The pandemic has had a big impact on how many of us conduct our business. By partnering with BSI, SUBZERO were able to hold the first remote audit completed in the food industry for our client, a well known, high end chocolatier. Ordinarily, this client would fly one of their auditors from Turkey to our site in the UK and perform the audit in person. Unfortunately, this was not possible as a result of travel restrictions.
BSI helped us to adapt and offer a fantastic experience to our client when auditing our new refrigerated storage sites. In this article we’ll be running you through some of the successes and challenges from our experience.
What is SUBZERO’s Role?
We work with the client to store goods, deliver to their UK stores and fulfil e-commerce orders. As the client is looking to grow their operations in the UK, and to utilise frozen storage space, the audit was required to check whether everything would be sufficient for their requirements. SUBZERO handle everything from warehouse to delivery; it’s important for the client that their goods are kept at specific temperatures at all times, all while ensuring the quality and integrity of the goods is upheld.
What Technology was Used?
Without a whole host of specialist tech, a remote audit would have been very difficult! BSI provided us with the equipment and support that we needed to complete the audit to our usual high standard. We used Microsoft Teams to aid with the document-based review, as it allowed us the flexibility to video call on phones, tablets and laptops. This was invaluable when ensuring that our client felt connected to the process.
On the walkabout audit we utilised BSI’s XpertEye headset, which was connected wirelessly to a portable 4G roaming modem. The headset is equipped with a high quality camera and microphone, which enabled our Logistics & Compliance officer to communicate hands-free. The client could see what they saw at all times which helped us to deliver the most streamlined experience possible.
Was the Audit Successful?
Yes! Using the wireless technology, we were able to walk the client around sites to show them the process flows and conditions of our warehouses. The client could clearly see the levels of cleanliness that we keep at all times. The picture quality was superb, which meant that, despite being over 3000 kilometres away, they could see everything that we were seeing as if they were in the building with us. During the walkabout, the client was able to take and annotate photos, which helped a great deal when identifying and efficiently addressing non-conformities.
Once the audit was complete, the client was able to download the footage to assess and evaluate at their leisure. Overall, the audit was a great success!
What are the Pros of Remote 2nd Party Audits?
While it did take a fair amount of adjustment, there were some distinct benefits of conducting the audit remotely:
- The client didn’t have to book expensive flights & accommodation, saving money and reducing our carbon footprint.
- We completed the audit in good time, and the client got permanent, high quality images for their records.
- The technology was intuitive and easy to use; we only took a short while to familiarise ourselves before jumping right in!
What are the Cons of Remote 2nd Party Audits?
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however, we did have a couple hiccups along the way:
- In certain areas (such as in the minus 22 degrees refrigerated areas) the signal did drop out, meaning that we needed to quickly re-establish signal to the client.
- After a long day of wearing the equipment, it did become noticeably heavy.
Our Tips for an Effective Remote Audit
Overall, though, the remote audit was a resounding success. While it wasn’t the first remote audit for BSI, it was the first remote audit ever held in the food industry. As a result, we’ve collected some of our top tips for a smooth remote audit experience:
- Make sure you’ve got a thorough plan – you might not be able to hold your audit in the same way that you ordinarily would. Routes might need to be adjusted and you’ll need to do some prep in advance so that everything is easily visible to the camera.
- Check for Wi-Fi dead zones (we learnt this the hard way!) Try to find ways to either boost signal in these areas, or adjust your route to avoid them if possible.
- Keep cool if the signal drops – we recommend that you keep your login QR code in your pocket so that you can quickly jump back in with minimal disruption.
Temperature Controlled Storage & Logistics with SUBZERO
At SUBZERO, we pride ourselves on delivering tailored, expert temperature controlled storage & logistics services. Drawing on our decades of experience in the sector, we’re dedicated to providing the best customer experience on the market.
If you’d like to learn more about what we offer, contact us today. Our team of expert advisors are on hand to help tailor a package to your specific requirements.
