Digital Reporting Tools: Find the Right Solution for you!

Cindy Leber Building Reports Canada

One Tool: Four Key Stakeholders:

Life Safety and Compliance are the ultimate objective.

When considering implementation of a digital inspection tool it is necessary to address the needs of four major stakeholders. These are: the technician using the tool; your company investing in the tool, the building owner/property manager and the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). In addition, the ease of use by all stakeholders and the quality of the resulting data are critical to the success of implementation.

Service companies have a growing number of vendors and features to consider. There is no doubt that there is a solution for every need. What is important to one company could be significantly different to another. Some companies may be focused on solving technician challenges while others are trying to enhance client services. Let’s look at some of the potential features to help build a check list of your company’s needs and wishes.

The top item to review with any purchase, subscription or enrollment is to determine codes, standards and AHJ compliance. Once implemented will the tool be updated to meet the inevitable changes in compliance requirements. Although Codes and Standards are becoming more universal, many local municipalities also have specific requirements. Knowing that the provider can keep up or respond to changes is important to everyone.

Regardless of your reason for obtaining a new digital solution, it is important to evaluate if the tool(s) increases the quality of the information entered. Is it designed in a way to improve the dependability of the actual content? Compliance is always most important so improving documentation to get better results saves, or even generates, time and money for everyone.

These two elements are important but to create a full checklist of your company’s specific needs let’s look at potential benefits to each stakeholder.

Each of these parties have unique requirements that can be used to assist in evaluating and finding the right solution for you. There is no one checklist or ranking that will fit everyone’s needs. To get the right solution for you, it is important to take the time to find out where you are currently experiencing inefficiencies, challenges or risks in activities and time management. Consider looking at each department to determine where you want your future tool to assist. It may be a big list, but it will provide you the foundation to determine what you would like in your digital reporting solution.

After reviewing your current operation or even offerings to your clients, the next step is to determine what you want to achieve from the new solution. Let’s look at the key stakeholders and identify some of the items you might want to consider:

The Technician

How can a digital reporting tool improve the quality and efficiency of the technician’s activities? Efficiency and cost savings are always important, but it will mean nothing if you cannot maintain or improve compliance. Likewise, compliance may be the most important in life safety but without the ability to operate efficiency there will not be a company to complete the work necessary to achieve it! Here are a few items to help you develop a list of key needs for your company specifically:

  • Efficiency: Technology can be leveraged to keep technicians on technical work and not distracted by the administrative tasks.
  • Basic inspection details: Ease of finding information and devices in following years to improve documenting time.
  • Technician consistency: If another technician can find and understand document details, time will be saved on future inspections.
  • Information access: Calculations, acceptable ranges and manufacturer information.
  • Editing: The content of a report is more dependable if documented right away. The ability to document and edit in the field can help keep technicians inspecting.
  • Support: Tools should help and not be an obstacle for keeping the inspection moving.
  • Inspection devices: Add the tool to an existing phone, use a specific device or have an additional tablet?

The Office/Your Company

There is no doubt that the inspection documentation is important. It is the cornerstone of the process. It is also important to consider how easily it will move through the administrative portion of the inspection process.

  • Integration: Does it need to integrate with existing tools or are new tools needed for items such as: Schedule, Service Tickets, Accounting
  • Data ownership: Is it my data and can I get it whenever I want it.
  • Codes and standards: How do I maintain and obtain updates for codes/standards to ensure compliance - is it included?
  • Client Services: Contact management, liability reduction, report management and client access.
  • Communication with the technicians
  • Commercial aspects: Can it provide an additional revenue stream? i.e. predict repair services, sell access to other relevant users.
  • Office efficiency: Reduce or Eliminate administrative review.
  • AI integration: gain summary of inspection statistics, identify efficiencies or lack of them, occupancies needing more time or having more failures, repetitive equipment failures, automate quotations.

The Building Owner

The building owner/operator has a legal responsibility to meet codes and standards and to prove compliance on request. In addition, she/he is concerned with protecting building occupants and physical assets.

  • Proof of compliance: Access to reports quickly, readily understood and full documentation, reliable provider of the digital report tool.
  • Finance: Forecast of special services or repairs for budgeting, forecast annual and periodic testing expense.
  • Adaptable: As building changes are made can the tool be updated easily?

The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)

  • Meeting codes/standards,
  • Easy access to reports,
  • Easily understood reporting,
  • Easily determine non-compliant items
  • Supporting public safety

Now let’s take a look at the alternative to digital reporting. Many companies are paying technicians for hours outside of the inspection time on site to complete reports. I can rant about errors when technicians document after the fact but let’s stay focused. Annotated past reports or even handwritten documents are sometimes sent to the “office” where another individual interprets the technician’s work and basically transcribes it to some other format. Filing and providing copies to the client then involve more admin time. Technically, the technician’s signed original paper report must now be retained as evidence that the work was done. The increase in the digital report industry is proof that many companies are finding these types of processes labour intensive and subject to many risks. How do we know that a tool will actually improve costs associated with the actual delivery of reports?

When determining the cost-benefit it is important to understand what the new tools will cost but also the impact of the efficiencies already mentioned. Any out of the box calculation makes a ton of assumptions and I do not believe they can be relied on. Unfortunately, this calculation must be completed individually based on your current process. Let’s not forget the overarching concern about life safety. After all, isn’t that why this is all being done.

I cannot speak to the other tools, but we know with BRC the first inspection of a building results in significantly higher failure rates. Although there is an investment during the first inspection, it more than pays for itself in efficiencies and new revenue. The speed of subsequent inspections is just a bonus.

There are many features and a ton of benefits that go along with digital reporting. To find the best for your company it is important to do the homework of finding out a baseline of what will help your company (needs list) and the dreams (wishes list). It is a big decision to change the way your profitable business runs inspections. To help avoid getting stuck in the decision-making process ask each potential vendor to speak to your specific needs and wishes.

A profitable business can always do better $$.

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