Common NDT reporting mistakes - Customer Access

Kevin Bett April 2020

This is the third post in a series about common NDT reporting mistakes. Another one of the most common mistakes I see while consulting with NDT service providers is that many of them don’t invite their customers to their reporting platform.

Traditional Report Delivery

The traditional method of NDT report delivery means printing out hard copies and delivering them to the paying customer either by hand or through a courier service. Before the delivery the paper copies would have to manually signed on each page by the NDT technician and also perhaps by the Level 3 or approval authority.

Although there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, we have the opportunity to streamline and improve it with moderate technology.

Feedback & Corrections Loop

Using a more traditional report delivery method means that to get feedback from the customer and to correct errors or add additional information can take more time and resources. Time and resources that could be better spent. The last thing that you want to do having spent a great deal of time preparing reports is for them all to come back from the customer with corrections. Then you would have to print and sign them all over again.

By inviting your customers to your reporting platform however, you can eliminate this protracted feedback loop and reduce the pain, time and resources spent amending reports. Your customers will be able to highlight any issues faster and the process of fixing them is far easier when the reports are stored digitally with secure digital signatures.

No More Lost Reports

How many times have you heard that your customer has lost a report or batch of reports? Well, when you integrate your customer into your centralised reporting platform it should be impossible for your customer to have misplaced vital inspection results.

By having a digital repository of reports that your customer has access to, they will be able to see or search for all the reports that you have created for them, they will have a full history or reporting. This is a massive productivity boost for them and a major selling point for your services.

Immediate Report Delivery

Do you ever have customers chasing you for reports, waiting for you to deliver them? Well, if you invite your customer to your reporting platform they will have instant access. As soon as reports have been created (or approved depending on your workflow), your customer will be able to view them. This eliminates the need for a delivery process and means that you have more time to focus on other activities.

Increase Sales

By having your customer regularly logging into your reporting platform you create and maintain a solid link. You will never be far from your customers mind the next time that they have a project. They will want to continue the relationship, they will want to see all their reports in the same well presented manner that you have given to them already. You will be offering not just NDT services but integrated reporting services as well.

This can only lead to increased sales and more future collaborations.

If you’re looking for a complete cloud based NDT reporting solution which incorporates customer access as standard and can help you streamline and improve your reporting processes, consider getting in touch for a free no obligation consultation.