A log is a simple form, used to capture information about something that happened on the job site, along with pictures or files. When logs are created, they can automatically notify people in channels. Standard log categories include:
* = can send to Procore
+ = will set the "Distribution" user list in Procore to any mentioned users in the FieldChat log
Logs are specific to a project. When you create a new project, all the log categories are created by default. However after you create your project, you can use "Activity Logs Settings" and the "Configure" link for a log to disable certain logs, or make them publicly accessible as web forms for texting users.
When you create a log, you can use the "Notify Options" at the bottom of the form to notify one or more people in a channel. When you submit the log they will receive a text or app notification, along with any attached pictures, so that people are aware of an issue in real time. No one else in the channel will be notified, but they will see the notification message in the history. People using the FieldChat app will see any notifications where they are mentioned as highlighted in yellow in their message history.
You can click on the "Configure" link to view the settings for a log. You can disable logs that are not applicable for your project by unchecking "Enable log".
You can specify that a user should be added to one or more channels automatically when they submit a log. For example, when a user submits a safety orientation, you might want to add them to a "All Superintendents and Foremen" channel.
You can add a user to a reminder when they submit a log. For example, if a user submits a "COVID-19 Pre-screening" log, you could require them to submit a "Safety Orientation", if they haven't already done so.
Weblink versions of FieldChat logs can be shown in alternative languages such as French or Spanish. If you have a multi-lingual workforce, please contact us and we can help you set this up.
You can send different kinds of logs to Procore, such as to the daily log (note, manpower, inspection, visitor, deliveries), or to RFIs, observations, or timecards. You can also send any type of log as a PDF document in a folder in Procore or PlanGrid. You can choose one or more destinations for each type of log, using the checkbox options.
The FieldChat bot can validate the answers on a log, and send a response to the user if they pass or fail, as well as send a notification in a channel. The COVID-19 Pre-Screening log is pre-equipped to alert a channel if someone answers a fail question. It will also tell the user to proceed onto the site, or leave the site and call their supervisor, based on their answers.
You can also make creating and viewing a log accessible to anyone with a link. This can be helpful if you have foremen or superintendents that interact with FieldChat through text messaging, and need to be able to submit logs (such as daily manpower) or view logs without installing the app.
If you wish, people that are not already registered in FieldChat can enroll themselves when they submit a log for the first time. When they enter their phone number, FieldChat will prompt them for their first and last name and company if they are not already registered. The user will be required to enter the auth code sent to their phone number via text message. To enable this, activate "Allow anyone with the link to submit a log and be added to FieldChat".
Lastly, FieldChat also provides a QR code that can be added to your job site signage, so that people can quickly link to a form. You can post this code on your job signage using the "Print" button (desktop only).
If you've set a log category to be accessible using the setting in the previous section, then the bottom of every log has a sharable link with a copy button.
If you want to send a message to a group of people about a particular log, you can paste this link and anything else you want to say. In the app, the link will be replaced with a "Preview Log" button. Texters will see the actual link, and will be able to view the log in their browser.
You can print out signage for each of your activity codes and mount them on your jobsite. Anyone can use their camera in their phone to access the activity log form. They do not need to install the FieldChat app. Alternatively, the user can send a text message and receive a link to a project page with all the available activity log forms for the project.
You can edit your project settings to specify whether regular users see all logs in a project, or just the ones that they create.
You can add a title and special instructions to any log that your users will see before they can fill in the form. You can also include links and embedded videos.
Users can change their reminder setting in the activity log form using the green slider switch shown below.
When a user submits a log, they will be redirected to a project page with a list of all of the available public logs, so that they can easily complete other logs whenever needed.
To create a log, click on "New Log" and select the log category you would like to use. You may take pictures in the mobile app, or attach pictures and files in the web app to submit along with the log.
If a log is enabled for access via the web link, anyone who has the link will be able to submit new logs in a web form without needing to install the FieldChat app. An example is below.
When a log is enabled to allow new users to enroll, if their phone number is not on file, additional fields will immediately appear in the form to request their first name, last name and company. FieldChat will send their phone a six-digit auth code text message, which they must enter to verify their identity. The rest of the form can then be completed and submitted. Once the user has provided their contact information, they will be added to FieldChat as a texting user, and can complete additional forms simply by providing their phone number.
To notify everyone in a particular channel when a log is created in your project, you may edit the channel and choose the log categories to notify people about.
When a new log is created of the specified categories, a message from the Notifier Bot will be sent in the channel to let everyone know. You can click on the blue Preview button and quickly view the log, and then close it to continue scrolling through your message history. From the preview, you can also jump to the log details if you wish to expand the images, download attachments, or edit or delete the log.
You can search for logs by keyword, date and/or log category. By default, the most recent submitted logs are shown for the current date, grouped by log category. If you change the criteria to a different date range, then the logs are shown ungrouped based on the log date, most recent first. If you search by keyword, the results will match to the submitter's name, company, and any keywords in the information that they submitted in the log.
You can export your results as a PDF or CSV by tapping/clicking on the buttons. The PDF export will open up a new page with all the details of every log shown in one continuous view of up to 100 logs. You can use the Print button in the new page to then save your results to a PDF file. The CSV export will download a file containing up to 500 logs.