Self-checkouts have replaced cashiers at your local grocery store...
Kiosks have replaced agents at the airport ticket counter...
Virtual assistants have replaced customer service reps at call centers...
So could software replace your EHS consultant?
While good software can revolutionize your workflow, artificial intelligence can't replace a skilled consultant— and vice versa.
Rather, software can change the way you work with consultants and reduce your dependency on them for day-to-day tasks.
Lets look at 3 ways that software can help you and your consultant work smarter:
1. Automating tedious administrative tasks
A lot of what you pay for with consultants is administrative work like entering data into spreadsheets and chasing down items that are due from your team. Not a great use of resources, right?
Instead, EHS leaders are using software to automate tasks like collecting data, assigning tasks and due dates, automating reminders, and notifying you when tasks are past due.
This frees up your team and your consultant to tackle higher-value tasks.
2. Calculating and reporting on huge volumes of data
One of the areas where software shines brightest is in dealing with big data.
For example, EHS software can capture air emissions data, perform complex calculations, and populate fully formatted GHG reports faster than even the most skilled consultant.
That doesn't mean that consultants are suddenly obsolete. Rather, it means that the time they used to spend wrangling data can now be spent helping your company decide what to do with all that information.
3. Provide insights to inform decision making
In addition to capturing and working with data, EHS software can detect patterns and trends within huge volumes of data — a task that's incredibly challenging for even the best consultants.
For example, many companies are using software to analyze trends and determine what training programs are and aren’t working.
Consultants can then use these insights to recommend training resources that are working for similar companies, which eliminates guesswork and helps you use your resources wisely.
Your takeaway
Businesses can benefit from both software and consultants. Consultants complement your team, whether you need subject matter, technical, or organizational change expertise. Software helps you and your consultant spend less time performing administrative tasks and wrangling data, so that you can both focus on what you do best. Our guide will help you choose the right EHS software for the job:
