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How automating manual inspection processes helps regulators?

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The digital transformation journey in the public sector may look different in different government agencies. Sometimes the process starts with a specific problem that identifies the needed technology. But sometimes, the process is reversed – it begins with particular technology being applied over the existing work process. Our practice as a digital transformation partner taught us that the former approach is the more efficient one, while the latter brings more risk of failure. These observations are especially relevant to the regulatory sector and the transformation of manual inspection processes.

Costly resources like inspectors and highly qualified technicians often have to perform repetitive tasks: running inspections from site to site, recording their checks within paper files. Then this documentation gets entered into an electronic system, which often leads to data errors. The use of digital inspection management tools allows inspectors to focus more on higher-level tasks such as analysing data to improve operations, which by itself is an upskilling benefit. The upskilling of the workforce is essential evidence for the success of digitally transforming manual processes.

rpa automation in inspection management

The automated data collection provides a consistent and accurate work process, enabling inspectors to update their progress more frequently. On the other hand, this benefit allows decision-makers to react quickly to critical changes in the collected data.

In the past, the automation of manual inspection processes was often dismissed as a too complex and expensive endeavour. However, today we have the technologies to transform manual processes without the challenges of the past. With cloud-based infrastructure and affordable wireless devices such as tablets, data gathering and sending is fast, and automation becomes a more realistic goal.

Transforming manual inspection processes with AI and Machine Learning

Regulatory agencies have access to automation technologies such as AI and Machine learning. But their efficiency is present mostly when they are fed with accurate information. The use of digital tools on inspection sites guarantees the gathering of quality information via digital checklists and real-time data transmission. The AI engine can provide decision-making support and improve efficiency and compliance with high-quality data input.

Theoretically, this is the ground regulatory agencies step on when undertaking the digital transformation process. But how are things actually with real-case scenarios? Let’s look at some customer stories we have at Canalix – inspection management platform and dive deep into how the platform handles the inspection process.

Monitoring of critical tasks

Some regulatory agencies no longer consider manual inspections enough for high-risk cases and require digital monitoring or the regular submission of self-inspection data. The compliance improvements need the automation of safety-related inspection schedules.

Improving the safety compliance of high-risk projects requires the automation of safety-related inspection schedules. After a periodic on-site inspection, the regulator may demand new monitoring points submitted by the inspectee via a self-submission portal. Doing this without the costs of sending an inspector on-site and getting the needed data is a classic example of cost-optimisation of operations that goes hand-to-hand with compliance improvements. A double benefit gain that inspection automation services like Canalix are helping regulators achieve.

Turning inspection data into process optimisation insights

Automating the data gathering stage by inspectors is only the first of many steps towards the digital transformation of the inspection process. When quality data is assured, what comes next? Reasonably, it is to turn this data into actionable information and insights. Those insights will help decision-makers to improve operations and strengthen the agency’s regulatory compliance rate.

Turning data into insights is more than just aggregating data from a historical perspective. Canalix, as an inspection platform, collects data that gives individual pictures over each inspector’s capacity and workload so that team leaders can prevent burnout and assure balance is kept in the process of resource scheduling.

Acting upon the gathered data and insights

And, of course, data can be presented in many contexts to different actors within the organisation. For example, an inspector may see information about the inspection site’s conditions in previous inspections or check alerts from IoT devices on the inspection site. This data may shape the structure of the inspection round so that the inspector can focus his attention on the most critical aspects. All for the sake of efficiency, of course. This model of turning data into insights supports the observe, orient, decide, act loop. It enables team leaders to decide based on relevant data that would direct action within the organisation that’s supposed to correct something that’s not working well enough.

The digital transformation approach as a modular step-by-step

Some organisations are looking at technology as a tool to help them fix a single issue – like automating manual inspection processes. Others aim at substantial digital transformation projects that will transform the whole organisation by replacing entire systems, not just separate modules step-by-step. And some organisations wish to test the technology without knowing exactly where they should begin. Canalix offers digital transformation solutions focused on resource optimisation that can speed up progress regardless of which category from those mentioned above we’re talking about. Contact us if you need to know more.

Related: How a regulatory agency cut operational costs with modular digital transformation approach?

 

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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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The benefits of using automated AI inspection software

The traditional vs the modern is a conflict as old as the world. It has an obvious implication for the public sector’s inspection-driven enforcement activity. This conflict is formulated in the regulatory environment like digital inspection solutions vs old traditional inspection methods.

The regulatory bodies that use traditional inspection methods face an expensive and clumsy process. The nature of inspections is always, to some degree, risky for the success of the whole operation. This risk can increase the cost of the inspection process. For example, there could be a mistake in allocating cases, allowing wrongfully skilled inspectors to be sent on-site or another error that could impact the inspection cost.

We’ve already looked through various success stories of regulators that transformed their inspections with different levels of inspection automation. They are winners on the side of the modern and successful regulatory tech adopters. Inspection automation technologies are doing their magic on different levels simultaneously. We already talked about how data automation is a basic level of operation for the inspection software. In this article, we will look through automated AI inspection optimisation as another feature that is a game-changer for inspection driven regulatory enforcement.

Related: How real-time data can improve the inspection performance?

Case study: Reduce operational costs with inspection scheduling software

Read it to understand:

    • The advantages of modular digital transformation
    • The vital architectural practices and technologies that enable modular transformation
    • How a regulatory agency in the UK is benefitting from a modular approach with Canalix.

Download now.

So, how is AI changing the game?

AI optimises the resource utilisation in inspections

Artificial Intelligence can design the most optimal ways for inspections. It can learn from the existing data and eliminate mistakes like sending wrongfully skilled inspectors on-site or planning routes nonoptimal ways. According to the user data of Canalix, AI optimisation can bring up to 40% better resource utilisation.

AI enables more efficient data flow

When the amount of data is managed intelligently, the business operations improve. Even if there are potential issues, they can be evaded before affecting the outcome. The bottom line is that AI can shrink the costs of inspection.

AI eases the decision-making process

The reduction of process time is like the elephant in the room when we talk about digital transformation. So it is with the AI-driven inspection platforms. The system’s intelligence can take into account different factors simultaneously and eliminate unnecessary work. This improves efficiency, and decisions are made faster at the end of the day. The benefit goes to one individual who is directly involved in the inspection process and the whole inspection ecosystem.

A good business optimisation tool will give regulators the digital infrastructure to do their job better. An excellent inspection platform will bring data automation and AI optimisation. Combine it with a great UX, and a regulator will have a disruptive technology in their hands.

Do you want to try how Canalix can optimise regulatory inspections? Contact us now.

Bonus definition of AI by Salesforce:

Artificial Intelligence is the concept of having machines “think like humans” — in other words, performing tasks like reasoning, planning, learning, and understanding language.

Request a demo or ask us more about adopting an automated AI inspection software through the form below:

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