Remote Inspections in the Aftermath of Covid-19

The increase in companies making use of the advantages afforded by using Remote Inspections has accelerated in recent years. The Covid-19 pandemic is one of the factors that has made this happen. The maturation of video conferencing technologies and cost-cutting measures also served to speed the adoption of Remote Virtual Inspections (RVI) for many businesses and municipalities. However, now that the initial wave of the virus has passed and many companies are returning to a normal pace, we can speculate on what the future holds for the remote inspection industry.

 

Remote Work Shifts the Paradigm of the Work Environment

During the lockdown of 2020, workers in various industries have changed their opinion of what it means to have a good work and home, life balance. Many have started to see the shift in working remotely from the previous norm of going to work daily as the “new normal.” Work is now seen as something that needs to be accomplished rather than a place that one needs to arrive at. The reluctance of workers returning to a regular workday has had a profound effect on many companies. Many companies initially agreed to accommodate their employees’ wishes by allowing them to work from home without a loss in pay. However, some are reneging on that promise. Google to the dismay of some of their workers, has decided to adjust pay scales for employees who continued to work from home depending on where the person lived. Another example is from Microsoft, which found that in an internal survey that 73% of workers wanted the flexible work options put in place during the pandemic to remain permanently. The shift will be more profoundly felt in technology fields, as they are in a better position to take advantage of such trends.

As these trends continue, they may have an effect on the population nationwide. As mid-size and larger businesses trend towards having a greater percentage of their staff work remotely, the need for office space in populated urban hubs will decrease. This could reverse a trend towards large cities that has been in existence since the start of the 20^th century. Not having to rent or own large offices, which require extensive upgrades from time to time is a great cost-saving for many businesses. The cost savings from remote workers may keep faltering companies afloat in increasingly competitive markets.

 

Virtual Technologies Promote Growth

The trend in Remote Virtual Inspections is making the inspections themselves equivalent to actual physical inspections. Leading this move is the rise of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). These technologies are already being used for increased safety in the testing of procedures and in areas that are considered dangerous. For RVI’s it will mean the ability to conduct inspections in fields that were previously restricted for them. An example of this is in offshore gas and drilling. Operational slowdowns have forced an increase in the use of RVI’s so assets can continuously be monitored without disrupting operations. The use of cameras and sensors by companies in the field has allowed for business continuity through these slowdowns.

Another trend is for a fully automated inspection. Currently, the Remote Inspection industry uses a hybrid model. That is, there is someone onsite performing the review for the inspector using remote technologies. Fully automated inspections will evolve in areas where an in-person inspection is not possible or where it presents unique dangers. Increased adoption by industry and completely automated virtual inspections present new avenues for revenue growth within the Remote Inspection field. The growth in industries due to the technological advances of (AR) and (VR) are expected to be up to 275 billion dollars in the economy by the year 2030¹. This is only with regard to process improvements. Other fields will be affected as well, with a full potential of $1.5 trillion dollars by 2030.

 

Adopting Remote Virtual Inspections (RVIs)

Many departments within the government have only recently begun taking advantage of the savings afforded through Remote Virtual Inspection technologies. In both the government and private sector, as budget cuts force reductions in staff, the need to continue to keep standards high will only serve to increase the use of RVI’s to effectively keep costs down. The future of this industry remains promising. CloudVisit’s Remote Virtual Inspection software is one of the leaders in this field and can help your business take advantage of this technology.

Give us a call and let us demonstrate our software today: 845-809-5770.

 

1. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/technology/publications/assets/how-virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality.pdf