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Better Operations Management with Top Quality Software

Operations Management

If your business is considering making a strategic investment in new software solutions, it’s important to weigh all of the impact that quality software could have on the day-to-day routines and operations management of the company. Let’s consider some possible scenarios where EHSQ software can make a big difference to operations! 

Quality Software for Process Management 

Creating stronger digital systems can lead to better performance in the real world. Recently, a client was floundering due to relying on MS Excel for all of their systems tracking and data reports – their giant, unwieldy spreadsheet was stretched to the max. Using this manual system was creating missed opportunities in the form of overlooked deadlines, sluggish data retrieval, and poor communications on teams. Corrective action was failing due to the lack of visibility into the system, preventing transparency and accountability. Too much critical information was being managed via email, despite the size and complexity of the business. Their process needed a serious upgrade so the business could function and thrive in the modern world! 

By transitioning their operations to a complete EHS software suite, the company was able to give their process management a total makeover focused on efficiency and effective task allocation. By utilizing a unified software platform, spreadsheets have become a thing of the past – the team can view their upcoming deadlines, permit dates, and compliance tasks easily from one dashboard. No more missed due dates! Reports can be run quickly, with support from mobile data input for better tracking in real time. Not only have these changes led to significant time savings for the client, but they have also drastically impacted the quality of the work – leading to a 49% decrease in corrective action opportunities. The company has successfully reduced environmental safety risks, created better compliance enforcement, and created a renewed structure and culture around accountability for overall performance improvement across teams. This streamlined approach wouldn’t have been possible without making the software switch! 

Better process management requires better tools to ensure the job gets done. Create workflows, track important processes and deadlines, generate reports easily with just the click of a button, send out automated reminders and updates, and easily access data from any computer or mobile device by using a complete SaaS solution that is optimized and designed for businesses just like yours. You need more than just a spreadsheet. 

Removing Barriers to Data Tracking and Trend Analysis 

Data is the backbone of effective decision making and leadership – but what happens when getting the data becomes an organization’s biggest problem? For one government research agency, the transition to become paperless felt like a huge step in the right direction. They made the choice to upgrade from a paper-based system to electronic medical records. Moving away from hard copies and paper records meant that data would be more accessible, but their first choice of software eventually fell short. While the new system worked well at first, helping staff to bridge the gap from working in the digital space, it couldn’t keep up with the demands of the organization over time. The available technology options evolved, but their software didn’t, and couldn’t grow with them. Just five years after making the switch, they were on the hunt for a new solution. The biggest problem with their current system centered around utilizing data – robust reporting simply wasn’t possible, and the team had defaulted to relying on subjective assessments rather than objective, trackable measures. With no ability to forecast trends or analyze key factors, they were often working blind. Security had also become an issue, with their limited software capability making it difficult to keep up with the latest compliance requirements for their data protection.

Upon reviewing their top priorities, logistical needs, and available options, it was clear that only a cloud-based software solution would be capable of handling the full scope of the organization’s requirements. By upgrading, the agency was able to ensure data accuracy, avoid siloing critical information, and keep everything up-to-date with greater ease. Moving to a complete EHS management system streamlined the entire structure of the organization, and they were able to create customized tools and reports – including annual wellness dashboards, surveillance-based fitness assessments, clinic flows and documentation, individualized fitness consultations, and automated OSHA reporting. The result? An estimated time savings of about 1800 hours annually – the equivalent of two full-time staff positions – and a 50% reduction in paper! Fewer manual errors, better task allocation, and data that works for and with the team rather than being a barrier to success. 

Using modern OH software can empower businesses to capture and use the data that matters, while saving time and money on administrative overhead so you can do more in less time. Measurement, trend forecasting, and comprehensive reporting can be conducted easily from the centralized information system – eliminating frustration and confusion. Making a strategic switch results in improved data quality, streamlined communication, and strengthens safety culture in the workplace.

Resolving Poor Data Collection via Integration

Managing operations at 18 sites worldwide with over 12,000 employees, this client needed a comprehensive health program to ensure worker wellness and job safety. Their existing data collection and analysis methods consistently fell short of the reliability needed given the scope of operations. Using a combination of paper files, spreadsheets, and lab reports, they were attempting to cobble together a system for managing occupational health without much success. It was definitely time to transition to a fully operational online system, and the company identified the following priorities in making the switch: Being able to track historical exposures and compare exposure groups over time after an incident, track and confirm statistical validation of exposure profiles, determine and enforce consistent global exposure limits, and ensure consistency in reporting for successful accountability and corrective action. The search was on for a fully integrated, centralized OH application to collect, store, and manage all of the relevant data. 

The new solution offered a wide range of features that the previous system would never have been able to handle, including an employee health register that automatically updated risk reports that were pushed out to medical providers within the system, better health surveillance, and improved data security in compliance with HIPAA. Not only did the business establish a central hub for all of the information being collected at every location within the operation, but they were able to streamline administrative processes and ensure that each level of management had access to the right data in real time, from anywhere in the world. The new system is also equally functional in both English and Spanish, creating a better user experience for all employees. With more accurate, reliable data collection, the business was able to easily complete their goals for statistical analyze and exposure reporting in order to reduce risk and promote better occupational safety. Productivity and quality of work improved, and their leadership is now better equipped to lead the organization to the next level. 

Occupational health is a critical component of a successful workplace – helping your business care for its most valuable asset. Modern software solutions can improve health and productivity while making it easy to track illnesses and injury, report on incidents, monitor risk trends over time, and ensure regulatory compliance. 

Using EHS Software for Impactful Automation

A leading energy utility needed better methods for coordinating industrial hygiene and safety while continuing to deliver electricity services to over four million customers in the southeastern United States. Across its operations, different subsidiaries were using different software – with decidedly mixed results. The three largest companies were using an Oracle-based system, while other, smaller subsidiaries relied on Microsoft Access. Without a unified software solution, the organization couldn’t function as a unified company. The lack of functionality was also holding with the business back, with the features they wanted to use being simply unavailable through the tools they were dependent on. Because of the disparate organization structure that had evolved, the decision-making process to select the right quality software option was time-consuming and labor intensive – but critical to laying a foundation for a more collaborative future for the business. 

The top priority for the move? Creating one complete, centralized data system that each subsidiary would be able to access and use across all of their operations, to bring the entire company under one roof and ensure that each arm was using the same best practices for optimal safety, risk prevention, and industrial hygiene. The final project allowed the utility to ditch the multiple software approach in favor of one high-quality software solution, unifying data collection, terminology, and business throughout the company. Now it’s easy to automatically pull out information and reports that can showcase the entire state of the company at a glance, while improving compliance and reducing incidents. 

With the right automated software, inefficient industrial hygiene is a thing of the past. Integrate and centralize data to avoid duplicate work, automate reporting and notifications to empower smart decisions, and produce job hazard analysis reports with one click. 

The Right Move for Business Growth

If your business is experiencing continued success, it’s time to take your operations to the next level for strong, sustainable practices with modern quality software. By making a smart switch, your company can reduce administrative overhead, streamline EHSQ management, centralize your data, and share information easily between stakeholders for better decision-making. To learn more about the latest solutions from Cority, contact us for more information and a free demo!