It doesn't take a lot of time with manual workplace audits and inspections to experience common bottlenecks that prevent and slow the process. Using software to automate some of these processes can make amazing differences in the effectiveness and efficiency of your audit program.

Here are five proven reasons to use inspection and audit software to automate your processes:

1. To improve communication

Emails, handwritten notes, and "oh yeah don't forgets" are not a recipe for excellent inspection program communications. Inspection software means you can automate communications and use a simple, streamlined process for all of your approval requests. Users can simply forward each inspection as a PDF via email directly to their supervisor, who can approve or manage as needed.

2. Stay compliant (and prove it)

When you use audit and inspection software to automate your workflow, you generate an owner for each step. From initiating an audit to conducting it right through to approval and archive, each input is bound to a specific individual who performed and tracked the action. By enabling and tracking this level of information transparency in your process, you are alerted you to any that may put you at risk.

3. Minimize costs due to manual errors and inefficiency

With inspection and audit software, you minimize human error as pencil whipped, overdue, and missed inspections all can be very expensive. Inspection software can take the onus off your busy staff to remember when to conduct inspections or to keep track of all the steps in longer, more complex audits.

4. Develop insights into the evolution and impact of your audit and inspection program:

Imagine you have developed your audit processes, trained your employees and been using inspection and audit software smoothly for the last 6 months. Consider the amount of data you have accumulated and the things it can tell you.

You now know how many audits and inspections were conducted, how many were approved, and how many work orders were generated as a result. You can tell how long each audit took and which steps take the longest. You have month over month data to see where things are improving and you have user level detail to identify your most diligent inspectors.

The data captured in your audit and inspection program has far reaching impacts and can be used in as many creative ways as you can come up with. At this point your inspection and audit program can truly deliver on creating value for your business.

5. Improve morale

No one likes to do things the hard way. In the inspection and audit world, the hard way is clipboards and pencils and ad hoc processes. While it is sometimes hard for field staff to change to the more established workflow that software helps create, in the long run they like it.

Not only do they know exactly what they need to do and how often, the data collected helps to prove how good they are and the level of effort required. This kind of recognition is always good for morale.

The bottom line:

Try a sample of The Checker Software to see for yourself what we’re talking about.