Data is King

IN AN increasingly digital world, the way in which organisations operate is governed by emerging technological trends and government legislation. With these developments continuously altering how they use their real estate; it is essential that businesses work to develop new strategies and enhance their capacities to keep up with the demands of the digital workplace.

In recent years, mobile data generation and collection has become increasingly common, facilitated by the use of advanced software to efficiently digitise, store, and analyse it. 

Companies are adopting software to create a faster, more reliable, and more refined process to carry out robust data collection and analysis. These new technologies not only allow them increased control over the information and data they collect but also enable them to analyse data in many new ways.

In light of this, there is a compelling case for the integration of new technologies into the process of conducting audits and inspections. Many companies are investing in reliable and high-quality software to gain useful business insights that managers can leverage to make more informed decisions.

Data collection software like Mobiess Insight, our industry leading mobile audits and inspections solution, can significantly enhance the entire inspection and auditing process. 

Configure your forms and templates

Every company operates differently; even those in the same industry won’t have identical processes and data demands. Using generalised software, businesses are limited in the types of data they can collect, reducing its overall usability.

With Insight, users can create custom data collection templates with unlimited complexity and structured levels using our drag and drop survey designer. Templates can be built for almost any type of form, providing an alternative to paper or manual methods. The software allows users to add drop-down picklists, checklists, multiple choice questions, and almost any data entry type, allowing them to collect all the right information on site. 

Industry templates

Working with a partner like Mobiess, who are experienced delivering software solutions across multiple core vertical markets, be that facilities management, service management, gas, oil, fire safety, health and safety, transport and logistics, you are able to fully integrate, digitise and streamline different facets of your business with Mobiess.

Collect accurate data

No matter their industry, companies rely on accurate data to make important decisions. The use of a robust and efficient auditing and inspection system is crucial in ensuring that accurate data is collected.

When pen and paper is used, the data collected can often be forgotten, difficult to read, easily misinterpreted or inaccurate. Forms created with Insight can contain questions with conditional based rules to drive mandatory behaviour, ensuring that no data is missed out by mistake. Utilising dynamic logic within a template, organisations can ensure that compulsory questions, notes, pictures or corrective actions are generated, and hide and show sections or questions based on the answers of previous fields collected. Businesses can gain increased control of the data they collect, enhancing its accuracy.

Data and reporting

By leveraging a structured method of data collection, businesses can trust that the reports generated will be high quality and therefore more useful to their decision-making processes. 

Using reports created from a rich pool of reliable data, organisations can gain a more accurate and in-depth view of potential areas for improvement. Software like Mobiess Insight can be used to create simple, clear, and detailed reports, meaning that any weaknesses are easily identifiable. This can facilitate better governance, customer satisfaction and improve companies’ implementation of standards. 

Seeing the information you have collected and being able to use it for health and safety, compliance, improvements in efficiency, finances and strategic business planning is the least you should expect from an auditing system.

Data is King – and the right system, used properly, can revolutionise your business in ways you perhaps haven’t considered previously. With manual systems, the more information you gather for assessment, the greater the risk of error and misinformation. Digitising the process significantly reduces the risk of inconsistencies and allows you to manage and improve the data collecting process.

Remember that data is far more than just snippets of unrelated information; far too often, we see people collecting vital information and doing no more than filing it away. These systems can assess your data and identify areas where you can improve. 

Scanned documents are not data; the value of data is far more than a flat image.

Data is actionable in real time; your organisation can respond to information as it happens, streamlining your work orders, identifying where you can save money, time and investment.

Centralise your data

Mobiess Insight provides a centralised hub through which companies can access their inspection and audit data and reports. With data being collected digitally and securely stored, users can benefit from keeping a thorough record of all inspections and audits per project or building. This can facilitate the improvement of their current and future operations.

Real world benefits

Remember, simply collecting this data and filling in forms is not the point of this process. It’s what you do with the data you have collected that will make a difference to your organisation. Your e-forms have many benefits, and the data provided identifies areas where financial savings can be made:

Implementing a reliable auditing solution brings a myriad of advantages to your organisation. Gain real-time information at your fingertips, providing an overview of workers and their performance, all accessible in one convenient location for easy comparison and analysis. These solutions also serve as valuable management tools for logging and remedial actions, ultimately lowering the costs associated with defect management.

Reducing the risk of errors and missed information ensures a higher standard of compliance and fosters smarter decision-making. In addition to streamlining your data collection, storage and reporting, audit and inspection systems like Mobiess Insight reduce costs associated with back-office staff needed for processing vital organisational data. In essence, by adopting an auditing solution, your organisation stands to gain a comprehensive and cost-effective system that enhances efficiency, data quality, accuracy and overall workforce productivity.

Once you implement an auditing and inspection system it will make you start to look at next phases of your digital transformation journey, consider ways you can add further value by incorporating other technologies you already use like QR Codes and NFC Tagging – simplify your processes, automate reporting and compliance. Identify patterns of data in previous visits or records and pre-populating future site inspections are simple way to fully utilise a digital platform like Mobiess.

Having discussed the many benefits of using data collection software, there is no doubt that manual methods of data collection are unable to meet the expectations of the digital age, however, the question remains the same: is your organisation ready to take the next step?

Daniel Horner is head of marketing at Mobiess. For more information, visit www.mobiess.com