Using FieldChat with Procore.

Basic App Installation

To perform a Basic App installation, install the FieldChat app from the Procore marketplace, and sign up for a company account with FieldChat using your Procore username and password.

A basic app installation allows you to import all your Procore users from your project directories. You can then instantly communicate with them through text messaging. You can also invite users to sign-up for FieldChat using their Procore credentials. They can use FieldChat inside the Procore web app, or use the FieldChat mobile apps or web app.

The following features are supported with the Basic App installation:

1. Project Directory import. You can import your Procore project directory into FieldChat. This will allow you to set up your project very easily since you won't need to manually create any users in FieldChat and you can use their existing email and mobile phone numbers to invite them to channels and communicate with them.
2. Run FieldChat as an embedded app in Procore. You can run FieldChat right inside the Procore web app so that you don't need to switch between different apps. 
3. Use the FieldChat mobile app or web app. You can also login to the FieldChat web app and mobile app using your Procore username and password.

Need Help? It's easy to book a 15 minute meeting with us to help your Procore integration going.

Running FieldChat inside Procore

Users of the Procore web app can run FieldChat inside the Procore web app. Simply find the FieldChat (Embedded Experience) app on the Procore marketplace and install it. To make this app available to your projects, make sure you create an App Configuration, with a suggested title of "FieldChat" and select one or more projects that can use FieldChat.

When you access FieldChat for the first time, you should signup for a company account with your Procore credentials and link your first FieldChat project to Procore. 

Importing Users from Procore

After you have created your FieldChat company account, you can import all the users in a Procore project directory into FieldChat so that you can easily invite them to FieldChat channels by email or text message.

To do this, select the "Procore" option in the hamburger menu at top left under "Integrations". You will then be prompted to pick a Procore project and the users from that project directory will be imported. You can also import users from the "Edit Project" page.

Once your users are imported, you can add them to one or more channels in your project where you want them to be able to communicate and collaborate with other team members. When users are first imported, they are set to texting users by default. If they install the mobile app, they will automatically become app users. Texting users can only be added to channels with phone numbers assigned to them.

You can enable ongoing real-time updates from Procore to keep users in FieldChat in-synch if you perform an advanced app installation (see section below).

Note: We recommend that you update your Procore project directory with mobile phone numbers for your foremen and subcontractors. FieldChat will automatically import these numbers and use them for text messaging. When you make changes to your directory simply re-import and the users will be automatically updated in FieldChat.

Sign on with Procore username & password

Once your users are imported, they can login to the FieldChat web app and mobile apps using their existing Procore credentials. If they are accessing the FieldChat app from inside the Procore web app, no additional login is required. Users can only access the channels that you have explicitly granted them access to in FieldChat.

Advanced App Installation

(Procore Service Account Required)

The Advanced App installation provides some additional integration features and requires the set-up of a Procore service account. With the Advanced App Installation you can:

1. Auto upload photos, videos and files to Procore. You can automatically upload photos, videos and files from FieldChat channels to Procore albums, so that every picture sent by anyone by text message or through the app is added to your project, along with any attached files or videos. You can also specify the name of the folder(s) to use in Procore.
2. Upload a daily digest of FieldChat messages to Procore. You can automatically attach a note to the Procore daily log every day at midnight containing a summary of every message sent in the day for every channel in your project.
3. Send activity logs to Procore. You can configure activity logs to send on to Procore. This means that people can submit information to Procore simply through a text message and a link to a webform. They don't need to install the FieldChat (or Procore) app. Supported integrations include:
   • Manpower (to Procore Daily Log as a Manpower entry / will also check daily log for reminders)
   • Deliveries (to Procore Daily Log as a Delivery entry)
   • Visitors (to Procore Daily Log as a Visitor entry)
   • Note (to Procore Daily Log as a Note entry)
   • Draft RFI (to Procore RFI, with any notified users copied to distribution)
   • Observation (to Procore Observation, with any notified users copied to distribution)
   • COVID Health Check (to Procore Daily Log as a Visitor entry)
   • Safety Orientation (to Procore Daily Log as Note entry)
   • Toolbox Talk (to Procore Daily Log as a Note entry)
     OR any activity log of your choosing can be sent to a Procore document folder as a PDF
     
     Note: Please contact the FieldChat team on the Help Channel to request assistance with setting up your activity log integration. We may need to help you customize the forms according to the needs of your project and how you've configured your Procore instance.
     
     
4. Procore notifications in FieldChat channels. You can get notifications in FieldChat channels about resources that are created (or modified) in Procore, including RFIs, RFI Replies, Observations, Punchlists, and Daily Logs.
   
   You will also receive a preview of any attached pictures or documents in Observations, RFIs and Punchlists, and any assigned users will be @mentioned in the channel. This can be helpful to ensure that only the people who are assigned will receive an app or text notification.
   
   
5. Allow any FieldChat admin to import project directories and link projects to Procore. Any account administrator in FieldChat will be able to do this, even if they don't have company admin privileges in Procore.
6. Keep users in Procore project directories in-synch with users in FieldChat. You can enable real-time updates from Procore to keep your project directory in synch with FieldChat automatically.

Setting up a Procore Service Account

In order to set-up a permanent integration with Procore that is not tied to a specific user, you should create a Procore Service Account. Doing this is required for photo uploads and notifications.

Note: We recommend that you book a 15 minute meeting with us to help you get your service account going as quickly as possible.

Instructions:

You need to be an account administrator in FieldChat and an administrator in Procore in order to be able to do this. In the Procore admin area, create a new service account and note the Client ID and Client Secret. You’ll need to enter those into FieldChat.

Once you've created the service account, you'll need to find the service account user in your company directory and assign a permission template that has access to the permissions below.

Permission for Project Directory Access

In order to import your project directories, grant read permission on the Directory tab. This will allow FieldChat to be able to import all of your Procore users.

Additional Permission for Photo Uploads (Optional)

If you wish to enable photo uploads from FieldChat to Procore, you should also grant standard permission to Photos.

Additional Permission for Photo Uploads (Optional)

If you wish to enable photo uploads from FieldChat to Procore, you should also grant standard permission to Photos.

Additional Permission for Documents (Optional)

If you wish to enable video and file uploads from FieldChat to Procore, you should also grant standard permission to Documents. You will also need this setting if you want to create PDFs in Procore for any created FieldChat logs.

Additional Permission for Daily Log (Optional)

If you wish to enable submitting manpower, notes, visitor or delivery logs captured in FieldChat to Procore, you should also grant admin permission to Daily Log. 

Additional Permission for Creating Observations (Optional)

If you wish to enable submitting observations to Procore from an observation log in FieldChat, you should also grant standard permission to Observations.

Additional Permission for Creating RFIs (Optional)

If you wish to enable submitting observations to Procore from an RFI log in FieldChat, you should also grant standard permission to RFIs.

Additional Permission for Notifications (Optional)

If you wish to enable notifications in FieldChat from Procore, you should grant the following additional permissions:

• Admin permission to Admin
• Admin permission to Punch List
• Admin permission to Observations
• Admin permission to RFIs
• Read only access to all other resources that you wish to receive notifications about.

Permission to Procore Projects

Next, add all of the projects that you want FieldChat to be able to access. 

Linking the Service Account to FieldChat

Now you can login to FieldChat and select the "Procore" option from the top-left menu under "Integrations". Click on the "Set up service account" button and enter the Client ID and Client Secret. You will then be prompted to pick a Procore project to link to the current FieldChat project.

Testing Your Connection to a Project

You can test that FieldChat is correctly connected to a Procore project. Go to "Edit Project" from the ellipses menu in your project list, and use the "Test Connection" button to confirm that everything is set-up correctly for your project. Any issues with the service account security will be displayed. 

Watch a step-by-step video on how to set up a Procore service account

Automatically Uploading Pictures, Videos and Files to Procore

You can configure FieldChat channels to automatically upload to Procore albums and folders. You need to set-up a Procore service account using the instructions above in order to enable this feature, with at least standard level permission access to Procore photos and files. You will also need to ensure that the FieldChat projects you want to upload pictures from are each linked to a unique Procore project in the Procore configurations screen. After the service account is enabled, you will see a new "Upload images & files to Procore" option appear when you edit or create a channel.

The pictures sent as text messages, or uploaded images or files or videos using the FieldChat app will be automatically uploaded to folders with the specified name, as shown in the example below.

Enabling Ongoing Updates to Users from Procore

After you have imported your users, you can enable ongoing updates from Procore to FieldChat, using the "Enable user updates from Procore" option under "Edit Project". With this setting enabled, every time a new user is created, or an existing user changed, FieldChat will receive this information from Procore and update the user in FieldChat automatically.

Enabling Daily Digest of Messages

You can use "Enable daily digest" option under "Edit Project" (shown above) to automatically create a note every day at midnight containing a summary of all messages sent across all the channels of your project. 

Subscribing to Procore Notifications

You can configure FieldChat channels to receive alerts from Procore. You need to set-up a Procore service account using the instructions above in order to enable this feature.

In FieldChat, edit the project in FieldChat and make sure it is linked the your project in Procore. Then enable "Procore notifications for this project".

Finally, edit the channel that you want to receive Procore notifications. You will see a checkbox to enable notifications, and an optional filter list of specific resource names that you want to be notified about. If you leave this field empty, the channel will notify you about all changes to all resources that are sent by the Procore webhook.

Once the channel is configured, your channel will begin to receive notifications, and automatically mention assigned users, as in the example below:

Some notifications in FieldChat will provide a details button to link back to the Procore resource, including Observation Items, Punch Items, RFIs, Submittals, Change Events, Timecard Entries, and Logs.