How engineering companies succeed with mobile inspections
Many people fear change.
It’s a fact… and many of us embrace it and jump right in.
As a business transitions from working with paper to a mobile system they may encounter some challenges… or challengers. Many businesses both small and large will have a staff member or two who are not open to change and may put up some resistance. We have had some insightful discussions with some of our successful clients about how they overcame these challenges and what advice they can offer to some of our newer teams who are about to take the leap.
“A good team leader is key”
With good teamwork, your staff will be as happy as this.
Strong leadership is needed in any transition in business and we find businesses that come in without a strong leader to navigate the transition are more likely to fail. Without this leader the resistant people, probably the most vocal, may get their way and the project can fail. It can get awkward but stand strong and remember the full spectrum of benefits to your business.
“A fire safety inspection company had a couple of very stubborn/resistant employees.”
They knew the Clarinspect system was creating efficiencies and there was no turning back. So it was time to get tough - they set a date and declared no more paper based inspections would be accepted after this date. Strong leadership here paid off, with all members of staff happily using the system now.
“Understand and communicate the Benefits”
At one engineering firm, a few employees were very resistant, and there were some uncomfortable conversations. They could only see that there were more questions for them to answer on site and their minimalist scribbled notes were much faster for them to do onsite. Just as they had done for the last 20 years.
They were unable to appreciate the benefits to the team(admin staff especially) and mid to long term better accountability. The benefits started to become clearer over the first few months, when they were not being chased for misplaced paperwork, or asked to interpret what their notes meant and they could see that collecting the data for the PS4 (construction sign off) was no drama. They are onboard now and understand how Clarinspect has improved their documentation and accountability.
“You are changing tools - expect the need to change behaviours”
The Clarinspect software is fantastic as it can be used on any site.
One employee complained that it was difficult to talk to a client while putting data into the app.
This was solved by a simple change in procedure. The engineer now tells their client that they will need to add notes as they go. As they walk around the site with the client or architect, they discuss progress and then the engineer excuses them self to do the inspection with the app - uninterrupted and focused (this also allows the use of the voice recognition). Too easy.
Another example is a complaint that the user could not see the screen in the sunlight. They were asked what they did when they used a clipboard and paper in the wind. The answer was they turned their back to it - and this was the same solution for operating a device in sunlight. Mobile devices are simply another tool, and their foibles need to be learned.
“Support and reassure staff who are not confident with technology”
Often the resistance is from those who are not confident with technology. They are out of their comfort zone. More guidance and cajoling may be needed.
An asbestos client found by reassuring team members it will take longer the first few times you use it, and that’s OK, because it is all part of the process was helpful to the team. Also, you can add lots of help text into your app, so that the user has a guide and a new member of staff can pick up the app and use it straight away.