In the world of utility management – including installations and repairs of the infrastructure that keeps our society running – compliance is critical.
It’s nothing new: regulations from key governing bodies and federal and state laws and codes have always changed, but with the rise of technology, those changes have come faster than ever. The pace at which those regulations change are not an excuse to fall behind. Consequences for non compliance can be pricey at best, and company-ending at worst.
Still: compliance can be difficult. While physical safety measures and inspection timelines are often variable, other difficulties can arise from the methods in which data – especially reporting data – is gathered, tracked, and more.
Chances are, you’ve wondered if there’s a better way to ensure regulatory compliance, without adding pressure or tasks to members of your existing team. Maybe you’ve even wondered if you can make processes easier and more efficient for them from start to finish.
Knowing This, What Difference Could a Simple Form Make?
What do the forms you use to gather data have to do with your ability to comply with strict and constantly changing regulations?
As it turns out, a lot.
Many of the problems that arise with compliance have to do with the way information is gathered in the first place. Traditionally, inspections and research were completed manually. Information was written on a piece of paper, then manually entered into a digital format post collection for analysis, sorting and reporting.
Maybe your team still works this way, regardless of the inspections you participate in or manage. We’re willing to bet someone is out in the field carrying a clipboard while checking meters, inspecting utility poles, or performing other critical tasks.
Because of processes like this, however, the potential for missed data points and errors was (and still is in many cases) great.
When an error occurs during collection or during post-collection transcription, entire result sets and insights can be negatively impacted. When a datapoint is missed, the form may be deemed unusable, or the process might need to be repeated, with all information collected again until the dataset is complete and able to be processed.
Because time costs money, and the goal to get a product to market is always first, this presents a problem that traditional forms and data gathering methods are simply unable to solve.
Why Smart Forms are Different
When customized smart forms are in place for all aspects of your data gathering initiatives, like those available through Zerion’s iFormBuilder, your team can gather the information necessary, without worrying about missing a datapoint. Additional forms and fields can populate based on responses, and submission can be denied until the form is complete.
This simple technological enhancement means that the information your team needs in order to proceed can be gathered without unnecessary setbacks caused by standard data gathering processes and methods.
Best of all, post-collection analysis, sorting and other processes can be automated, including reporting, providing real-time insights and allowing your team to react to information gathered in a timely, more organized manner.
We’d love to talk about what this could mean for your team, and we look forward to learning more about your individual business needs, and discussing how targeted mobile solutions could be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
If you’d be interested in finding out how a few process improvements could be game changers, start a free trial, or email sales (@) zerionsoftware.com for a free, zero-pressure demo, today!
