for the customer. Looking for such expert help should be affirmed as a general recommendation when we talk about adopting new inspection management technology.

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How Canalix transforms the world of regulatory inspections?

The inspection software features that make the difference

Inspection Tracking 

The inspection tracking software feature makes it easier to monitor and track the high-risk cases and their potential risks. First, because the digital format allows inspection teams to monitor inspections over time with just a few clicks, they don’t have to dig in a pile of paper. Monitoring risks with a historical perspective provides inspection teams with more information they can use for decision-making.

Real-Time Data

By doing inspections faster, the regulator can ensure safety more efficiently. It’s all due to a variety of factors. But the collecting of real-time data is one the most important ones. With real-time data on one platform accessible by decision-makers and other regulatory enforcement actors, the regulatory sector can quickly transform inspection models to fit better the cost reduction goals.

AI-enhanced inspection scheduling

Digital inspection platform like Canalix is like case management software, inspection scheduling software and resource allocation software working together on the same platform. Regulators don’t have to use three different solutions that don’t work well together. They can have a working platform that eliminates time waste by entering data twice to two separate digital platforms. That’s excellent news for achieving effective inspection scheduling and disruption-free inspection planning.

Mobile / remote inspection capability

The mobile capabilities of Canalix enable inspectors to use their mobile devices while performing digital inspections to capture photos or videos and attach them to the inspection file in the cloud. With inspection software in the cloud, inspectors can upload additional files on-site. If they have to go back to the office to update their inspection file later, the efficiency may suffer. Enabling inspectors to provide further context while making inspections gives inspection teams the power to react to critical inspection-related data on time. 

Inspection optimisation with improved inspection route planning

Making an inspection schedule where inspectors spend minimum time travelling between inspection jobs is hard. But with the AI engine, Canalix helps inspection teams to reduce their time spent on travelling. That enables the inspector to focus better on inspecting and spend less time travelling. That’s a way for regulators to achieve a new level of cost reduction and reduce their carbon footprint. 

resource management tool

How can Canalix help you if you’re a regulator?

The inspection digitalisation experts of Canalix have vast experience in serving regulators by delivering custom inspection software solutions. We can optimise the inspection workflow of regulatory inspections with attention to detail. Request a free 15-min product tour here and start your cost optimisation now

Start your cost optimisation initiative today and fill the form below by telling us more about your goals:

 

 

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Why some customer achieve big ROI from using inspection software?

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When we speak of ROI (return-on-investment) in the digital transformation of the inspection process, the KPIs are mainly in terms of efficiency and improved connectivity in inspection teams. That’s so because a digital inspection platform can automate many manual inspection tasks, and regulators can benefit from improving their operational efficiency and safety compliance standards. 

Even though many of the customers of our digital inspection platform Canalix start using it driven by the urge to switch to a paperless inspection management system, they end up with more benefits than simply removing the paper. As a result, they report improvement of more performance indicators than initially expected:

  • Increased operational efficiency
  • Inspection tracking and performance overview by location and inspector as a tool to apply targeted improvement of safety standards
  • Reduced travel time between inspection jobs
  • You are saving time and money on inspection jobs.

But some agencies achieve a more significant ROI than others. So let’s get to the obvious question.

How can regulators achieve a larger ROI from using a digital inspection platform?

Canalix is an inspection platform, and as such, we ran a customer survey with our customers on the effects they observed since they transformed their inspection services with us. Our customer survey’s most popular insights indicate that inspection scheduling is done faster than before with up to 75% improvements, efficiency is improved by up to 40%, and inspection allocation errors are entirely removed due to the AI-enhanced inspection allocation software.

 

Resource optimization and business scheduling software

CASE STUDY: OPTIMISING THE RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN REGULATORY AGENCY
          • reducing the scheduling time with up to 75%
          • increasing efficiency of operations with 40%
          • fully eliminating errors in the resource allocation process.
Download the case study.

How are digital inspection platforms transforming regulatory inspections? 

These inspection optimisation highlights are essential for every regulatory agency with inspection driven processes. But what exactly stands behind them? Our customer survey indicates that using a cloud-based document management system, digital inspection checklists, uploading photos directly into inspection reports eases communication within inspection teams. Canalix compiles data for team leaders to see the big picture view with an easy-to-use interface. On the other hand, that gives them the power to make informed decisions and predict future problems requiring more regulatory attention. The ultimate goal: improve the safety standards of the agency and target the time of inspectors to the tasks that matter the most.

These customer surveys’ findings highlight the significant ROI results digital inspection platforms bring to regulatory inspections. 

Why are some regulators struggling with achieving significant ROI results in inspection optimisation?

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” – Bill Gates.

Some customers are digitising their inspection case management with the sole purpose of ditching the paper and being in line with the modern age. But having a digitised inspection case management system is like a stepping stone towards more changes in the inspection process.

For example, the digitised case management data can be seeded into an AI engine and be automatically scored by complexity and risk level. This automated processing enables regulators to allocate their inspector’s time on the jobs that matter the most. Depending on the inspection procedures within the regulator, low complexity cases may be automatically assigned to self-inspection procedures or get a low priority tag.

Related: Where do remote inspections and inspection allocation optimisation meet?

This example is just an illustration of the hypothesis that a small step in digitising inspections can evolve into innovative inspection allocation practice that turns the whole process into a more optimal version of itself. That is just an example of why some customers achieve more significant ROIs than others. Adopting a digital inspection platform should be thought of as an opportunity to reimagine the existing processes, not only as a tool to remove the paper or digitise checklists.

Let’s come back to Bill Gates’s words that we quoted above. We’ll conclude that the more we rethink and reimagine the existing inspection processes through the prism of inspection software, the more significant the impact of the transformation will be. So if we have to define one major difference between the customers with large ROI outcomes and customers with small ROI outcomes, it would be the lack of vision for the latter. Defining a clear digital transformation vision requires time and energy. That’s why Canalix, as an inspection management software, always consults future customers about the vision for their future. Do you want to join our list of customers with significant ROI results from the use of inspection software? Contact us for a free demo here.

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How to improve safety strategy with inspection software?

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Team-leads of inspection teams in regulatory agencies often have problems with knowing what’s happening during safety inspections on high-risk cases. Are the complex inspection procedures kept from A to Z? Is there something missing that may increase the risk of hazard? ‘Team leaders can hardly get their eyes on these data when the process is being performed with paper checklists and documents. That’s why they need a digital safety inspections tool. That way, they can pull inspection data from different inspectors, inspectees, risk categories and have a clear vision of what’s going on.

The most prominent benefits of adopting inspection management software are connected with the strategic plans of regulators to combat the challenges they face – reducing operational costs and improving efficiency and quality of inspections. But these priorities must also go hand to hand with enhancing the safety strategy. In the world of regulatory compliance, integration is everything. So it’s safe to say that the fact there are already integrated inspection platforms on the market helps regulators improve their safety strategies in line with other cost-reduction priorities.

So how does a digital inspection platform works to enable regulators to track and improve safety?

Inspection team-leads have one centralised source of data

Are inspectors able to capture the risk factors that require preventative maintenance? This type of question can hardly be answered if a team leader has to check data every week, delivered in a paper folder. 

Being able to download reports and data from a cloud-based inspection platform makes the needed difference. That way, regulatory executives and team leaders can have a standardised method of measuring the system’s efficiency and how it compares to improving safety.

Making inspection reports effective by removing the waiting

inspection tracking software

Inspection tracking with a paper-based system is complicated. By the time you start making sense of the data, the data becomes outdated. That’s why a digital inspection report solution is the key that regulators need to combat manual report processing. That’s the most effective way to extract required data into a dashboard and have an inspection report that makes sense without spending tons of time going through paper folders and pdf files all over your mailbox. 

Read more: How to combat the impacts of resource-constrained inspection scheduling?

Document Workflow

 

With a paper-based inspection management system, it’s hard to update every member of an inspection team with real-time data, reports and other documents. Printing documents and then distributing their content manually to everyone’s desk is complicated. With a digital inspection tool, that’s not necessary anymore because everyone can see all relevant documents uploaded in the tasks he’s assigned.

 

Inspectors can use tech as their assistance

The use of pen and paper is one of the great assistance the civilisation invented. But technology is even better. Inspectors can use their mobile devices while performing digital inspections to capture photos or videos and attach them to the inspection file in the cloud. With cloud inspection software, inspectors can upload additional files while being on-site. If they have to go back to the office and present the other files later, the efficiency of inspections may suffer. Enabling inspectors to provide additional context while making inspections is a sure way to improve safety.

Related: How SaaS inspection platforms can help regulators build resiliency after the pandemic?

 

Make decisions faster

In 2022 regulators can’t reduce operational costs by using paper-based inspection systems. The use of an integrated inspection management platform is the way for inspection team leaders to make smarter decisions towards improving public safety and compliance. Nonetheless, it enables them to translate their decisions about improving safety better to relevant decision-makers and initiate the needed changes faster. 

Do you want to know what an integrated inspection platform looks like? Book a free product tour with Canalix.

 

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Why real-time data is important for inspection tracking and how it improves safety?

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The use of proper inspection tracking software is crucial for the ability of regulators to solve problems on and off-site. This ability can be negatively affected by incorrect data, missed actions during an inspection, etc. Using a standalone inspection tracking tool and other tools may not work well enough. Or the regulator may not be using an inspection tracking tool at all. Whatever the reason, there is a solution that solves the problems with tracking issues and risks in regulatory inspections.

Collaboration in inspection teams

Collaboration is the key to making inspections happen faster. The corrective nature of inspection checks requires special attention to the collaborative features an inspection software must provide to regulators. Our clients from the regulatory sector report that collaboration via inspection management platform reduces the time needed to complete actions during inspections. That enables inspection teams to move on to the next tasks in their to-do list faster than before.

Resource optimization and business scheduling software

CASE STUDY: How a regulatory agency cut costs with resource scheduling software?
          • reducing the scheduling time with up to 75%
          • increasing efficiency of operations with 40%
          • fully eliminating errors in the resource allocation process.
Download the case study.

How inspection teams’ collaboration is enabled on inspection platforms?

A digital document management system plays a crucial role in collaboration. Canalix enables inspection teams to connect and share documents in real-time to deliver this kind of usability so that other inspection team members can see relevant data when they need it. This document management function helps inspection teams not only in terms of collaboration but also for:

Communication

When an inspection system operates digitally, it’s easy to make updates on communication with inspection teams automatically in real-time. Our clients share that they appreciate highly the clear channel of communication that Canalix provided for them. 

Inspection tracking

With a digital inspection management system like Canalix is far easier to monitor and track the high-risk cases and their potential risks. First, the digital format allows inspection teams to monitor inspections over time with just a few clicks. They don’t have to dig in a pile of paper. Monitoring and tracking risks with a historical perspective enable inspection teams to handle potential threats and improve safety.

Automated inspection reports with easy sharing

It’s remarkable that a machine automatically generates inspection reports based on inspection data. But it’s even cooler to share the essential data with clients, inspectors, administrators or other authorised personnel. Depending on the information access of different groups, the reports can be easily modified to include only tailored information for their level of access.

inspection management analytics software

How real-time data makes the inspection tracking system more efficient?

When our inspections are done faster, safety is ensured more efficiently. It’s all due to a variety of factors. But convenient inspection tracking and monitoring, digital collaboration and real-time data are the most important. 

When these functionalities are accessible on an inspection platform in the cloud, inspection teams can reach their efficiency potential on various devices. Canalix is an inspection platform that delivers this model to regulatory inspection teams. Request a free product tour here.

Related: How to optimise inspection services?

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From digital transformation to digital optimisation in inspection services

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The global pandemic brought a new normal and slowly started pushing regulators and their inspection services to a new digital reality. The long term effects of this crisis change are yet to be defined, but it made one thing sure – technology is the future of regulatory inspection services.

The pandemic boosted the digital changes in the public sector, but it also revealed that these changes started way before the pandemic swamped the world. So that makes two things that public sector IT leaders must acknowledge:

  • that the debate whether regulators need digital transformation is over;
  • public sector institutions must work together to accelerate and optimise the use of technology to bring public services closer to the public.

To optimise the use of technology, regulators must not only merge technology with inspection services but also ensure that it’s done in a manner that will make them resilient in times of changes and challenges. 

Based on the changes that were brought by the ongoing global pandemic, it’s evident that technology transformed many public services. The regulators had to transform their inspection models so that they can deal with the growing backlog of inspection requests in terms of limited capabilities to perform inspections due to social distance requirements, etc. 

How Canalix transforms the world of regulatory inspections?

The digital transformation conversation before the pandemic

For the public sector regulators, the conversation about digital transformation was on a relatively early stage before the pandemic. But the crisis changed that and now everything happens faster than before. Regulators had to change their pace and start transforming overnight. The fast change directed their focus to the use of cloud-based saas inspection software – a convenient type of solution for the urgent necessity of the new reality.

Those who successfully transformed their regulatory inspection services before the pandemic, moved their operation workloads in the cloud and scaled their inspection models for the digital world with workflows for remote inspections or self-submission portals for self-inspections. Since many regulators saw growth of inspection requests during lockdowns and after lockdowns, these kind of changes enabled them to continue their oversight function effectively.  They were able to score the complexity of each inspection request and assign self-inspections to low complexity requests and on-site visits by an inspector on high complexity cases. In other words they had the tool to react to the crisis and respond with adapted inspection service model.

Whether regulators were ready or not for this kind of change, it happened and it is here to stay. So what’s going to happen in the next couple of months in terms of digital transformation in regulatory agencies? The answer is digital optimisation. 

The digital optimisation conversation after the pandemic

Saying that the conversation about whether regulators need digital transformation or not is over doesn’t mean that the regulators achieved digital maturity and mastered the power of digitalisation to perfection. It means that it’s not a question anymore, it’s an integral part of regulatory inspections. In other words, digitalisation and inspection services are going to be intertwined from now on and regulators need to find the way to optimisation in technology usage and deployment.

The pandemic as a stress test for the digital adoption go inspection software

Even though billions were spent on digital transformation in the public sector before the pandemic, most of the initiatives in the regulatory sector were in constant progress aiming to change the data infrastructure, moving operations to the cloud and leveraging on AI for different use cases – automatically assessing the complexity and risk level of cases and assigning the most optimal inspection routes. However, the challenges that accompany the transformation of an old legacy system made these initiatives take significantly longer. Therefore the progress often was slow. 

The lack of urgency made institutions reactionary towards changes. Their digital transformation efforts were seen only as a reaction to the changing habits of their customers – the public. The pandemic situation brought urgency into the digital transformation strategy of many institutions including regulatory agencies. The regulators themselves recommended institutions to examine their disaster recovery plans and prioritise coordination with their technology and cloud providers. The pandemic brought regulators not only to the realisation that digital transformation is urgent, but it also provided a path from transformation to optimisation and digital acceleration of regulatory inspections.

Lessons for the inspection services after the big pandemic stress test

The pandemic has shown that regulators can grow their efficiency in the reality of the new normal. So what are the key considerations for IT leaders and CIOS from regulatory agencies? For regulators technology optimisation is linked to the efficiency of their oversight function. The way to acceleration and optimisation for them goes through inspection data analytics tools, AI systems and resource management tools that enable them to scale and continue to provide their critical oversight functions. The harmony between technology and inspection services is yet to be found, but the acceleration for that to happen is turned on. Canalix is an inspection software platform that is built to address the urgency of the new post-pandemic reality and the challenges it created for regulators. Contact us to help you with your digital acceleration strategy now.

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From paper-based inspection systems to paperless inspection software

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In 2022 the use of paper-based processes is perceived as something old-fashioned. However, paper-based processes are still a thing in conservative structures like government agencies. Countries with well-developed digital government strategies are good examples of leaving the paper behind. Their experience proves that digitalisation makes things work better than before – reduces the cost of processes, improves efficiency and shifts the focus towards transparency.

The regulatory sector is an excellent example of the transition from paper to digital-based processes because it involves different actors – behind the desk and on the field that work with enormous volumes of paper. A significant difference can be seen in the operational costs before and after the transitioning to inspection management software.

Reducing the operational costs of inspections is just a tiny part of the benefits of paperless inspection solutions. Here are more of them:

  1. Cost of storage

Cloud-based inspection software is cheaper because storing and digitally accessing files is the opposite of the complex logistics behind paper-based inspection procedures. So going paperless is a key to new opportunities. Doing it with a reliable inspection management platform guarantees to achieve a new efficiency level.

2. Access inspection data & files anywhere, anytime

The cloud-based inspection software means that every bit of information about inspection procedures is at a click away. That’s something that can’t be said about the old-fashioned paper-based system. Digitalisation in the work of regulators is a big chance that, once being embraced, makes the use of paper an unimaginable reality.

3. Team leaders can be sure they are on track with inspection software.

One of the most incredible things about cloud-based inspection platforms is that they work as inspection tracking software. Team leaders can use real-time data, visible at one place, to ensure that the inspections are performed per the predefined goals (checks per day, hours of review conducting, etc.) Having visibility on the critical metrics is the most effective way for goal-oriented inspection planning.

Of course, this benefit is achievable with paper as well. But it takes much more time and effort. Doing it with a digital inspection solution happens fast and minimises errors.

4. Customisation of inspection checklists based on complexity or other risk factors

When sites with high-risk scores and specific requirements have to be inspected, it’s good to have an inspector with attention to detail. It requires effort and more time to check the small details surrounding complex inspections; therefore, it’s more likely to generate errors in this type of inspection. One way to solve these problems is by using paperless inspection software to check whether the inspection checklist is filled as per the standards required for the type of inspected entity. Try solving this with paper – it will be much more challenging.

5. Public transparency

Completing inspections in a digital environment allows inspectors to automatically generate reviews, publish them to the cloud, and deliver them to the inspected entity. The inspection software allows everyone to transparently access the inspection outcome and undertake the required action if needed. Transparency facilitates the inspection process for everyone involved and enables interested parties to take required steps as soon as possible and, therefore, improve their compliance for future checks.

Resource optimization and business scheduling software

CASE STUDY: OPTIMISING THE RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN REGULATORY AGENCY
          • reducing the scheduling time with up to 75%
          • increasing efficiency of operations with 40%
          • fully eliminating errors in the resource allocation process.
Download the case study.

What kind of paperless inspection software can solve these problems?

Canalix transforms old-legacy paper-based inspection programs into paperless inspection solutions. It allows regulators to start only with a separate module – like our resource optimisation module and then transition to the complete inspection management solution if needed. With Canalix, inspectors can perform inspections via tablet, laptop, desktop devices, etc. Its user-oriented nature allows us to configure it according to the specific requirements of the regulators for the sake of maximum efficiency. Get in touch if you’d like us to tell you how we do it in a 15-min free product tour.

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Why regulators need resource scheduling optimisation for inspections

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The use of resource scheduling software helps regulatory agencies plan, manage, and allocate resources in a way that follows the optimisation goals of the agency. An inspection team leader can do effective inspection tracking and aid his decision making to keep the agency’s operational costs below a certain level. The use of field resource scheduling tools for high-risk regulatory inspections is vital for the long term efficiency of the regulators.

Here are 6 reasons why:

1. Visible results, no matter what the workload is

The results of effective resource allocation are equally visible when we’re dealing with large volumes of work or a small volume of tasks. In both types of organisations – large and small, inspection team leaders improve their planning efforts by making more intelligent decisions about resource assignments. No matter the size of the regulatory agency – the adoption of a field resource scheduling tool is always a good idea.

Related: How to find the best resource management software for inspections?

2. Save operational costs

Field resource scheduling is essential when allocating a limited number of resources to a growing backlog of inspections. Using an inspection management platform with a risk scoring algorithm can help team leaders allocate resources on the field only to high-risk reviews while assigning self-inspection to low-risk inquiries. Making this digitally ensures that team leaders give tasks to resources with a relevant skillset, and everyone will be notified about it in real-time. Reducing the error rate in-field inspection schedules will reduce the operational field inspections costs.

Related: Achieving measurable ROI from resource management – everything you need to know.

3. Improve efficiency

Suppose the same number of inspectors can complete inspections faster, with less driving time between jobs, less stress and less effort. In that case, this will eventually make inspectors more motivated and more productive. Team leaders always have visibility on workload and can also tackle balance to keep each team member productive without overloading his time.

4. Control the time better

How much is the driving time between jobs? What if you can reduce it via route optimisation? Then the resources can have the opportunity to spend less time driving, and the prediction of time needed for task completion is more accurate.

Related: The benefits of route optimisation in-field inspections

5. Achieve workload balance

Even if we use the most innovative field resource scheduling tool on earth, sometimes an inspection will run over schedule. Team leaders will have to quickly design a new work schedule with minimum disruption in the task orchestration.

Using proper resource & schedule management software can help regulators reassign overload tasks to inspectors with more capacity and spare those overloaded. Achieving this balance is vital for having a motivated and effective inspection team.

Related: How does resource optimisation boost task management?

6. Eliminate risks

Planning inspection schedules with priority over high-risk inspections will lead to less risk and improved safety standards. Assigning self-inspections to low-risk cases will take the unnecessary burden from the inspector’s shoulder and help them focus only on-field tasks with high-risk scores.

Related: How to implement resource scheduling tools in inspection workflow?

Do you want to have a free product tour with Canalix and see first-hand what our resource scheduling tool can help you achieve? Contact us now.

How Canalix transforms the world of regulatory inspections?

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