“But We’ve Always Done It This Way”: Your Playbook for Winning Budget Approval

You know the moment. You’ve done your research, crunched the numbers, and built a solid case for EHS software. Then you walk into the meeting, and someone says it: “We’ve always done it this way.”

It’s not just an objection—it’s inertia wrapped in comfort. But here’s the truth: the real cost isn’t the software investment. It’s the inefficiency, liability, and missed opportunities hiding in your current system.

The Hidden Cost of Manual Processes

Before we tackle the objections, let’s talk about what “the way we’ve always done it” actually costs.

When Tony Conte joined Pharmacann as their first safety professional, he inherited a nightmare. Seven production sites across six states, 35 retail locations, 1,500 employees—and everything managed through Google Docs. Safety training came from four different external contractors. Nobody tracked completion. SDSs were limited. There was essentially no safety program at all.

At J. Mullen & Sons, the situation was similar. Five separate training programs costing $75,000 to $100,000 annually, with no one paying attention to whether employees actually completed their training.

This is what “the way we’ve always done it” looks like in practice:

• Accessibility challenges: Hours or days spent digging through paperwork instead of instant reporting
• Data fragmentation: Critical information scattered across Google Docs, spreadsheets, and paper files
• Time lost: Manual searches that should take minutes stretching into days
• Missed opportunities: Unable to respond quickly when clients or auditors request data

Building from Ground Zero: It Can Be Done

One of the most powerful counters to “we’ve always done it this way” is showing examples of organizations that built something from nothing.

Alleguard Manufacturing had zero EHS program when Cory Balthrop started. No foundation to build on. No existing processes to improve. Just a blank slate and a mountain of work ahead.

The result? Over 90% training completion across the entire company. Forms that were simple enough for anyone to use. A program that matured quickly because the technology handled the administrative burden.

As Cory explains:

We needed to be able to kind of simplify that down so that we could get that through the organization and help them digest it before maturing through our process.

The technology didn’t complicate their journey—it made it possible.

Real-World Response Times That Matter

Theory is great. Real-world validation is better. Here’s what happens when regulators, insurers, and clients come knocking:

OSHA inspections: Immediate data access

When J. Mullen & Sons faced a major incident that brought OSHA, the insurance company, and the Department of Labor to their door, Tony was ready. They sat in a conference room, pulled up the platform, and answered every question in real-time.

The Department of Labor inspector’s response? “You’re well beyond what they’re looking for.” They sent all records up to the main office, and the verdict came back: “Nope, it’s way beyond what we’re looking for.”

Insurance audits: Zero recommendations

Because of Tony’s preparation and comprehensive documentation, insurance auditors found zero recommendations for improvement. When you can instantly provide complete records, training history, and incident documentation, auditors have nothing left to find.

Client requests: Six months of data in minutes

When one of J. Mullen & Sons’ utility company clients requested safety records, Tony delivered six months of comprehensive data in minutes. Not hours. Not days. Minutes.

Before the platform? That request would have meant days of sorting through paper files, tracking down records across multiple locations, and hoping nothing was missing.

That responsiveness isn’t just convenient—it’s a competitive advantage that directly contributes to contract wins and stronger client relationships.

Calculate What One Day of Data Collection Costs Your Organization

Here’s your homework. Don’t leave this article without doing this calculation:

• How many hours per week does your team spend on manual data entry?
• How many hours locating and compiling reports for auditors or executives?
• What’s your loaded labor rate for safety staff?
• How many times per year do you face urgent data requests?

Multiply those hours by your labor costs. Then multiply by 52 weeks. That’s your annual administrative burden.

Now compare that number to the cost of software. Chances are, administrative efficiency alone justifies the investment—and you haven’t even factored in incident prevention, training consolidation, or insurance savings.

The Real Question Isn’t “Can We Afford This?”

The real question is: Can we afford not to?

Every day you delay is another day of:

• Hidden inefficiencies draining your team’s time
• Data scattered across systems that can’t talk to each other
• Liability exposure from incomplete or inaccessible records
• Missed opportunities to identify patterns before they become incidents

“The way we’ve always done it” isn’t a strategy. It’s inertia. And inertia has a cost that shows up in incident rates, audit findings, insurance premiums, and hours lost to manual processes.

Your peers have already made the switch. They’ve built the business cases, overcome the objections, and proven the value. Tony Conte did it twice—once at Pharmacann with seven sites across six states, and again at J. Mullen & Sons with crews scattered across New York State.

The technology exists. The ROI is proven. The only question left is: when will you make the switch?