# Welcome to the ScribeWare Training Site Need a little help getting started with ScribeWare? Want to take full advantage of all of ScribeWare’s features and flexibility? We’ve got you covered. This site is a comprehensive collection of training documents—from the basics of getting started to understanding the power of modifiers—to help you get the most out of your new inspection software. Remember, we also host monthly Scriber Meetups to go over best practices and answer questions. You can [see our meetup schedule here](https://getscribeware.com/meetup-calendar/), or just keep an eye out for our next email. If you haven’t yet downloaded ScribeWare, now is a great time to get started! You can [download the software for free here](https://getscribeware.com/download/). ## Getting Started We've put together some helpful guides for you to get setup with our product quickly and easily. {% content-ref url="/pages/hoXGUQA8PvnqVTQpx39U" %} [ScribeWare and Desktop Basics](/getting-started/scribeware-and-desktop-basics) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/yPa2QClYiIAxSSAoare5" %} [Build Your Team](/customizations/setting-up-your-business/build-your-team) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/Cohgo64brCE1CwDWZKw8" %} [Tricks for building a super-flexible template that can apply to most jobs](/customizations/template-customization/tricks-for-building-a-super-flexible-template-that-can-apply-to-most-jobs) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/es5OBx9z1txj8NcQ48h9" %} [The Mobile Version](/getting-started/the-mobile-version) {% endcontent-ref %} # Overview This video reviews a finished report so newer Scribers see what they want to achieve with their own reports and customizations. The second part shows how the report was made on the back end. ## Video overview Got 6 minutes? {% embed url="" %} # ScribeWare and Desktop Basics This video is a good place to get started. We create a new report and go through many of the most basic report writing actions. ### The Home Page and Creating a New Report {% embed url="" %} ScribeWare overview of the finished report and back end {% endembed %} ## Creating a New Report This guide explains the different ways to create a new report and introduces the basic layout of the report editor. ### Creating a New Report From the Home screen, you'll see your list of existing inspections along with several options for creating a new report. #### Option 1: Create From Your Last Template The **Create Last Report** button creates a new report using the same template you used most recently. If you primarily perform one type of inspection, this is usually the fastest option. #### Option 2: Create From a Template Select **Create From Template** to choose from any of your available templates, such as: * Residential Inspection * Sewer Scope * Written Consultation You can have as many templates as you like. For more information on template management, see the Templates video. #### Option 3: Create From ISN, Keystone or Other Schedulers If an inspection has been imported from ISN, Keystone, or another scheduling system, simply open the inspection and select the template you want to use for that job. #### Option 4: Copy an Existing Report You can also create a new report by copying an existing one. 1. Right-click an existing report. 2. Select **Copy to New Template**. 3. Choose the template you want.
This is especially useful when performing multiple inspection types for the same client. For example, after completing a home inspection, you can copy the report into a Sewer Scope template. The client's information is automatically carried over, eliminating duplicate data entry. *** ## Understanding the Report Editor When a new report opens, ScribeWare loads all of the chapters and sections for your template. #### Top Toolbar The toolbar contains commonly used functions, including: * Publish Report * Template Management * Settings * Feedback * Flagged Items The **Flagged Items** counter shows required fields that still need to be completed before the report is finished. *** ## Report Organization Reports are organized into three levels: 1. **Chapters** (Grounds, Roof, Exterior, etc.) 2. **Sections** within each chapter 3. **Observations** within each section Every part of this structure can be customized. You can rename chapters, change their order, add or remove sections, and tailor the template to your workflow. *** ## Completing Required Fields Many sections include descriptive dropdowns used to document the property's characteristics. Required fields appear in **red**. Each completed required field reduces the number shown in the **Flagged Items** counter, making it easy to track what still needs attention before publishing. Every inspector can decide which fields are required. It's recommended that any information you want consistently included in every report be marked as required. *** ## Adding an Observation To add a comment: 1. Open the appropriate section. 2. Click **Add Observation**. 3. Use the keyword search to find the desired comment. For example, typing **corrugated** will display all comments related to corrugated storm drain piping. Select the appropriate comment, then drag and drop your photos directly into the observation. *** ## Report Text vs. Inspector Notes Each observation contains two types of information. ### Report Fields (Bold) The fields at the top are displayed in the final client report. ### Inspector Notes (Italic) The italicized fields below are for the inspector only. These notes never appear in the published report and serve as shortcuts to speed up report writing. *** ## Using Quick Checkboxes Many comments include customizable checkboxes for common recommendations. For example, if a drainage system needs servicing, simply check **Recommend Cleaning and Servicing** instead of typing the recommendation manually. Inspectors can customize these checkboxes to match their own reporting style and common findings. *** ## Using Logic Trees Many sections include expandable logic trees that organize related comments. For example, selecting **Catch Basins** displays common observations such as: * Clogged * Keep Clear * Missing Components * Other related comments Other categories, such as **Rain Barrels**, work the same way. These logic trees provide quick access to related comments without requiring keyword searches. *** After learning these basics, you'll be ready to create reports, complete required fields, add observations, attach photos, and publish your inspection reports efficiently. # Understanding Chapters and Sections ScribeWare reports can be organized into chapters and within each chapter you can create sections and within each section you can create data fields. This is all customizable and the critical logic of {% embed url="" %} ## Understanding Chapters, Sections, and Data Fields ScribeWare reports are organized into three levels: * **Chapters** – The main categories in your report (Roof, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.). * **Sections** – Groups of related information within a chapter. * **Data Fields** – The individual fields where you enter inspection information. Understanding how these three components work together will help you customize templates and efficiently complete reports. ### Starting with a Blank Template You can create a report from a blank template if you want to build your own inspection template from scratch. A blank template starts with: * One blank chapter * One blank section From there, you can build your report however you'd like. ### Working with Chapters Chapters are the highest level of organization in a report. You can: * Rename a chapter * Copy a chapter * Delete a chapter * Reorder chapters by dragging and dropping them into a new position - use the pen at the top of the chapter toolbar on the left. For example, if you need another "Deck" chapter: 1. Open the chapter menu. 2. Select **Copy Chapter**. 3. Rename the new chapter. 4. Drag it into the desired position if necessary. ### Working with Sections Each chapter contains one or more sections. Like chapters, sections can be: * Renamed * Copied * Deleted * Reordered To reorder sections, simply drag them using the drag handle beside each section. You need to engage these using the pen at the top of the chapter bar on the left. #### Example If a property has multiple electrical subpanels: 1. Open the section menu for the existing **Sub Panel** section. 2. Select **Copy Section**. 3. Repeat as many times as needed. Each copied section can then be completed independently. ### Adding Data Fields Data fields are where inspection information is entered. To add a new data field: 1. Open the section menu (three dots). 2. Select **Add New**. 3. Enter a name for the field. 4. Choose the desired display type (such as checkboxes, text fields, or other options). 5. Save the field. Data fields can be customized in many ways, allowing each section to collect exactly the information you need. ### Reordering Content Almost everything in ScribeWare can be reordered. You can: * Drag chapters to change their order. Use the = * Drag sections within a chapter. * Rearrange items within a section using the drag handles. This makes it easy to organize your report exactly how you want it. ### Using Templates Efficiently Many templates include chapters or sections that won't apply to every inspection. For example, if a building does not have a crawl space, you have two options: #### Option 1: Leave the Chapter Blank If no data is entered into the Crawl Space chapter, it will not appear in the final report. #### Option 2: Document That It Doesn't Exist If you want to indicate that no crawl space was present, enter a comment such as **"None Found."** Only the information you enter will print. Empty fields remain hidden. ### Managing Required Fields Some templates use **required fields** to remind you to complete important inspection items. If an entire chapter or section does not apply: 1. Click the **green checkmark** for that chapter or section. 2. All required fields within that area will be cleared from your review list. For example, if there is no crawl space, marking the chapter complete removes those required items from your outstanding review count. ### Including Optional Sections Some sections are included in a template even though they're rarely used. Examples include: * Indoor Air Quality * Elevators These sections typically do not contain required fields because they only apply to certain inspections. When needed, simply enter information into the appropriate section. If left blank, the section will not appear in the finished report. ### Copying Chapters and Sections During an Inspection One of ScribeWare's most powerful features is the ability to duplicate content as needed. Common examples include: * Multiple water heaters * Multiple electrical panels * Multiple HVAC systems * Multiple decks or detached structures Instead of creating these items from scratch, simply copy the existing chapter or section and complete the new copy. ### Key Takeaways * Reports are organized into **Chapters**, **Sections**, and **Data Fields**. * Chapters and sections can be renamed, copied, deleted, and reordered. * Data fields are where inspection information is entered. * Empty chapters and sections do not print in the final report. * Required fields can be cleared for chapters or sections that do not apply. * Templates are designed to be flexible, allowing you to build one comprehensive template and use only the portions needed for each inspection. # The Left Side Bar The left side bar inside of a report is where you can... * Preview and Publish a Report * Copy Report, which will copy all the data in a report to a new report * Review Required Fields * Save Template * Submit feedback * Access Your Settings
### Preview and Publish a Report DESKTOP VIEW: This first video shows the preview and publish functions on the desktop side of things. Note that you cannot share a previewed report, but you can see what it will look like. In a previewed report, you will not be able to stream videos or produce a PDF. You can preview a report as many times as you like. Please note that to see publishing and preview on the mobile app, please check the mobile app section of these directions. {% embed url="" %} ### Copy Report This feature can be used for building sample reports or performing re-inspections. See the videos below. {% embed url="" %} ## Creating a Sample Report for Your Website One of the easiest ways to create a professional sample report is to duplicate a completed inspection report and remove any client-specific information. This allows you to showcase the quality of your reports while protecting your client's privacy. ### Step 1: Open a Completed Report Open a report that has already been completed and published. Choose a report that represents the quality of work you want prospective clients to see. ### Step 2: Create a Copy of the Report 1. Open the report. 2. Select **Copy Report**. ScribeWare will create an exact duplicate of the original report, allowing you to edit the copy without affecting the original inspection. ### Step 3: Remove Personal Information Update the copied report to remove any identifying information, including: * Client name * Property address * Any other personal details that could identify the client or property For example: * Change the client name to **Sample Report** or **ABC Home Inspection Sample**. * Replace the property address with a generic address in your service area. This ensures your sample report protects your client's privacy. ### Step 4: Update the Cover Photo (Optional) When a report is copied, the original cover photo is removed. You have several options: * Upload a photo of a different home. * Use a stock or portfolio image. * Leave the cover photo blank. Using a different house photo helps further anonymize the report while creating a more polished presentation for your website. ### Step 5: Publish the Sample Report Once you've removed the personal information: 1. Click **Publish**. 2. Choose **Publish Without Sending**. ScribeWare will generate a new report link for the copied report. ### Step 6: Add the Link to Your Website Copy the newly generated report link and use it anywhere you want visitors to view your sample report, such as: * Your website * Marketing materials * Social media * Email signatures ### Best Practices * Choose one of your best inspection reports as the foundation for your sample. * Remove all client-identifying information before publishing. * Replace the cover image with a different home to further protect the original property. * Publish the copied report without sending it to a client. * Use the new report link for your website and marketing materials. ### Summary Creating a sample report is as simple as copying an existing report, removing the personal information, updating the cover photo if desired, and publishing the copy without sending it. This gives you a professional sample report that demonstrates the quality of your inspections while maintaining your clients' privacy. ## Re-Inspection Using Copy Report {% embed url="" %} ### Required Fields Here are a number of videos showing how to use required fields. These are a great way to make sure you do NOT miss anything on an inspection. You can set your entire SOP as a required field to let ScribeWare walk you through the inspection so you never miss anything critical. {% embed url="" %} ### Save Template ### Submit Feedback ### Settings # Understanding Data Fields Data fields are where you can build fields to quickly describe materials or site conditions. Later videos will show you how to edit and cuist9mize these. The slides below show you how they work.
# Understanding Narratives Managing a narrative library is a key workflow for writing great reports efficiently and effectively. ScribeWare has powerful tools for creating and managing your pre-made narrative comments. * Keyword searching * Authoring new comments * Saving Narratives and giving them blue labels * Importing Narratives * Favorites * Most Common * Text replacement {% embed url="" %} # Adding Observations Adding observations is how you write narratives into your report. This series of slides should help you understand the basics of adding an observation.
# Adding Hot Links to a Narrative This shows how you add links to websites and other information into your narratives. ### Hyperlinks to Internet Content {% embed url="" %} Hyperlinks allow you to include valuable reference material in your comments without making the report unnecessarily long. Instead of explaining every topic in detail, you can direct your clients to trusted resources for additional information. #### To create a hyperlink: 1. Find the webpage you want to reference. 2. Write a descriptive sentence or phrase in your comment (avoid using the raw URL as the link text). 3. Highlight the text you want to make clickable. 4. Click the **Link** button in the comment toolbar. 5. Paste the webpage URL into the **URL** field. 6. Click **OK** to create the hyperlink. 7. Test the link to verify that it opens the intended webpage. #### Best Practices * Use descriptive link text so your clients know what they're clicking. * Link only to reputable, stable websites whenever possible. * Always test hyperlinks before publishing your report. Websites occasionally move or are removed, and broken links can leave a poor impression on your clients. # The Difference Between Narratives and Templates This is critical to understand prior to making any template or library customizations. {% embed url="" %} # Photos and Videos This is a basic 101 level overview showing connecting photos and videos and other media to your inspection report {% embed url="" %} # Cutting and Pasting Media Into a Report This shows using the snipping tool and shows examples of snipping from a product manual right into ScribeWare {% embed url="" %} # How Desktop and Mobile Work Together ScribeWare runs great on both mobile and desktop! Learn how to the two work together. ### The Desktop This is where you control your whole software system. The desktop will serve as your mothership, from billing information to customizing templates and narrative libraries, to sending out agreements. Templates and libraries customized on the desktop can be used on the mobile device for use in the field. ### The Mobile App The mobile device works both online and offline. You can gather data and write a complete report, and it will synchronize automatically when you're online. # Ideas for Multi-Family This shows how you can use the multi-family chapter provided with the Narrative Template to do multi-family inspections. {% embed url="" %} # The Mobile Version # Written Overview of the Mobile App We have laid out the functions of the mobile app into a sequence of visuals with words to help you understand the overall workflow on the mobile app ## Baisc Mobile App Navigation
## Retrieving Narrative Comments on the Mobile App

The 4 main ways to access narratives on mobile

## Photos and Videos: Media on the Mobile App ### If you take a picture on the mobile device and you are not inside of an observation, the picture will automatically go to the gallery.
### Take a photo or video when a narrative comment is open and the media will be attached to the narrative AND available in the gallery as well.
## Voice-to-Text on Mobile ### Tagging your photos and videos with a voice tag is a powerful way to gather granular data quickly
* # Video Overview of the Mobile App This video shows much of the mobile app functionality and workflow {% embed url="" %} # Adding and Renaming Chapters and Sections This is a powerful feature on the mobile app to customize your report to precisely fit the building or element you are inspecting. To use this feature, find the three dots at the upper right of any section. Hit the three does, to copy a section or chapter, rename a section or chapter, or hide a chapter or section. Note this will work even when offline. {% embed url="" %} # Adding Pictures from Your Mobile Device's Gallery into a ScribeWare Report This allows you to use your native camera and drop those photos into a report. Note: Each device may work slightly differently with this. {% embed url="" %} ## This is a similar video but updated and shows also saving media from the ScribeWare app back onto your mobile device's gallery. {% embed url="" %} # Submit Feedback on Mobile This feature helps us help you. Having trouble with the app? Use this to send us feedback so we can quickly diagnose and correct any issues. {% embed url="" %} # How Syncing Works LIVE SYNCING: The first video shows a split screen of using the mobile app and watching in almost real time the desktop fill in as it goes. This shows live syncing. {% embed url="" %} **SYNC STATUS:** This second video shows sync status. This is a great place to see if your media has left the mobile device and has synced with the cloud. If your media has not synced with the desktop, this is the FIRST place to check. {% embed url="" %} # Mobile Sync Settings ## Overview ScribeWare syncs your reports and media (photos, videos, documents) with the cloud so that all of your devices stay up to date. The sync settings let you control **when** and **under what conditions** that syncing happens — useful for managing cellular data usage and battery life. All of these settings are found in the app under **Settings > Data Syncing Rules**. *** ## The Sync Status Screen The Sync Status screen gives you a real-time view of everything ScribeWare is currently transferring. You can reach it by tapping the sync activity icon in the app. It shows three sections: * **Devices** — the devices connected to your account and their current upload/download speeds * **Uploading Files** — files queued or actively uploading to the cloud, with a progress bar and estimated time remaining * **Downloads** — files being downloaded from the cloud to your device, with progress and estimated time remaining ### The Sync Now Button Each device listed in the Devices section has a **Sync Now** button. Tapping it forces an immediate upload attempt for all files currently in the upload queue — bypassing the normal polling interval the app uses to check for work. **When is this useful?** ScribeWare automatically syncs in the background while open, but it checks for work on a regular timer. If you've just added photos or made changes and want them uploaded immediately without waiting for the next automatic check, tapping **Sync Now** kicks it off right away. **What it does and doesn't do:** * It triggers an immediate upload of any files waiting in the queue — it does not change or override your sync settings. * If sync is currently blocked (e.g. you're on cellular with "Require WiFi for ALL syncing" enabled, or you have sync set to **Never**), tapping Sync Now will still not upload — the underlying restriction is still in place. The button will show a loading indicator while the sync attempt is in progress and automatically clears once complete. * It only affects uploads (files going from your device to the cloud). Downloads happen separately and are not triggered by this button. *** ## Report Display Range **Setting:** *How many days of reports do you want to see when you first open the app?* This controls how many days worth of reports ScribeWare loads on the home screen each time the app opens. For example, if set to **3** (the default), the app shows reports scheduled within 3 days before and after today's date. **Effect on behavior:** * **Loading reports:** A larger number means more reports are fetched on startup, which takes longer. If your home screen feels slow to load, try reducing this number. If you frequently work on older or future-dated reports, increase it. * **Publishing & syncing:** No effect. This setting only controls which reports are *displayed* on the home screen, not how they sync. *** ## Data Syncing Rules ![App Settings — Report Display Range and Keep Device Awake setting](/files/ckqC6FnHo2ELMDTpWNkx) ### Keep Device Awake Until Sync Is Complete **Setting:** *Keep phone/tablet awake until sync is complete* When checked, ScribeWare will prevent your device screen from turning off while it's the active foreground app and still has media (photos, videos, documents) waiting to upload to the cloud. **Effect on behavior:** * **Uploading media:** Keeps the upload running at full speed by preventing the device from sleeping mid-transfer. * **Battery:** Uses more battery since the screen stays on. When you need to conserve battery, leave this unchecked — uploads will still complete whenever the app is open, just potentially more slowly. * **Override:** Manually turning off your screen or switching to another app will override this setting regardless. *** ### Always Show Image Sync Status **Setting:** *Always show image sync status* When checked, every photo and video in a report will display a small icon indicating whether it has been synced to the cloud or is still waiting to upload. **Effect on behavior:** * **Loading reports / viewing media:** Purely visual — adds sync status indicators to all images so you can quickly see which ones haven't uploaded yet. * No effect on how or when syncing actually happens. *** ![App Settings — Single and Multi-Inspector sync rules](/files/abCdsharmfKrhGxiggyS) ## Sync Rules by Report Type ScribeWare has separate sync rules for **Single-Inspector reports** (reports with only one inspector) and **Multi-Inspector reports** (reports where multiple inspectors are collaborating). This lets you set stricter data-saving rules for solo reports while keeping multi-inspector reports syncing more aggressively (since other inspectors may be waiting for your changes). Each report type has the same set of options, described below. *** ### Sync Override: Always / Sometimes / Never **Setting:** *\[Single/Multi]-Inspector reports should sync with the cloud...* **Options:** Always | Sometimes | Never This is the top-level switch for whether a report type syncs at all. | Option | What it does | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Always** | Sync happens unconditionally — ignores WiFi and power requirements below. All sub-options are disabled. | | **Sometimes** (default) | Sync happens when the conditions set by the checkboxes below are met. | | **Never** | Sync is completely paused for this report type. No uploads or downloads will occur. | **Effect on behavior:** * **Always**: Reports, media, and all data sync as soon as an internet connection is available, regardless of WiFi or battery status. * **Sometimes**: The WiFi and power checkboxes below become active and determine when sync is allowed. * **Never**: ScribeWare will not upload new photos/changes or download updates from other inspectors for this report type. Use this if you want full manual control or need to conserve data. > **Important for Multi-Inspector reports:** If set to **Never**, you will not receive updates from other inspectors working on the same report, and they will not receive yours, until you change this setting back. *** ### Require WiFi for Media Syncing **Setting:** *Require WiFi for media syncing* When checked, photos, videos, and documents will **only upload/download over a WiFi connection**. Report data (text, annotations, report structure) can still sync over cellular data. **Effect on behavior:** * **Loading reports:** Photos and videos from other inspectors will not download over cellular — you may see placeholder icons until you connect to WiFi. * **Publishing:** You can still publish a report over cellular, but if photos haven't been uploaded yet, the publish may be incomplete or fail. * **Uploading media:** New photos you take will queue up and wait until a WiFi connection is available before uploading. * **Data savings:** Good choice if you're on a limited cellular plan but still want report text to stay current. *** ### Require WiFi for ALL Syncing **Setting:** *Require WiFi for ALL syncing* When checked, **nothing syncs over cellular** — neither media nor report data. **Effect on behavior:** * **Loading reports:** No new reports or updates from other inspectors will appear until you're on WiFi. * **Publishing:** Publishing is blocked on cellular. You will see an error message if you attempt to publish without WiFi. * **Uploading media:** All uploads are paused until WiFi is available. * **Maximum data savings:** Best for users on strict data caps who only want syncing to happen at home or on a known WiFi network. > Note: Checking **Require WiFi for ALL Syncing** automatically includes media, so the "Require WiFi for media syncing" option is greyed out — it's already covered. *** ### Require Plug-in Power for Media Syncing **Setting:** *Require plug-in power for media syncing (conserves battery)* When checked, photos, videos, and documents will **only upload while your device is plugged in and charging**. Report data (text, annotations) can still sync on battery. **Effect on behavior:** * **Loading reports:** Photos from other inspectors will not download unless plugged in. * **Publishing:** You can publish a report on battery, but media must already be uploaded (or you must be charging) for a complete publish. * **Uploading media:** New photos queue up and wait until you plug in your device. * **Battery savings:** Good for field work where you take many photos during the day and want uploads to happen overnight while charging. *** ## How Settings Combine The WiFi and power settings work **together**. For example, if you enable both *Require WiFi for media syncing* and *Require plug-in power for media syncing*, media will only upload when you're **both on WiFi and charging**. The **Always / Sometimes / Never** override takes priority over everything else: * **Always** overrides all WiFi and power requirements — syncing happens regardless. * **Never** overrides all WiFi and power requirements — syncing is completely paused. * **Sometimes** means the WiFi and power checkboxes are what determine whether sync happens. *** ## Quick Reference | I want to... | Recommended setting | | -------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | Sync everything as fast as possible | Set both report types to **Always** | | Save cellular data but keep text syncing | Enable **Require WiFi for media syncing** | | Save all cellular data | Enable **Require WiFi for ALL syncing** | | Save battery during the day, sync overnight | Enable **Require plug-in power for media syncing** | | Pause all syncing temporarily | Set to **Never** (remember to switch back!) | | Force an immediate upload right now | Open the Sync Status screen and tap **Sync Now** | | See which photos are still waiting to upload | Enable **Always show image sync status** | | Speed up large uploads | Enable **Keep device awake until sync is complete** | # Photo Annotations on Mobile This shows the built in photo annotation feature on the ScribeWare mobile app. This is different than the editor on desktop. We built this to be a little less robust than the desktop photo editor. We figured that speed was the real priority for this. One thing this version does better than the desktop version is writing words directly onto photos. Have a look! {% embed url="" %} # Voice-to-text Tips For Scribers This shows why using Google's Gboard and working in airplane mode is so powerful {% embed url="" %} # Mobile Publishing This shows you how to publish your report from your mobile device. Please note that mobile publishing is only supported with a monthly or annual subscription and is not available on the à la carte subscription. {% embed url="" %} # Mobile App Preview This shows how to use Report Observations on the mobile app as a way to preview a report. This will help you review the report with the client on-site. {% embed url="" %} # Photo Tags on Mobile # Observation Tags on Mobile This shows using observation tags to tag locations on the mopbile app. {% embed url="" %} # Copy Chapter and Copy Section This lets you add water heaters, kitchens, bathrooms, laundry facilities and anything you need on the fly. {% embed url="" %} # Directions to Your Job Using the ScribeWare link to directions is a great way to ensure your template is loaded and you will all be working on the same job if you work in teams. {% embed url="" %} #### Load Your Template Before Leaving for an Inspection ### Overview Before heading to an inspection, it's a good idea to open the job and load your inspection template while you still have an internet connection. Although ScribeWare automatically stores templates on your device whenever possible, there may be situations where a template has not been downloaded yet. Loading it before you leave helps ensure you'll be able to work even if you lose cell service at the property. A simple way to confirm your template has been loaded is to use the built-in **Open Map** feature to navigate to the inspection. *** ### Directions 1. Open the inspection job in ScribeWare. 2. If the job was imported from a scheduling system (such as Keystone), open the job as you normally would. 3. Apply your inspection template. * Select the template you want to use. * Wait for the template and library to finish loading completely. 4. Return to the **Client & Property Information** page. 5. Tap the **three-dot menu** in the upper-right corner. 6. Select **Open Map**. * ScribeWare will open your default mapping application with directions to the property. 7. Use the map to navigate to the inspection. *** ### Why This Workflow Is Recommended Using **Open Map** before leaving serves two purposes: * It confirms that your inspection template has already been downloaded to your device. * It provides turn-by-turn directions to the property without requiring you to manually enter the address. This is especially helpful for multi-inspector companies. When every inspector opens the job, loads the template, and launches navigation from ScribeWare before heading out, everyone is much more likely to have the report fully synchronized before arriving on site. If an inspector waits until arriving at a property with poor or no cellular service, there is a chance the template or report cannot finish syncing. Loading everything before you leave helps prevent those issues and ensures you're ready to begin the inspection immediately. # Managing Photos, Videos and Illustrations This video shows using the media folders on the left side of the desktop {% embed url="" %} # Connecting Photos and Videos to Use in Your Report This first video shows how you can use media from the gallery of your mobile device and share it with ScribeWare and how you can also take media from ScribeWare and back it up on your mobile device. {% embed url="" %} ## This next video shows how to merge media from your computer into ScribeWare. This is perfect for sewer scopes and drone media that are imported from a memory card. {% embed url="" %} This is also perfect if you use a point-and-shoot camera or want to include infrared images or chimney scans. {% endembed %} ## This last video shows how media can be used when taken in the ScribeWare mobile application. This is generally the fastest way to use media in ScribeWare. Note that media will be auto-synched to all devices in your account with access to a given report. # Picture in Picture Photo Editing {% embed url="" %} # Tagging Photos This video shows how to use and set up the photos tagging feature This feature is great for quickly building a list of summary items you wish to review with your client This feature is great when you want to move quickly on-site and simply organize your photos into working categories that match your chapters. {% embed url="" %} ## Tagging Photos ### What this feature does This feature lets you add tags to your photos that remain hidden in the finished report. These tags can be used to make lists of summary items or specific systems. It's a fast way to organize your photos for use in the report later or delivering summaries to the client onsite. *** #### Overview Photo Tagging is a feature designed to help inspectors organize photos quickly and support a faster reporting workflow. The idea is simple: when using a mobile device, you can tag pictures as you take them so they are already sorted when you return to the office or continue working later. The feature is especially useful when photos are out of sequence or when a report contains many images. Even if the gallery looks disorganized, tags let you filter photos and quickly find the photos that belong to each chapter, system, or concern. #### Setup On desktop, photos can already be filtered by tag so that only the images relevant to a specific category appear. For example, if photos are tagged for the exterior envelope, you can filter the gallery to show only those images. You can also create new tags as needed. This is useful for custom workflows, including multi-family inspections, where you may want separate tags for Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3 before you begin capturing photos. #### How to Tag Photos On a mobile device, open a photo and choose the option to add a tag. Then select an existing tag, such as HVAC, Plumbing, or Electrical, or create a new one for that job. You can assign the same tag to multiple related images. For example, a service sticker and an air handler data plate can both be tagged as HVAC. A water heater and an expansion tank can both be tagged as Plumbing. You can also apply multiple tags to the same image. For example, an electrical panel image might be tagged as both Electrical and Summary if it documents an item you plan to review with the client. #### How Tags Help on Desktop Once tagged, photos become much easier to use in the report-writing process. You can filter the gallery by tag, open the relevant chapter, and pull in the exact images you need. For example, when working in the Exterior section, you can filter for envelope photos and bring in images showing water damage, siding issues, trim deterioration, or similar conditions. If needed, you can hide media already used in the report so the remaining unused photos are easier to review. This makes it easier to build a narrative and match supporting images to the right observation. #### Summary Workflow One of the most useful applications of Photo Tagging is the Summary tag. When photos are marked as summary items, you can filter the gallery to display only the images associated with the key concerns you want to review with the client. For example, summary-tagged photos might include exterior envelope problems, a foundation crack, or mold observed in the attic. Instead of searching through the full gallery, you can open only the tagged summary images and walk through those findings with the client in a more organized way. #### Best Use Cases * Photo Tagging works well for several common workflows: * It helps organize photos by report chapter, such as Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical, or Exterior. * It helps isolate photos for a specific component, such as a water heater, electrical panel, or siding condition. * It helps create a quick review set of summary items for client discussions. * It helps manage multi-family inspections by tagging photos by unit number. * It helps keep photo sets useful even when images are out of order or imported in a mixed sequence. #### Why It Matters The goal of Photo Tagging is speed and organization. Inspectors can quickly capture photos in the field without stopping to write everything down in the moment. Later, whether on desktop or mobile, tagged photos are already grouped to support faster review and report writing. In short, Photo Tagging reduces photo chaos, improves workflow, and makes it easier to move from field capture to finished report.
# The Report Directory This is a great way to access the photos and media that you have used in your report. You will fin this on your home page. {% embed url="" %}
# External Media and Illustration Folders {% embed url="" %} # Adding Illustrations to The Illustrations Folders This shows how to add and manage your illustrations folders on the right {% embed url="" %} # CYA Photos This video shows four ways to use and manage your CYA photos It is super easy to add Photo Buckets into your template to quickly place CYA photos for your client. It is also super easy to hide CYA photos that are just meant to protect the home inspector and are not intended for the report. Hiding will NOT delete the photos; just get them out of your way for report writing. Have a look! {% embed url="" %} # Submit Feedback for Desktop and Mobile On Desktop: Use the submit feedback button to contact us and get your questions answered and diagnose problems you may be having so we can keep you company up and running efficiently and effectively.

Submit feedback button on desktop

{% embed url="" %} ## Submit Feedback on the Mobile Application On the mobile application, simply pinch the screen and a submit feedback box will open.
# Finish Report Overview with The Request List Builder Consider making a video of your branded and custom ScribeWare report and show the Real Estate Brokers you work with how much time you can save them with the Request List Builder. {% embed url="" %} # Gunnysacks and Handling Multiple Defects With The Same System # Photo Captions to Bullets Feature This first video shows using the photo captions to bullets feature. This allows Scribers to gather granular details with photos and captions and display those details within a parent comment. {% embed url="" %} # Using Gunnysacks to Reduce The Number of Comments You Need to Maintain This invaluable technique lets you replace 5 or ten comments with a single comment that can be molded to fit myriad different situations. {% embed url="" %} # Finding ScribeWare Templates This shows you how to reboot the onboaridng questionaire. This allows a Scriber to find some of the other default templates included with ScribeWare. {% embed url="" %} # Setting Up A Team This will help if you want more than one person in your account {% embed url="" %} # The Desktop Calendar Schedule inspections, services and block time from a month, week or day calendar on the desktop home screen. The desktop home screen can show your upcoming work as a **calendar** instead of the report list. The calendar shows every scheduled inspection for your team, plus lightweight **services** (jobs with no report, like a radon monitor drop-off) and **block time** (periods when an inspector is unavailable).
Cycling through the list, month, week and day views

The four home screen views: list, month, week and day

## Switching Views The four buttons on the left side of the home screen toolbar switch between: * **List** — the classic report list * **Month** — a month-at-a-glance grid * **Week** — a seven-day time grid * **Day** — a single day with a column for each inspector Next to the view buttons you'll find **back / forward arrows**, a **Today** button, and the current date range. Switching views is instant and nothing is lost when you toggle back to the list. ### Month View
Month view showing inspections, a service and block time

Month view — inspections, a service, and block time across a week

Each inspection shows its address, time, client name, and a colored chip with the assigned inspector's initials. The icons along the right edge of an event give you appointment status at a glance: a green check when the appointment is confirmed, a **$** until the invoice is paid, and a send arrow until the report is published. The red badge is the report's outstanding review-item count. ### Week View
Week view with events laid out on a time grid

Week view — events sized by duration on a time grid

Events are sized by their duration — an inspection's length comes from the **Duration (hours)** field in the report's Inspection Details. A red line marks the current time. ### Day View
Day view with one column per inspector

Day view — one column per inspector, plus an Unassigned column

The day view gives each inspector their own column, so a multi-inspector company can see who is where for the day. Reports with no assigned inspector appear in the **Unassigned** column. ## Scheduling From the Calendar Click any empty day or time slot to open the scheduling menu:
Scheduling menu on an empty calendar slot

Click an empty slot to schedule right where you clicked

* **Create from template…** / **Schedule Report** — starts a new report with the inspection date and time pre-filled from the slot you clicked. In month view the time defaults to 8:00 am; in week and day views the report starts at the time you clicked. * **Schedule Service** — creates a lightweight calendar item for work that doesn't need a report: a verbal consult, a radon drop-off, a re-key, anything. Give it a title, one or more inspectors, a time range and an optional note. * **Block Time** — marks an inspector as unavailable. Blocked time renders as a striped hatch on the calendar.
Opening the scheduling menu and the Block Time dialog

Blocking out time from the calendar

The Schedule Service dialog

Scheduling a service — no report attached

The Block Time dialog

Blocking time for vacation, appointments, or anything else

{% hint style="info" %} A newly scheduled report appears on the calendar once its appointment is **confirmed** — use the **Confirm appointment** button at the top of the report. You can confirm with or without sending the client a confirmation email. {% endhint %} ## Working With Events * **Hover** over any event for a quick summary — address, client, time, and status — without opening anything. * **Click** an inspection to jump straight into its report. * **Click** a service or block time to edit it. The edit dialog also has a **Delete** button when you need to remove one.
Hover popover showing event details

Hovering an event shows the details without leaving the calendar

## Inspector Colors Every event is tinted with its inspector's calendar color, so a full week stays readable for multi-inspector teams. Assign each team member a color in **Settings → Team** with the **Calendar Color** picker.
Calendar Color picker in Settings, Team

Pick a calendar color for each team member in Settings → Team

{% hint style="info" %} Services and block time can be assigned to **multiple inspectors** — handy for team meetings or trainings that take everyone off the schedule at once. {% endhint %} ## Events from Google Calendar If you've connected your Google Calendar, your own appointments appear on this calendar too — greyed out and read-only, sitting alongside your inspections so you can see the whole day in one place. They can't be clicked into or edited from ScribeWare; Google owns them. And they're only as visible as they need to be: you see your own event titles, while teammates see just **Busy**. {% content-ref url="/pages/kVc7j4HDWm8meKIYeTmq" %} [Google Calendar](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/google-calendar) {% endcontent-ref %} # Scheduling, Services and Payments Run the front end of your business from ScribeWare — online booking, pricing, agreements, automated messages and payment. ScribeWare 7 handles the work that surrounds an inspection, not just the report. A client can book on your website, receive an agreement, sign it, pay, and land on your calendar with the report already started. All of it is set up from **Settings**, under the SCHEDULING and MESSAGING headings — plus the optional Google Calendar connection under INTEGRATIONS.
Cycling through the scheduling, services, contracts, messaging and invoicing settings pages

The six settings pages behind scheduling, services, contracts, messages and payments

New to this? Start with the walkthrough — it sets everything up in the order that works. {% content-ref url="/pages/w4r38OGUzE15o9I4m5l9" %} [Getting Started with Scheduling](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/getting-started-with-scheduling) {% endcontent-ref %} ## The Pieces {% content-ref url="/pages/EobKz0NZ2ZDUiprLtzq1" %} [Services and Pricing](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/services-and-pricing) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/s1p9dY9cFZkBvdKQW36P" %} [Contracts](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/contracts) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/Yfkni1X5d2pXt4hCX2y6" %} [Message Templates](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-templates) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/n0QUP0Hul3nE99SQG30B" %} [Message Automations](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-automations) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/BN1qAEPb1yYrcvsLjvuD" %} [Client Invoicing and Payments](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/client-invoicing-and-payments) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/kVc7j4HDWm8meKIYeTmq" %} [Google Calendar](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/google-calendar) {% endcontent-ref %} ## How They Fit Together Each piece feeds the next, which is why the walkthrough covers them in order: * **Services** decide what a job costs and how long it takes. That drives the invoice, the calendar, and the price a client sees when booking. * **Contracts** attach to services, so the right agreement lands on the right job automatically. * **Message templates** carry the links your client uses to sign and pay. * **Automations** send those templates on a schedule so you're not chasing people by hand. * **Invoicing and payments** close the loop, and can hold a report back until the client has signed and paid. * **Google Calendar** is optional, and connects the whole thing to the calendar you already live in. Your day-to-day view of all of it is the home screen calendar. {% content-ref url="/pages/cA26mYp34dsGshQKRvz7" %} [The Desktop Calendar](/getting-started/the-desktop-calendar) {% endcontent-ref %} # Getting Started with Scheduling A start-to-finish setup path for scheduling in ScribeWare 7 — working hours, services, agreements, messages and payment, in the order that works. ScribeWare 7 can run the whole front end of your business: a client books on your website, gets an agreement to sign, pays, and lands on your calendar — with the report already started. This page walks through setting that up. You don't have to do all of it. Each step works on its own, and they're ordered so that later steps build on earlier ones. If you only want a calendar and manual scheduling, **Step 1** is enough. {% hint style="info" %} Set aside an hour or so for the full path. **Step 2** — teaching ScribeWare your pricing — is the longest, and everything after it gets easier once it's done. {% endhint %} Everything below lives in **Settings**, under the SCHEDULING and MESSAGING headings:
The six settings pages used to set up scheduling

The pages you'll work through, in order

## Step 1 — Set Your Working Hours Go to **Settings → Scheduling**. This is where ScribeWare learns when you're available.
Scheduling settings showing the website portal and working hours

Settings → Scheduling — your booking link and each inspector's working hours

Under **Working Hours**, the **Company** tab sets your default week. For each day, switch it on and add the times an inspection can *start* — not a span, but actual start times like 8:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The **→ all** chip copies a day's times to every other working day. Each team member gets their own tab. Anything you change there overrides the company default and shows in amber, with a reset link to put it back. Then set **Minimum buffer between inspections** — the gap you need after a job before the next can start. Drive time, writing up, lunch. ScribeWare uses inspection durations *and* this buffer to work out which slots are genuinely free. These settings are exactly what a client sees as bookable slots — start times from your working hours, minus anything already booked, minus your buffer:
The booking page showing available times over the next two weeks

Working hours on the left become real availability on the right

{% hint style="success" %} Even without online booking, working hours are worth setting. They're what makes the availability ScribeWare offers realistic. {% endhint %} ## Step 2 — Teach ScribeWare What You Sell Go to **Settings → Services**. This is the step that makes everything else automatic — pricing, invoices, agreements and durations all come from here. The setup assistant interviews you rather than making you fill in forms. Describe what you charge in plain language, or paste your existing price sheet in and let it do the work: > *Home inspections start at $400 up to 2,000 square feet, then $50 per additional 500. Add $100 for homes over 50 years old. Radon is $135, sewer scope $200. I cover Whatcom and Skagit counties.* Work through the six topics across the top until they're all green, then click **Save & Enable on Booking Page**. The detail — adjustments, add-ons, service areas, surcharges — is covered in full here: {% content-ref url="/pages/EobKz0NZ2ZDUiprLtzq1" %} [Services and Pricing](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/services-and-pricing) {% endcontent-ref %} ## Step 3 — Get Your Agreements Ready Go to **Settings → Contracts** and make sure each agreement you use is in the Contract Editor, with placeholders where the client's name, the address, the date and the fee belong. Then connect them to the work: in **Settings → Services**, edit an inspection type and set its **Contracts**. From then on, choosing that service on a job attaches the right agreement without you thinking about it. {% content-ref url="/pages/s1p9dY9cFZkBvdKQW36P" %} [Contracts](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/contracts) {% endcontent-ref %} ## Step 4 — Write the Emails Go to **Settings → Message Templates**. ScribeWare gives you a **Confirmation Email** and a **Publish Email** to start from — read them and make them sound like you. The confirmation email is the important one here: it carries the link your client uses to sign their agreement and pay. Make sure it uses the **Contracts URL** or **Client Portal URL** placeholder rather than any address you've typed in. Mark the templates you want reached for automatically with **Default for Confirm** and **Default for Publish**. {% content-ref url="/pages/Yfkni1X5d2pXt4hCX2y6" %} [Message Templates](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-templates) {% endcontent-ref %} ## Step 5 — Set Up Payment Go to **Settings → Client Invoicing**. * To take cards, tick **Enable Payfactory payment processing** and work through the application. Approval usually takes a day or two, so start it early. * Add the other ways you accept payment under **Payment Options**, with instructions for each. * Decide whether published reports should stay locked until the client has signed and paid, under **Report Access**. {% content-ref url="/pages/BN1qAEPb1yYrcvsLjvuD" %} [Client Invoicing and Payments](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/client-invoicing-and-payments) {% endcontent-ref %} ## Step 6 — Put Booking on Your Website Back in **Settings → Scheduling**, the **Website Portal** card holds two things: * **Scheduler URL** — a link you can email or put behind a button. * **Website Embed Code** — an iframe that drops the booking page into your own site. Copy whichever suits you. Clients booking through it work through five steps: their details, the property, an optional agent, the services they want, and a time from your genuine availability.
A client working through the five booking steps and receiving confirmation

The client's booking experience, start to finish

The pricing step is where your Step 2 work pays off — ScribeWare prices the job from the property details the client just entered, with no quoting from you:
The services step showing priced inspection types and add-ons

Prices computed from square footage, age and the other details the client gave

A booking creates a report in ScribeWare that's **unconfirmed**, with the services, pricing, invoice lines, agreements and report template already applied — including the answers to any custom questions.
A report created from an online booking with client and property details filled in

What lands in ScribeWare — client, property, custom answers and status, all filled in

{% hint style="warning" %} Test your own booking page before you publish the link. Walk through it as a client would and check the prices, durations and available times look right. Booking a real slot creates a real job, so delete the test afterwards. {% endhint %} ## The Day-to-Day Rhythm With setup done, a job runs like this: 1. **A request arrives** — from your booking page, or you create it yourself with **Schedule report** or by clicking an empty slot on the calendar. 2. **You confirm it.** Open the report, go to **Client Info**, click **Confirm appointment**, and send the confirmation email. This is the moment the client gets their agreement and invoice, and the job becomes confirmed on your calendar. 3. **The client signs and pays** from their portal. 4. **You inspect**, and publish the report as usual. An amber banner on the home screen tells you when upcoming jobs are still unconfirmed — click it to filter down to just those.
The home screen with an unconfirmed inspections banner

New bookings arrive unconfirmed and are flagged at the top of the home screen

{% hint style="info" %} Reports appear on the calendar as soon as they're scheduled, but confirming is what tells the client the job is really happening. Make it a habit to clear the unconfirmed banner each morning. {% endhint %} ## Step 7 — Automate the Follow-Up Once the rhythm is familiar, the reminders you keep sending by hand can be handed over. **Settings → Message Automations** sends a template on a schedule — the evening before an inspection, or two days out if an agreement is still unsigned. {% content-ref url="/pages/n0QUP0Hul3nE99SQG30B" %} [Message Automations](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-automations) {% endcontent-ref %} ## Step 8 — Connect Your Google Calendar Optional, and only if it's enabled on your account. **Settings → Integrations** lets each inspector connect their own Google Calendar, so inspections land on the calendar they already carry around — and their own appointments stop clients booking over them. {% content-ref url="/pages/kVc7j4HDWm8meKIYeTmq" %} [Google Calendar](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/google-calendar) {% endcontent-ref %} ## Working from Your Calendar Everything above shows up on the home screen calendar — month, week and day views, with services and blocked time alongside inspections. {% content-ref url="/pages/cA26mYp34dsGshQKRvz7" %} [The Desktop Calendar](/getting-started/the-desktop-calendar) {% endcontent-ref %} # Services and Pricing Teach ScribeWare what you sell and what you charge, so it can price a job, build the invoice, and run your online booking page. Your **services** are the jobs you sell and what you charge for them — a standard home inspection, a pre-drywall, a radon add-on. Once ScribeWare knows them it can price a job automatically, build the invoice, attach the right agreements, and let clients book online at the right price. Find them under **Settings → Services**, in the SCHEDULING group. {% hint style="info" %} **Two different things are called "services."** This page is about your *service catalogue* — the priced work you sell. A **service** on the calendar is something else entirely: a lightweight appointment with no report attached, like a radon monitor drop-off. See [the-desktop-calendar.md](/getting-started/the-desktop-calendar) for those. {% endhint %} ## The Setup Assistant Rather than a grid of forms, ScribeWare sets your services up by asking. The **Services Configuration** page interviews you, works out the structure, and shows what it has understood on the right as you go.
The Services Configuration page with progress chips and a configuration panel

The setup assistant, with progress across the top and your configuration building on the right

The chips across the top track six topics: **Inspection types**, **Base price**, **Adjustments**, **Duration**, **Add-ons** and **Service area**. Each turns green as you cover it. Answer in the box at the bottom in ordinary language: > *Home inspections start at $400 for up to 2,000 square feet, add $50 per 500 feet after that. Radon is $135. I cover Whatcom and Skagit counties.* You can also **paste your existing price sheet straight in** and let it do the extraction. That's usually the fastest way to start. Two controls sit at the top right: * **Restart conversation** — begins the interview again, keeping what you've saved. * **Clear all** — wipes the configuration entirely and starts fresh. This can't be undone. When the assistant has everything it needs, click **Save & Enable on Booking Page**. Afterwards the page switches to a summary view of cards. Click any card to edit it directly, or **Edit with assistant** to go back to the conversation. ## What You're Building ### Inspection types The main jobs you sell. Each one has: * A **name** and **description** — the client sees both when booking. * A **base price** — your lowest price for that job. Leave it blank and it shows as **Call for quote**. * A **base duration** in minutes, which is what blocks your calendar. * **Adjustments** that move the price and duration up or down. * A **report template** to build from, and any **agreements** the job needs. ### Add-ons Extras a client can bolt on — radon, sewer scope, pool. Same shape as an inspection type, plus two useful options: * **Internal add-on** — you can add it to a job yourself, but clients never see it when booking. * **Recommend this add-on conditionally** — surface it only when it's relevant. A crawl-space add-on can be suggested only when there's a crawl space, either as a message, highlighted, or pre-ticked. ### Adjustments This is the part worth understanding, because it's how one base price covers a whole price sheet. **ScribeWare works from a single base price plus adjustments** — there's no price table. A square-footage sheet becomes: *the smallest band is the base price, and each band above it adds so much.* Adjustments come in four kinds: | Kind | Use it for | | ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | **Numeric tiers** | Square footage, age, distance, bedrooms, bathrooms | | **Yes/no toggle** | A crawl space, a detached garage, a pool | | **Categorical options** | Foundation type, property style | | **Geographic zones** | Postal codes that price differently | Each tier or option carries a **price delta** and a **duration delta**, so a bigger house can take longer as well as cost more. Any tier can be marked **call for quote** instead of a number — useful for the top end. Square footage, age, bedrooms, bathrooms and distance are worked out from the property details on the report. Age comes from the year built, so nobody has to be asked how old the house is. Here's the result on the booking page — a $400 base price has become $675 for a 2,450 sq ft home built in 1998, without anyone doing arithmetic:
Booking page pricing computed from the property details

One base price plus adjustments, priced live from the property details

### Service area Where you work — postal codes, cities, counties, or a radius from your office. Pick one method; switching hides the others. Radius mode measures from the business address in **Settings → Company**, so that address needs to be set and located. You can add **distance surcharges** on top: beyond 30 miles, add $50. ## Custom Questions Questions you want answered when a client books live in **Settings → Scheduling** under **Custom Questions**. Each has a name, an answer type (text, paragraph, or yes/no), whether it's required, and which booking step it appears on: * **Client step** — asked on every booking, whatever the job. * **Property step** and **Services step** — asked only when attached to the inspection type the client picked. Answers are saved on the report, shown on Client Info, and available as placeholders in your [agreements](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/contracts) — so a question asked at booking can be written into the contract the client signs.
The Custom Questions section in Scheduling settings

Custom Questions — a name, an answer type, and which booking step it appears on

## Services on a Job Once services are configured, a **Services** section appears in every report's **Client Info**, between Inspection Details and Invoice. Pick the **inspection type**, tick any **add-ons**, and ScribeWare will: * Add a priced line to the invoice for each item. * Attach the agreements those services require, and drop ones from a service you deselected. * Recalculate as property details change — enter the square footage and the price follows. * Show a running **Estimated total**.
The Services section and the Invoice it produced

The Services section and the invoice it built — change a service and the tagged lines rebuild

Your own manually added invoice lines and manually added contracts are left alone. Only the service-generated ones are rebuilt. {% hint style="info" %} Two things to expect. Once a report template has been applied the **inspection type is locked** — add-ons stay editable. And choosing services by hand doesn't change the report's **Duration (hours)** field; only an online booking adopts the services' combined duration. Set the duration yourself when you add services to an existing job. {% endhint %} ## Where It All Shows Up Getting your services right pays off in four places at once: * **Your booking page** prices jobs correctly without you quoting. * **Invoices** build themselves from what was sold. * **Agreements** attach to the jobs that need them. * **Your calendar** blocks realistic amounts of time, because duration travels with the price. {% content-ref url="/pages/w4r38OGUzE15o9I4m5l9" %} [Getting Started with Scheduling](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/getting-started-with-scheduling) {% endcontent-ref %} # Contracts Build your inspection agreements in the Contract Editor, attach them to a job, and let clients sign online from the client portal. ScribeWare 7 keeps your inspection agreements in one place. You write each agreement once in the **Contract Editor**, drop in placeholders for anything that changes job-to-job, and ScribeWare fills those in for every inspection. Clients read and sign in their browser — no printing, no scanning, no separate e-sign subscription. ## Where Contracts Live Everything about a contract happens in one of three places: | What you're doing | Where to go | | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Writing or editing an agreement | **Settings → Contracts** | | Choosing which agreements a job needs | Report → **Client Info** → **Inspection Details** → **Contract(s)** | | Reading a signed copy | Report → **Client Info** → **Report Links** → **Signed Contracts** | ## Writing an Agreement Open **Settings**, then **Contracts** under the SCHEDULING heading. The page is titled **Contract Editor**.
The Contract Editor with a commercial agreement open

The Contract Editor — pick an agreement from Contract Type, edit it, and save

* The **Contract Type** dropdown lists every agreement on your account. The first entry, **+ Add New Contract**, starts a new one. * The **pencil** next to the dropdown renames the current agreement — and is also where you delete it. * **Save (⌘S)** commits your changes. If you switch to another agreement with unsaved edits, ScribeWare asks **Save changes?** first. Your company logo appears automatically at the top of every agreement if you've set a white-background logo in **Settings → Company**. You don't paste it in. {% hint style="info" %} Contracts are shared across your whole company, not per-user. Anyone on your team with template-editing rights sees and edits the same set. {% endhint %} ### Placeholders Anything that changes from job to job goes in as a **placeholder** rather than typed text. Put your cursor where the value belongs and pick from the **Insert Placeholder** dropdown in the toolbar. Placeholders show up as grey chips while you're editing and become real values when the client opens the agreement. These are the placeholders in the dropdown: | Placeholder | Fills in with | | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Company Name | Your company name | | Inspector Name(s) | Everyone assigned to the inspection | | Inspector License(s) | The assigned inspectors' license numbers | | Client Name | The client on the report | | Agent Name | The agent on the report | | Client Address (One Line) | The property address, on one line | | Inspection Date | The scheduled date | | Inspection Time | The scheduled start time | | Report Number | The report's number | | Invoice Total | The invoice total for the job | | Contract Send Date | The date the agreement went out | | Contract Signed Date | The date the client signed | Any **Custom Questions** you've set up in **Settings → Scheduling** are added to the bottom of this same dropdown, so an answer a client gave while booking can be written straight into the agreement. {% hint style="warning" %} Don't paste a report or portal link directly into an agreement. Those links are specific to one job — use a placeholder so every client gets their own. {% endhint %} ### Signatures You don't draw or position signature boxes. ScribeWare appends the signature block to the bottom of every agreement automatically when the client signs, including their signature, their typed name, the date and time, and the IP address they signed from. ## Putting a Contract on a Job A contract reaches a report three ways: 1. **Automatically, from the service.** If you've attached agreements to an inspection type or add-on in **Settings → Services**, choosing that service on a report pulls its agreements in — and drops the ones from a service you deselected. 2. **Automatically, from the report template.** Applying a template that has agreements attached sets the report's contract list. 3. **By hand.** In the report, open **Client Info → Inspection Details** and use the **Contract(s)** picker. It's a multi-select with checkboxes, so a job can carry more than one agreement. Agreements you add by hand are left alone when services change — only the service-derived ones get swapped. {% hint style="info" %} Change the contracts on an already-confirmed job and ScribeWare raises a banner: **The contracts for this inspection have changed. Notify your clients?** Change them on a job the client has *already signed* and you'll be asked to confirm — the client will have to sign again. {% endhint %} ## Getting It Signed There's no separate "send contracts" button in ScribeWare 7. The agreement goes out with the appointment confirmation. 1. Open the report and go to **Client Info**. 2. Click **Confirm appointment** at the top of the page. 3. The **Contact Client** dialog opens, pre-filled from your default confirmation message — which contains the client's portal link. 4. Click **Send Email**. (**Confirm without sending email** marks the appointment confirmed but sends nothing.) For more on the message that goes out, see [message-templates.md](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-templates).
The Contact Client dialog with the confirmation template filled in

Confirming an appointment — the template fills in with this client's details and their portal link

### What Your Client Sees The client opens their portal link and sees a **Review & Sign Contract** card with a **Sign** button.
The client portal with next steps to sign and pay

The client portal — signing and paying are the two next steps

Reviewing the agreement, signing it, and the completed state

The whole signing experience, from the portal to a completed agreement

On the signing page: * Each agreement appears in full, with your logo, followed by a dashed **Click to sign** box. * Clicking it opens **Add your signature** — they enter their full legal name and either **Type** or **Draw** a signature. * If the job has more than one agreement, the first signature is reused for the rest automatically. They don't sign twice. * Two checkboxes have to be ticked: agreeing to the contracts, and agreeing to the ScribeWare Electronic Signature Disclosure. * **Continue** submits.
The signature dialog with a typed signature

Clients type or draw their signature — the typed version is rendered in a script face

ScribeWare then builds a PDF and emails a copy to the client and a copy to your company. ## Tracking Status A report with agreements on it shows a **Signed** / **Not Signed** indicator in the report's status strip, on the home screen report card, and on the calendar (as **Contract signed** / **Contract pending**). Every step is logged too. **Client Info → Report Activity** records when the portal was opened, when the agreement was opened, and who signed it.
Report Activity showing contract signed, contract opened and portal opened

Report Activity — the paper trail for a job, newest first

Once signed, **Client Info → Report Links → Signed Contracts** holds the PDF links — **View Signed Contract** for the first, and **View Contract Addendum 1**, **2**, and so on for any others. {% hint style="info" %} If you upgraded from an earlier version of ScribeWare, agreements your clients signed back then are carried forward. They show up in that same Signed Contracts list, so old jobs keep their paperwork. {% endhint %} ## Locking Reports Until the Client Signs Under **Settings → Client Invoicing → Report Access** you can turn on **Require signature and payment before clients can view published reports**. With it on, a published report stays locked until the client has both signed and paid. Individual jobs can override it. In the report, **Client Info → Report Links → Client Access** lets you choose the company default, force the requirement, or drop it for this job — plus a manual **Lock** / **Unlock**. {% content-ref url="/pages/BN1qAEPb1yYrcvsLjvuD" %} [Client Invoicing and Payments](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/client-invoicing-and-payments) {% endcontent-ref %} # Message Templates Write the emails ScribeWare sends on your behalf once, with placeholders that fill in each client's details automatically. A **message template** is a reusable email — subject line and body — that ScribeWare fills in with the details of whichever job you're sending it about. Write your confirmation email once and every client gets it with their own name, address, time and links already in place. Find them under **Settings → Message Templates**, in the MESSAGING group.
The Message Templates settings page with a confirmation email open

A message template — name, subject, and a rich-text body with placeholder chips

{% hint style="info" %} **Message Templates** and **Report Templates** are unrelated. Report templates decide the structure of an inspection report; message templates are the emails you send about a job. {% endhint %} ## What ScribeWare Starts You With You don't begin from a blank page. ScribeWare creates two templates for you: * **Confirmation Email** — goes out when you confirm an appointment, and links the client to their agreement. * **Publish Email** — goes out when you publish a report, and links the client to it. Both are ordinary templates. Edit them, rename them, or build your own alongside them. ## Creating and Editing Pick a template from the **Template** dropdown at the top of the page, or choose **+ Add New Template** and give it a name. Each template has: * **Template Name** — what you'll see in the dropdowns. Only for you. * **Include agent emails as recipients** — when this is on, choosing this template in the send dialog automatically adds the job's agents to the recipient list. * **Subject** — with its own **Subject placeholders...** dropdown. * **Body** — a rich-text editor with bold, italic, lists, colors, links and images. Changes save as you make them. **Delete** removes the template. ### Defaults Two buttons at the top right decide which template ScribeWare reaches for automatically: * **Default for Publish** — pre-selected when you publish a report. * **Default for Confirm** — pre-selected when you confirm an appointment. The template currently holding each role is marked in the dropdown as *(Default Publish)* or *(Default Confirm)*. You can always pick a different template at send time. ## Placeholders Placeholders are how a template becomes personal. Put your cursor where a value belongs and choose from **Insert Placeholder** in the toolbar; they appear as grey chips while editing and resolve to real values when the email goes out.
The Insert Placeholder dropdown open in the body editor

Insert Placeholder — drop a client's name, address, time or portal link into the message

**People** | Placeholder | Fills in with | | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Client Full Name / Client First Name | The client's name | | Client Email / Client Phone | The client's contact details | | Agent Full Name / Agent First Name | The agent's name | | Agent Email / Agent Phone | The agent's contact details | | Buyer's Agent Email / Phone | The buyer's agent's contact details, taken from the job's additional agents | | Inspector Name | Who's assigned to the job | {% hint style="info" %} **Agent Email / Phone** use the agent named on the report. **Buyer's Agent Email / Phone** look through the job's *additional* agents for one marked as the buyer's agent, and fall back to the main agent's details if there isn't one — so a template written for buyer's-agent contact still fills in on a straightforward job. {% endhint %} **The job** | Placeholder | Fills in with | | ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Property Address (one line) | The address on a single line | | Property Address (multi-line) | The address broken across lines | | Inspection Date | The scheduled date, e.g. *July 28, 2026* | | Inspection Time | The scheduled start time | | Inspection Fee Total | The invoice total | | Company Name | Your company name | **Links** | Placeholder | Fills in with | | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | Client Portal URL | The client's portal — their hub for the job | | Report URL | The published report | | Contracts URL | The agreements waiting to be signed | Subject lines can use the same placeholders except the multi-line address, the portal link and the report link. {% hint style="success" %} Drop a link placeholder on its own line and ScribeWare turns it into a real clickable link in the email. You don't need to build the hyperlink yourself. {% endhint %} {% hint style="warning" %} Never paste an actual report or portal address into a template. Those addresses belong to one job — every client who got that email would land on the same person's report. Use the placeholders instead. ScribeWare shows a red warning above the editor if it spots one. {% endhint %} ## Previewing a Message There's no separate preview button — you preview against a real job instead, which is more useful: 1. Open any report and go to **Client Info**. 2. Click **Contact Client**. 3. Pick your template from the **Message Template** dropdown. The subject and body fill in with that job's actual details. Read it over, then **Cancel** if you were only checking. Everything is editable before sending, so you can adjust the wording for one client without changing the template. ## Where Messages Are Sent From Three company-wide settings under **Settings → Company** affect every message: * **Send all emails as** — the reply-to address. Leave it blank to use the primary inspector's own address. * **BCC report inspector(s) on all emails** * **BCC other address(es) on all emails** Your company **Timezone**, also in Company settings, is what dates and times in your messages are rendered in. ## Seeing What Was Sent Every email is recorded on the job. Open the report, go to **Client Info**, and find **Report Activity** — it lists messages sent along with whether they were opened or bounced, alongside the rest of the job's history (confirmed, published, portal opened, contract signed, invoice paid). ## Sending Them Automatically Templates are the *content*. To have ScribeWare send one on a schedule — a reminder the evening before, a nudge when an agreement is still unsigned — pair it with an automation. {% content-ref url="/pages/n0QUP0Hul3nE99SQG30B" %} [Message Automations](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-automations) {% endcontent-ref %} # Message Automations Set up rules that send your message templates on their own — reminders before an inspection, nudges when an agreement is still unsigned. An **automation** is a standing rule: *when this happens, send that email to these people, this far ahead.* Set it once and ScribeWare handles the reminder emails you'd otherwise be sending by hand. Find them under **Settings → Message Automations**, in the MESSAGING group.
The Message Automations settings page with two automations configured

Each automation reads as a plain sentence — click any underlined part to change it

{% hint style="warning" %} The automations page currently notes that **sending is not active yet**. You can build and save your automations now, but check with ScribeWare support before relying on them to reach clients. {% endhint %} ## How an Automation Reads Each automation is one sentence in plain English, and every underlined phrase is a control you can click: > When **an inspection is scheduled** and **the inspection is unpaid**, send **Confirmation Email** to **Client, Buyer's Agent** **1 day** **before inspection**. There's no form to fill in and no Save button — click a phrase, choose from the dialog, and it's stored.
Clicking through the trigger, recipients and timing dialogs on an automation

Every underlined phrase opens a small dialog — trigger, recipients, timing

## Building One 1. Go to **Settings → Message Automations**. 2. Click **Add Automation**. A new automation appears straight away, already enabled and pre-filled with sensible defaults. 3. Give it a **Name** — this is only for you, so make it obvious: *Day-before reminder*, *Unsigned agreement nudge*. 4. Click through each underlined phrase to set the trigger, template, recipients and timing. 5. Leave **Enabled** ticked. The red trash icon deletes an automation. ### When it fires Click the trigger phrase to open **When should this message send?**: | Trigger | Counts from | Direction | | ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------- | --------- | | **an inspection is confirmed** | When you confirmed the appointment | After | | **an inspection is scheduled** | The inspection date and time | Before | | **an inspection is completed** | The inspection date and time | After |
The When should this message send dialog with three trigger options

Three triggers to anchor an automation to

### Timing Click the timing phrase to set an **Amount** and a **Unit** of *hours* or *days*.
The time offset dialog with amount and unit fields

How far ahead of — or behind — the trigger the message goes out

Automations anchored to **an inspection is scheduled** get a second choice, because "1 day before" a 7:00 am inspection means an email at 7:00 am the previous morning, which is rarely what you want: * **Use relative offset** — exactly the amount you set. * **Evening before inspection** — 6:00 PM the day before. * **Morning of inspection** — 8:00 AM on the day. Both fixed options use your company timezone from **Settings → Company**. ### Conditions **Add condition** narrows when the automation applies. There are four, and you can have one contract condition and one payment condition at a time: * **the contract is signed** / **the contract is not signed** * **the inspection is paid** / **the inspection is unpaid** This is what makes reminders feel considerate rather than robotic — *the contract is not signed* means clients who already signed don't get nagged. To drop a condition, click it and choose **Remove condition**. ### Recipients Click the recipients phrase to tick who gets it. At least one is required. | Recipient | Who that is | | ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | | **Client** | The client, plus any additional clients on the job | | **Primary Agent** | The job's main agent | | **Buyer's Agent** | Agents recorded as the buyer's agent | | **Seller's Agent** | Agents recorded as the seller's agent | | **Contractor** | Contacts recorded as a contractor |
The recipients dialog with client, agents and contractor checkboxes

Pick who gets the message — at least one recipient is required

If nobody on the job matches — no seller's agent recorded, say — nothing is sent for that job. ### Which email Click the template phrase to choose from your [message templates](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-templates). The automation sends that template, so the wording lives there, not here. Give your templates names you'll recognise in this list. ## Rules Worth Knowing These are the behaviours that surprise people: * **Each automation sends once per job, ever.** Reschedule an inspection after the reminder already went out and it won't go again. * **Turning one on doesn't back-fill.** It applies from the moment you enable it — jobs whose send time already passed are skipped, so switching one on won't blast your existing schedule. * **Late messages are dropped, not dumped.** If something came due more than 24 hours ago, ScribeWare skips it rather than sending a reminder for an inspection that already happened. * **Cancelled and deleted jobs are skipped.** * ScribeWare checks for due messages every 15 minutes, so a message goes out close to its scheduled time rather than exactly on the minute. ## Checking What Went Out Automated messages land in the same place as everything else: open the report, go to **Client Info**, and look at **Report Activity**. An automated send is labelled with the automation's name — another reason to name them well. ## A Few Worth Starting With | Automation | Trigger | Condition | Recipients | | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------- | --------------------- | | Day-before reminder | an inspection is scheduled, evening before | — | Client, Primary Agent | | Unsigned agreement nudge | an inspection is scheduled, 2 days before | the contract is not signed | Client | | Payment reminder | an inspection is completed, 1 day after | the inspection is unpaid | Client | {% content-ref url="/pages/Yfkni1X5d2pXt4hCX2y6" %} [Message Templates](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-templates) {% endcontent-ref %} # Client Invoicing and Payments Build invoices from the work you sold, take card payments through Payfactory, and offer your own payment methods alongside. Every job in ScribeWare carries one invoice. If you've set up your [services](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/services-and-pricing), most of it fills itself in. Clients pay from their portal — by card if you've enabled card processing, or by whatever other methods you accept. Settings live under **Settings → Client Invoicing**, in the SCHEDULING group.
Client Invoice Settings showing Report Access and Payment Processing

Client Invoice Settings — report access, payment processing, dates, methods and footer

## The Invoice on a Job Open a report, go to **Client Info**, and scroll to **Invoice**. You'll find: * **Invoice Items** — a description and a price per line. Choosing services adds lines automatically; you can type your own alongside, and those are never overwritten when services change. * **Subtotal**, then **Tax** if you charge it, then **Total**. * A **Paid with** checkbox and method dropdown, for recording a payment you took yourself. * An optional **Invoice #**. There's no separate discount field — enter a discount as a line item with a negative price.
The Services section above the Invoice, with matching line items

Services picked on the job become invoice lines automatically — here a home inspection plus a radon add-on

Tax is company-wide: set **Tax Percent for Invoices** in **Settings → Company**. Leave it at zero and the tax row disappears everywhere. {% hint style="info" %} Whether an invoice appears in the published report is controlled per job in **Report Options** → **Include 'Invoice/Receipt'**. The published page is titled **Invoice** until it's paid and **Receipt** afterwards. {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} **Your clients don't see your pricing workings.** On the invoice a client reads — in their portal and in the published report — an inspection line shows the plain service name, *Home Inspection*, and not the adjustments that built the price. The figure beside it is still the full computed total. Older jobs that had the breakdown baked into the description are tidied up the same way, so nobody is shown *Home Inspection +$500 Square footage*. {% endhint %} ## Taking Card Payments Card processing runs through **Payfactory**. Applying is a one-time setup: 1. Go to **Settings → Client Invoicing**. 2. Tick **Enable Payfactory payment processing**. 3. Click **Enable payment processing**. 4. Confirm your first name, last name, email and company name in the dialog, then **Continue to Payfactory**. 5. Your browser opens Payfactory's application form. Complete it there. Back in Settings, **Payment Processing Status** tracks where you are: | Status | What it means | | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | **Not Started** | You haven't applied yet | | **Pending Approval** | Under review — usually 1–2 business days | | **Approved** | You can accept card payments | | **Rejected** | Not approved; the reason is shown | If you started an application but didn't finish, the button becomes **Restart application** and your application link is shown so you can pick up where you left off. {% hint style="info" %} Card payments only go live when payment processing is enabled **and** your application is approved. Payfactory handles cards; ScribeWare never sees or stores card numbers. {% endhint %} ### The processing fee Card processing carries a fee, and you decide who absorbs it with **Add Payfactory processing fee as a separate card line item**: * **On** — the fee appears as its own line and is added to what the client pays. * **Off** — no fee line, and the client pays your listed price. Use this when processing is already built into your pricing. The fee only ever applies to card payments. Choose cash or a transfer and the line disappears and the total drops. {% hint style="warning" %} The fee percentage itself isn't editable in ScribeWare — it's set on your account. If you need it changed, contact ScribeWare support. {% endhint %} ## Other Ways to Get Paid Not everyone wants to pay by card, and card isn't always what you want either. **Payment Options** lets you list your own methods — cash, cheque, Venmo, e-transfer — each with optional instructions the client sees when they choose it. You can embed a QR code image in the instructions.
Payment Options with cash and e-transfer methods configured

Payment Options — your own methods, each with instructions for the client

These methods never carry the card processing fee, and the client's total updates as they switch between them. ## Invoice Dates Client portal invoices use the **inspection date** as the invoice date. If the client paid before the inspection, the receipt uses the payment date instead. **Due date offset** sets the due date as a number of days after the inspection date. Zero means due on the day; seven means a week after. ## Invoice Footer A rich-text footer that appears on every invoice and receipt. It starts as *Thank you for your business!* — a good spot for payment terms or a licence number. ## What Your Client Sees The client reaches their invoice from their portal link, which your [message templates](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-templates) include automatically. 1. The portal hub shows an **Invoice** card with the amount due and a **Pay Invoice** button. 2. The invoice page lists your company details, the property address, the line items, and the totals.
The client invoice with line items, totals and payment method tiles

The client's invoice — line items come from the services they booked

3. Under **How would you like to pay?** the client picks a method. **Card** is first if you've enabled it, badged with the processing fee; your own methods are badged **No fee**. The total updates with the choice. 4. Choosing **Card** asks for billing details and card number, then **Pay $X Now**.
Billing information and card fields on the invoice page

Paying by card — the card fields are hosted by the processor, so card numbers never reach ScribeWare

5. Choosing one of your methods shows your instructions instead — there's no online transaction, it just tells them how to pay you.
A non-card payment method selected, showing the amount due

Pick one of your own methods and the card fields are replaced by your instructions

6. After a card payment they get a **Payment Successful!** confirmation and an emailed receipt. Once paid, the invoice page shows a green **Payment Completed** panel and the report's invoice becomes a receipt. ## Keeping Track Payment status is visible without opening anything: the home screen and calendar show **Paid** / **Unpaid** on each job, and a money icon appears in the report's status strip. For detail, open the report and check **Report Activity** under Client Info. It records **Invoice Viewed**, **Invoice Paid** with the amount and method, and **Payment Refunded**, alongside the rest of the job's history.
Report Activity listing portal and contract events with timestamps

Report Activity — every client interaction with the portal, timestamped

{% hint style="info" %} Refunds are issued from your Payfactory dashboard, not from inside ScribeWare. {% endhint %} ## Holding Reports Until You're Paid **Report Access**, at the top of Client Invoicing, has **Require signature and payment before clients can view published reports**. With it on, a published report stays locked until the client has signed their agreement and paid. Individual jobs override it in **Client Info → Report Links → Client Access**, where you can use the company default, require signature and payment, or drop the requirement — plus a manual **Lock** / **Unlock** with a status chip showing **Viewable**, **Awaiting signature & payment**, or **Locked by you**. To chase an unpaid invoice automatically, pair this with an automation using the **the inspection is unpaid** condition. {% content-ref url="/pages/n0QUP0Hul3nE99SQG30B" %} [Message Automations](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/message-automations) {% endcontent-ref %} # Google Calendar Connect your Google Calendar so inspections land on it automatically, and your own commitments block the slots clients can book. Connecting Google Calendar makes ScribeWare and your personal calendar aware of each other, in both directions: * **Out to Google** — your inspections, services and block time appear on your Google Calendar as they're scheduled. * **In from Google** — your own appointments show as busy on the ScribeWare calendar, and stop clients booking over them. Find it under **Settings → Integrations**, on the **Google Calendar** card. {% hint style="warning" %} This integration is in limited release and is switched on per company. If you don't see the Google Calendar card in **Settings → Integrations**, it isn't enabled on your account yet — contact ScribeWare support. {% endhint %} ## It's Per-Person, Not Per-Company Each team member connects their own Google account, and only ever sees their own. Your inspections go to your calendar; your colleague's go to theirs. Nobody has to share a login, and one person connecting doesn't connect anyone else. Connecting is done on **desktop**. There's no connect button on mobile yet, though anything that syncs shows up on the mobile calendar like it does everywhere else. ## Connecting 1. Go to **Settings → Integrations** and find the **Google Calendar** card. 2. Click **Connect Google Calendar**. 3. Your web browser opens on Google's sign-in page. Sign in and allow access. (Google requires a real browser for this — that's why it doesn't happen inside ScribeWare.) 4. Google shows a **Connected — you can close this tab** page. Close it and go back to ScribeWare. The card now shows **Connected as** your Google address, along with when it last synced. Your upcoming work is pushed across straight away, so expect to see the next couple of months of inspections appear on your Google Calendar within a minute or two. ## Choosing Which Calendars Do What Two settings on the card, and they do different jobs: | Setting | What it controls | | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Calendars that block availability** | Which of your Google calendars ScribeWare *reads*. Tick the ones whose appointments should make you unavailable. | | **Add inspections to** | Which single Google calendar ScribeWare *writes* to. | Your primary calendar is ticked and set as the destination when you first connect. A good setup for most people is to leave the primary calendar doing both, and tick anything else you genuinely schedule around — a shared family calendar, say — while leaving subscribed calendars like holidays or sports fixtures unticked. ## What Goes Out to Google Everything you're assigned to, within roughly the next two months: * **Inspections** where you're the inspector or one of the additional inspectors. * **Services** and **block time** where you're one of the listed inspectors. An inspection arrives on your Google Calendar as: * **Title** — *Inspection: 123 Main St* * **Location** — the property address, so Google can navigate you there * **Description** — the client's name * **Length** — the report's **Duration (hours)**, or two and a half hours if that's blank Services and block time carry their own title and note across. Reschedule a job in ScribeWare and the Google event moves with it. Unassign yourself, or delete the job, and it disappears from your calendar. {% hint style="info" %} Duration is worth setting properly on each job. It's what decides how much of your Google Calendar an inspection takes up, and it's the same number your booking page uses to work out when you're next free. {% endhint %} ## What Comes Back from Google Appointments on your ticked calendars become **busy** time in ScribeWare. ScribeWare deliberately ignores anything that doesn't represent a real commitment: * **All-day events** don't block. A birthday, a holiday marker or an all-day reminder won't take you off the schedule. * **Events marked "Free"** don't block. * **Invitations you declined** don't block. * **Cancelled events** don't block. * **Events ScribeWare itself created** don't block — your own inspections don't get counted twice. Everything else — an ordinary timed event you're busy for — blocks. ### On the ScribeWare calendar Busy events appear on the desktop calendar alongside inspections, greyed out and read-only. You can't click into them or edit them from ScribeWare; the place to change them is Google. Your own events show their real title. Teammates looking at the same calendar see only **Busy**, so a personal appointment stays personal. ### On your booking page A Google busy event takes **you** out of that time slot. If a colleague is still free, the slot stays bookable and the job is offered to them instead — one person's dentist appointment doesn't close the company's schedule. {% content-ref url="/pages/w4r38OGUzE15o9I4m5l9" %} [Getting Started with Scheduling](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/getting-started-with-scheduling) {% endcontent-ref %} ## ScribeWare Stays in Charge of Inspections Inspections are owned by ScribeWare, not by Google. If you drag a synced inspection to a new time in Google Calendar, or delete it there, ScribeWare puts it back the way it was and emails you to say so. The change is also written into the job's **Report Activity**, so there's a record of it. This isn't ScribeWare being stubborn — moving an inspection means telling a client, re-checking availability and possibly re-sending paperwork, and none of that can happen from a drag in Google. Reschedule in ScribeWare and the Google event follows. {% hint style="warning" %} Anything you *add* to your Google Calendar by hand is yours and is left alone. It's only the events ScribeWare created that get put back. {% endhint %} ## Disconnecting **Disconnect** on the same card revokes ScribeWare's access, stops the syncing in both directions, and clears the busy events it had mirrored in. Inspections ScribeWare already put on your Google Calendar are **left there**. If you want them gone, remove them in Google. ## When Something Goes Wrong If Google access lapses — you changed your Google password, or removed ScribeWare from your Google account — the card shows a warning with a **Reconnect** button. Nothing is lost; reconnecting picks everything back up. {% hint style="info" %} ScribeWare keeps a rolling window of about **two months ahead and a day back**. Book something further out than that and it syncs across as the date comes into range. {% endhint %} # ADVANCED WORKFLOWS # Inspector Only Notes and Narrative Shortcuts This is a powerful feature that is super important to understand and is less intuitive. Inspector only notes allow Scribers to have check boxes built into their template that do not show in the printed report. This creates super flexible templates where you can accomplish two primary goals. 1. Create short cuts to narratives that you use all the time. This is especially effective for dialing in ScribeWare for mobile. 2. Create notes for your inspectors that have codes and other background information you may not wish to display in the report but which will help you do your job more effectively. ### Video #1 Shows Using Inspector Only Notes for Creating Quick Access To Your Narratives. This is Fantastical For Mobile. {% embed url="" %} Inspector Only Notes for quick comment access {% endembed %} ### Video #2 Shows Using Inspector Only Notes to Build Hidden Information Into Your Template to Help Your Inspectors {% embed url="" %} Stay sharp when codes and installation information can be hidden in your template {% endembed %} # Gunnysacks These are some of the most powerful workflow innovations in ScribeWare. If you don't get your head around thee you are simply leaving money on the table. Here is a gunnysack for old wood windows {% embed url="" %} Old windows gunnysack {% endembed %} ### Example # 2 #### This shows using a large gunny sack for a deck. This is a great example of improving workflow to handle multiple defects on the same system {% embed url="" %} ## Example #3 - Small Gunnies {% embed url="" %} ## Gunnysacks The **Gunnysack** feature is a unique ScribeWare workflow designed to simplify reporting on systems that have numerous related defects. Instead of searching for multiple individual comments or creating a long list of separate repair items, a Gunnysack allows inspectors to start with a single parent comment and then quickly select only the observations that apply to the current inspection. The result is a report that is faster to create, easier to read, and more representative of how inspectors evaluate building systems. ### Why Use Gunnysacks? Many building systems—especially in older homes—can have numerous minor defects that all relate to the same overall condition. For example, an older wood window system may include: * Single-pane glass * Painted-shut windows * Missing or damaged hardware * Broken sash cords or weights * Cracked glass * Missing glazing * Windows that slam shut * Missing safety glazing Traditional report writing often requires creating a separate repair comment for each issue, resulting in long, repetitive reports. With Gunnysacks, these related observations become a single, well-organized narrative that communicates the overall condition while still documenting the individual defects. ### How It Works #### 1. Select a Parent Comment Begin with a comprehensive parent comment that describes the overall condition of the system. For example: > *Some of the windows in this home are older windows that require maintenance and repair.* The parent comment provides the context and overall recommendation for the system. #### 2. Choose the Applicable Observations Each Gunnysack contains a collection of pre-written observations related to that system. Simply check the items that apply to the inspection, such as: * Single-pane glass * Painted-shut windows * Safety glazing concerns * Broken sash cords * Loose hardware * Cracked glass Only the selected observations are added to the report. #### 3. Arrange the Information Observations can be displayed in any order by selecting them in the desired sequence, allowing inspectors to present information in a logical flow. This creates a narrative that feels customized without requiring additional writing. #### 4. Add Supporting Photos During the inspection, inspectors can capture photos and dictate simple captions using voice-to-text. Rather than organizing photos immediately, many inspectors simply leave them in the photo gallery and drag them into the Gunnysack later. This allows inspections to proceed quickly while preserving detailed documentation. #### 5. Finalize the Report The completed comment consists of multiple layers of information: * An overall narrative describing the system. * Selected observations that explain the specific issues found. * Supporting photographs with captions identifying the location and nature of each defect. Together, these layers create a report that is both concise and highly detailed. ### Benefits * Reduces the number of separate comments needed for a single system. * Produces shorter, more organized reports. * Eliminates repetitive searching through large comment libraries. * Allows inspectors to customize reports by selecting only the observations that apply. * Supports efficient on-site data collection with minimal interruption. * Combines general recommendations with detailed, property-specific findings. * Makes reports easier for clients to read while preserving important inspection details. ### Best Practices * Build Gunnysacks around systems that commonly have multiple related defects. * Use a strong parent comment to describe the overall condition and recommendation. * Capture photo captions during the inspection using voice-to-text. * Add photos to the Gunnysack after the inspection if it improves your workflow. * Use photo captions to identify the location and nature of each defect rather than repeating information already contained in the parent comment. ### Summary Gunnysacks change the way inspection reports are assembled by allowing inspectors to build a complete narrative from a single parent comment and a library of selectable observations. Instead of managing numerous individual repair comments, inspectors can document an entire system quickly, add supporting photos, and produce reports that are both more efficient to create and easier for clients to understand. This workflow reflects ScribeWare's philosophy of collecting detailed information in the field while using intelligent tools to organize that information into clear, professional inspection reports. This video shows how to build small gunnysacks that let you mold comments quickly and easily. This is a great way to reduce the number of narrative comments you need to use. # Photo Captions to Bullets Magic Captions! ## Photo Captions to Bullets The **Photo Captions to Bullets** feature is one of ScribeWare's most efficient tools for documenting multiple defects within a single inspection system. Instead of writing numerous repair comments or creating long, difficult-to-read paragraphs, inspectors can capture detailed observations on-site using photo captions and automatically convert them into a clean, organized bulleted list. {% embed url="" %} ### Why Use Photo Captions to Bullets? Many inspection report systems require inspectors to either: * Create multiple individual repair comments for the same system, or * Write lengthy narrative paragraphs that take more time to create and are harder for clients to read. ScribeWare provides a faster approach by allowing inspectors to document each observation as they inspect and then combine those observations into a single professional narrative. ### How It Works #### 1. Select a Parent Comment Choose the main narrative that describes the overall condition or recommendation. For example: * Roof replacement recommended * Major concern * Architectural shingle roof The parent comment includes the overall recommendation and introductory language such as: > *Examples of specific observations noted during the inspection include:* This creates the perfect location for detailed findings. #### 2. Capture Photos During the Inspection As each defect is found, take a photo and add a caption using voice-to-text. Examples might include: * Missing shingles * Damaged flashing * Active roof leak * Exposed fasteners * Moss growth Since captions are dictated while inspecting, documenting each issue takes only seconds. #### 3. Add Photos to the Comment After the inspection (or even while still on-site), simply drag the relevant photos into the parent comment. Photos can be reordered if desired, although many inspectors prefer to leave them in the order they were taken. #### 4. Generate the Bullet List With the cursor placed where the detailed observations should appear, click the **Photo Captions to Bullets** button. ScribeWare automatically converts every photo caption into a clean, bulleted list beneath the parent narrative. Instead of manually typing each observation, the report is built instantly from the work already completed during the inspection. #### 5. Polish the Final Report The generated list can be edited at any time. Inspectors may choose to: * Correct wording * Improve grammar * Add additional observations * Rearrange bullet points * Refine recommendations Because the detailed observations have already been captured on-site, final editing usually takes only a few minutes. ### Example Workflow In the demonstration, the inspector was asked to identify **every location where a roof was leaking**. Instead of writing a lengthy report from memory back at the office, they: * Selected a roof replacement comment. * Captured photos of each leaking or damaged area. * Added voice-to-text captions while inspecting. * Dragged the photos into the roof comment. * Clicked **Photo Captions to Bullets**. * Instantly generated a comprehensive list of all observed roof defects. The result was a detailed, easy-to-read report that required only minor proofreading before delivery. ### Benefits * Significantly reduces report writing time. * Captures observations while they are fresh. * Encourages detailed documentation without additional typing. * Produces reports that are easier for clients and agents to read. * Eliminates the need for multiple repetitive repair comments. * Makes it practical to document every observed defect, even on complex inspections. *** This feature exemplifies ScribeWare's philosophy of **collecting granular inspection data quickly in the field while automatically assembling it into professional, client-friendly reports.** It allows inspectors to spend less time writing reports and more time performing inspections, without sacrificing detail or report quality. # Add To Observation on Mobile This is a great way to use the photo bucket approach to speed up your on-site report writing time. {% embed url="" %} ## Add to Observation The **Add to Observation** feature lets you continue building an existing observation as you inspect, without having to navigate back to the same report section each time you discover another related issue. A common example is windows. While inspecting the exterior, you might document a cracked basement window and add it to a "Window Repairs Needed" observation. As you continue through the inspection, you may find several more damaged windows in different areas of the home. Instead of navigating back to the Windows section each time, simply select the additional photos and choose **Add to Observation**. Search for the existing observation, and the new photos are instantly attached. When you're finished, place your cursor in the observation and run **Photo Captions to Bullets**. The AI combines the voice-to-text captions from all attached photos into a single, detailed observation that clearly documents every issue. This workflow offers several advantages: * Navigate to the observation only once during the inspection. * Continue adding related photos from anywhere in the report. * Build comprehensive observations that include every related defect. * Leverage voice-to-text photo captions to generate detailed bullet points automatically. * Reduce duplicate comments while creating cleaner, more organized reports. * Complete documentation faster with fewer interruptions to your inspection workflow. The **Add to Observation** feature is especially powerful when combined with **Photo Captions to Bullets**, allowing inspectors to create highly detailed observations with minimal effort while maintaining a fast, mobile-first workflow. # Location Tags on Mobile This is a fast way to add locations to findings on the mobile app {% embed url="" %} ### Using Location Tags on the Mobile App Location Tags make it easy to identify exactly where a defect was found without creating multiple observations or duplicate summary items. Instead of adding the same comment several times, you can assign one or more location tags to a single observation, providing clear context while keeping your report concise. Location Tags are especially useful when documenting defects that occur in multiple places, such as slow drains, inoperative burners, damaged windows, or missing downspout extensions. #### Using Location Tags After adding an observation on the mobile app: 1. Open the observation. 2. Tap the **Tags** button near the top of the toolbar. 3. Select one or more predefined location tags. 4. Save the observation. Multiple tags can be applied to a single observation, allowing you to document every affected location while maintaining a single comment. #### Creating Custom Location Lists Location Tags are fully customizable. From the desktop application, navigate to **Settings > Observation Tags** to create your own tag categories. Many inspectors organize their tags into groups such as: * Appliance Locations * Bathroom Locations * Interior Locations * Exterior Locations * Building or Structure Locations These lists are synchronized to the mobile app, making them available during your inspection. #### Best Practices * Use Location Tags whenever the same defect is present in multiple locations. * Create tag categories that match your inspection workflow and the types of properties you inspect. * Collapse tag groups that are not currently needed to make it easier to find the locations you use most often. * Keep your location names consistent so reports remain easy for clients to read and understand. Using Location Tags reduces duplicate observations, keeps summary pages cleaner, and provides clients with precise information about where each defect was observed. # Show Next to Connected Field Value This is a powerful feature that lets you work faster and / or create visual speration of your comments in your reports so your background information can be seperated from repair information. In our default commercial template and interNACHI template, we use this feature to create mobile-friendly, fast templates. It is used in the Narrative report template to create separation, keeping background information separate from the report information in the Full Report. Have a look! {% embed url="" %} ## Show Next to Connected Field Value The **Show Next to Connected Field Value** option gives template designers complete control over where observations appear in a report. Instead of sending every observation to a single list at the bottom of a section, selected observation modifiers can display directly beneath the field they relate to, creating reports that are easier to read and faster to complete. For example, descriptive observations such as siding material information, limitations, or background details can appear immediately below the connected field, while repair recommendations and significant defects remain grouped in the observations section. This creates a clean separation between informational content and actionable items, making reports more intuitive for clients. This feature is also the foundation for an entirely different style of report design. By displaying observations next to their connected fields, template authors can build comprehensive sections that contain all of the information for an area of the inspection without requiring numerous subsections. Instead of navigating between separate Doors, Windows, Walls, Ceilings, Flooring, and Electrical sections, inspectors can document an entire room or unit from a single screen while each observation automatically appears beside the appropriate field. When combined with **Observation Tags**, this approach becomes even more powerful. Although all observations can be entered from one location, ScribeWare still organizes them into contractor-specific summary pages, allowing inspectors to maintain streamlined workflows without sacrificing report organization. This feature is particularly valuable for commercial inspections, where inspectors often repeat the same navigation for dozens of similar units. By keeping all related fields together on a single page, inspectors can move through each unit much more quickly while producing reports that remain organized and easy to understand. ### Benefits * Display observations directly beneath their related field instead of in a single observation list. * Separate descriptive information from repair recommendations for cleaner report presentation. * Build templates with fewer sections and significantly less navigation. * Create fast, mobile-friendly workflows where an entire room or unit can be completed from one screen. * Combine with Observation Tags to automatically organize findings by contractor or trade. * Reduce template complexity while maintaining highly organized reports. * Ideal for commercial inspections and other workflows where speed and efficiency are essential. The **Show Next to Connected Field Value** setting is one of ScribeWare's most flexible template design tools. Whether you're creating polished narrative reports or streamlined commercial inspection templates, it gives you complete control over how information is organized and presented to your clients. # Buttons Perfect for when you want to use the same narrative comment more than one time in a report. ### Buttons {% embed url="" %} Buttons provide a faster way to add content to your report by allowing you to insert the same comment or observation multiple times with a single click. Unlike traditional dropdown fields, which typically allow only one selection, buttons can be clicked repeatedly to create multiple entries. This makes them especially useful for components that may appear several times throughout a property. Buttons become even more powerful when used with tables. For example, if a property has multiple water heaters, HVAC systems, or electrical panels, each click can create a new table entry, allowing you to document each component separately while keeping all of its styles, materials, observations, recommendations, and photos together in a single observation. #### Creating Buttons To display a field as buttons: 1. Edit the section containing the field. 2. Select the field you want to modify. 3. Under **Display Options**, enable **Display as Buttons**. 4. Save your changes. The field will now appear as one or more clickable buttons instead of a dropdown list. #### Design Considerations * An entire field is displayed as either **buttons** or a **dropdown**. Individual items within the same field cannot be mixed. * Buttons are ideal for fields where multiple entries are common. * Consider combining buttons with text replacement, observation tags, or tables to create highly efficient inspection workflows. Buttons can dramatically reduce repetitive data entry while making your report more organized and easier to complete, especially when documenting multiple instances of the same component. # Setting a Summary Statement at the Top of Your Summary Page Some states require a summary statement at the top of your summary page. This video will help show you how. If you need additional help, see The Power of Modifiers. {% embed url="" %}
# Global Keyword Searching on Desktop This technique is away to write a report almost completely from your library. {% embed url="" %}

Global Keyword Search on Desktop

# Inspector Only Notes What they do and how to build them. ### Inspector-Only Notes for Fast Comments and to Hide Critical Information This is the Mullet Feature: Business in the front and party in the back. Use this feature to build knowledge into your templates, such as codes or installation requirements that you just want for the inspector and not for the client or the finished report. This shows you how it works - the video below will show you how to build them into your template. {% embed url="" %} ## Building Inspector Only Notes In Your Template {% embed url="" %} # Editing Narrative Comments without Breaking Links ... and quickly repairing links if you break them. {% embed url="" %} # Using Logic Trees Logic trees take some time to build but they can be a great way to find comments. I use a logic tree in my bathrooms section a lot where I have a ton of specific comments. T This video shows how to build out a logic tree. {% embed url="" %} # Setting up Multiple Companies in ScribeWare ScribeWare supports multiple companies under the same roof so to speak. Let's say you own a home inspection company as well as a different pest control company and sewer scope company. We can handle that for you! {% embed url="" %} # What's New This is not needed regularly, but once in a while, we push a more advanced update that can require you to update from the What's New tab near the bottom of Settings. Once you update your desktop, see if an update is available on mobile. Open the mobile app and go to the three dots at the top of the home screen, then settings, then check for updates.
# Moving Chapters Between Templates This is useful if you want to move chapters such as 4-point or wind mitigation chapters from one template to another. {% embed url="" %} ### Copying Chapters Between Reports Copying chapters between reports is an easy way to expand or customize your inspection template without rebuilding content from scratch. Whether you've received a new chapter from another inspector, imported a specialty template, or created content in a separate report, you can copy individual chapters into your existing template or report. This workflow is especially useful for adding specialty inspection chapters—such as Four-Point, Wind Mitigation, or other inspection forms—while keeping your primary template clean and organized. #### Copying a Chapter To copy a chapter into another report: 1. Open the report containing the chapter you want to copy. 2. Select the **three-dot menu** at the top of the chapter. 3. Choose **Copy Chapter to Another Report**. 4. Select the destination report. 5. Confirm the copy. The chapter and all of its contents—including observations, sections, comments, styles, and settings—will be added to the selected report. #### Organizing Imported Chapters After copying a chapter, you can reposition it within the destination report: 1. Open the destination report. 2. Click the **Edit Chapters** (pencil) icon. 3. Drag the imported chapter to its desired location. 4. Exit chapter editing when you're finished. Many inspectors keep specialty chapters near the bottom of their template so they are available when needed but remain out of the way during a typical inspection. #### Common Uses * Add specialty inspection chapters to your primary template. * Import updated chapters without replacing your entire template. * Transfer custom chapters between reports or templates. * Build a library of reusable inspection content that can be copied into reports as needed. #### Best Practices * Maintain a separate "master template" report that contains your standard inspection workflow. * Store specialty chapters in separate reports so they can be copied into your template only when needed. * Avoid saving one-off job modifications back into your master template. Instead, copy only the chapters you want to keep for future inspections. Copying chapters between reports provides a flexible way to manage your templates, allowing you to reuse and organize inspection content without rebuilding it from scratch. # Setting Up a Data Tag Holder This shows how to build a data tag holder into your template {% embed url="" %} # Building Buttons Buttons are super useful for making the same pre-made narrative comment over and over. {% embed url="" %} # Setting Up Your Business # The Settings This video provides an overview of all the features in the settings tab. There is a lot under the hood here, so it is useful to understand all that lives here. {% embed url="" %} # Enter Company and Logo Information This is where you go to enter company and user information and also to place your initials and/or signature if these are needed on your report. {% embed url="" %} # Build Your Team You can invite team members into your account and even control the Admin status of each member of your team. ### Controls here can help you determine * Who can edit templates * Who can edit library entries * Who can see reports by other inspectors {% embed url="" %} # Build and Manage Your Agreements This shows you how to set up and edit contracts in ScribeWare Agreements can be emailed through ScribeWare directly to your clients and they can be executed by your clients online. They will be stored with your inspection report. {% hint style="info" %} These videos were recorded before ScribeWare 7. Agreements now attach to your services and go out with the appointment confirmation — see [contracts.md](/scheduling-services-and-payments/scheduling-services-and-payments/contracts) for the current workflow. {% endhint %} ### This video shows how to get your agreements set up in the Contract Editor {% embed url="" %} ### This video shows the experience your client will have signing and executing the agreement {% embed url="" %} # Template Customization # Be Sure You Understand How Templates Work in ScribeWare This goes over setting up a report to act as your template and why we do this. It also includes the logic of how templates work and function in ScribeWare This video helps you understand the difference between library comments and the template. This video helps you understand when to Save Template and when NOT to. {% embed url="" %} # Building and Editing Descriptive Fields This is how you edit descriptions and add to pulldown lists and checkboxes. It also shows how to set required fields and connect descriptive narratives to descriptive fields. {% embed url="" %} ### Connecting Narratives to Descriptive Fields {% embed url="" %} ### Connecting Descriptive Narratives to Descriptive Fields This is a great way to insert relevant CYA and background information to your report and report template for fast, automated workflow. {% embed url="" %} # Moving Fields Between Chapters and Sections This is an incredibly useful for tool for rearranging templates. Think - dragging your fields from a wind mitigation form into your home inspection template {% embed url="" %} This video below expands on the one above and ALSO shows how you can use the library category feature to keep your links between data fields and library comments. {% embed url="" %} # Inspector Only Notes for Blazing Fast Comments This shows you how to build inspector-only notes and connect a narrative to the hidden check box. {% embed url="" %} # Resequencing and Renaming Chapters and Sections This is critical basic functionality to understand for being abele to customize each template to suit each job and for customizing your templates to suit your workflow. {% embed url="" %} # Resequencing Data Fields This shows how to move a whole group of data fields and move them elsewhere in a template while preserving any narrative connections. This is useful when you want to redesign your template. {% embed url="" %} # Recovering Chapters or Sections That Have Been Hidden This video shows how you can recover chapters or sections that have been hidden {% embed url="" %} # Building Links for Instant-Comments There are several ways to build Instant-Comments into ScribeWare. \*\*\*🚩These are template changes, so be sure you are working in your template and hit Save Template when done to keep these for the next time. ### #1 Shows the easy way to link a narrative to a field {% embed url="" %} ### #2 Shows connecting a narrative to a check box using the Keyword Connection {% embed url="" %} ### #3 Shows linking a narrative to a check box using Suggested Observations. The only difference between this version and the one above is that we are using the Suggested Observations method for linking. {% embed url="" %} ### #4 Linking a narrative to an inspector-only note so that the check box stays hidden but the narrative displays in the report. Either the Keyword Connection or the Suggested Observation method will work with this method. 🗝️ In this instance, the check box will stay hidden in the finished report, but the narrative will display. This is a great way to build in quick shortcuts to commonly used narratives without cluttering your report with check boxes. {% embed url="" %} ### #5 Modifying a Narrative to Fit a Number of Different Check Box Deficiencies {% embed url="" %} # Tricks for building a super-flexible template that can apply to most jobs Maintaining one template is hard enough. Maintaining multiple templates is just a drag. This video show why you might be able to use just a single template for all your different jobs. **This video goes over three main concepts** 1. Blank sections of chapters do not print in a finished report 2. You can copy chapters and sections and rename them as needed to fit a specific job 3. You can adjust your boilerplate on the fly to suit a specific job. {% embed url="" %} # Building a Camera or Video Icon Into Your Template for Quick Photo Placement {% embed url="" %} # Merging Library Categories This should show how to use the edit library category function to do some housekeeping and organize your narrative library {% embed url="" %} # Deleting a Template Deleting a template is easy.... just be sure you really want to. {% embed url="" %} # Narrative Customization # Understanding Narrative Comments This covers writing and saving comments, changing modifiers, and customizing comments with different fonts, colors, and text replacements. {% embed url="" %} # Editing Your Narrative Library of Pre-Made Comments This video is helpful if you are customizing the default narrative template. You can customize the language to suit your style and then "Update Library" to save your version of the comment. {% embed url="" %} # Adding Hidden Blue Titles to Your Narratives This helps Scribers quickly retrieve and distinguish their comments. {% embed url="" %} # Blending Your Imported Library From Another Software Into ScribeWare Moving your existing narratives over from another system can be time-consuming and challenging. We have some powerful tools to try and help. {% embed url="" %} # Blending Library Comments from Another Template Into Your Template This video shows how to grab narratives from a library category in another template. {% embed url="" %} # Saving Illustrations with Narratives You can save illustrations with your narratives, so you do not need to keep adding them each time. {% embed url="" %} # Creating and Editing Text Replacement Text replacement can help reduce the number of narratives in your report, speed up your report writing, and make your reports more specific. {% embed url="" %} # Using Parent Comments Parent comments are a great way to leverage the power of voice to text and write detailed comments quickly. See this video. {% embed url="" %} ## Using Parent Comments ### Overview Parent comments are a powerful way to create detailed inspection reports while maintaining a streamlined comment library. Instead of creating dozens or even hundreds of highly specific comments, you can use a single general comment as the "parent" and then use photo captions to automatically generate detailed bullet points beneath it. This workflow works especially well with the **Photo Captions to Bullets** feature. By simply taking photos and adding voice-to-text captions during the inspection, you can quickly build comprehensive findings with very little typing. For example, instead of maintaining hundreds of different deck repair comments, you might only need a few parent comments, such as **Deck Repair**, **Deck Replacement**, or **Deck Repair or Replacement Needed**. *** ## How Parent Comments Work A parent comment is intentionally broad. It describes the overall issue and provides your recommendation, while the specific defects are listed as bullet points underneath. A typical parent comment includes: * A general description of the concern. * A statement explaining that the following bullets are examples of observed defects. * A recommendation for further evaluation or repairs by a qualified contractor. The detailed observations come from your photos, not from the comment itself. *** ## Creating a Parent Comment 1. Select the appropriate parent comment while performing the inspection. 2. Take photos of each defect you observe. 3. Use voice-to-text to caption each photo as you take it. Each caption should briefly describe the defect shown in the image. 4. Flag the comment if needed. 5. Complete the inspection as usual. *** ## Finishing the Comment After returning to your desktop (or from your mobile device if preferred): 1. Open the parent comment. 2. Reorder the photos if you want them displayed in a specific sequence. 3. Add annotations to the images, such as circles or arrows highlighting defects. 4. Place your cursor where you want the list of observations to appear. 5. Click the **Photo Captions to Bullets** button. 6. ScribeWare automatically converts each photo caption into a bulleted list beneath the parent comment. 7. Review the generated bullets and make any minor edits to correct voice-to-text errors or improve wording. Once complete, your report contains a professional summary followed by detailed, property-specific observations. *** ## Example Workflow A deck inspection might begin with a simple parent comment: > Deck repair or replacement is recommended. Examples of observations noted during the inspection include: After running **Photo Captions to Bullets**, the report automatically includes bullets such as: * Low guardrails were observed at the rear stairs. * Openings in the guard system exceed 4 inches. * Wood decay was observed in the stair stringer. * Localized wood decay was found in the guardrail system. * Portions of the framing were concealed from view. * The deck ledger was installed over the siding. * White fungal rot was observed. This approach produces a detailed report while requiring only one parent comment. *** ## Best Practices * Keep parent comments intentionally general. * Let your photos and captions provide the specific details. * Use voice-to-text while on site to minimize typing. * Review and clean up captions before publishing your report. * Reorder photos when it helps tell the story of the defect. * Annotate important images to clearly identify the issues. *** ## Where Parent Comments Work Best Parent comments are useful anywhere multiple defects may exist within a single system, including: * Decks * Roofing * Siding * Electrical systems * Interior doors * Windows * Plumbing * HVAC systems * Exterior components Any system with multiple related deficiencies can benefit from this workflow. *** ## Benefits of Parent Comments Using parent comments allows you to: * Reduce the number of comments in your library. * Write reports significantly faster. * Create more detailed inspection reports. * Minimize typing during the inspection. * Leverage voice-to-text for efficient documentation. * Produce cleaner, more consistent reports with less effort. When combined with **Photo Captions to Bullets**, parent comments become one of the fastest ways to create detailed, professional inspection reports. # Building Gunnysacks The first video shows a simple gunnysack comment using old windows as an example {% embed url="" %} ### This video shows editing and using a large gunnysack for decks {% embed url="" %} --- [Next Page](/llms-full.txt/1)