Innovation is key to keeping GoReport software at the forefront of digitising surveying, inspection and reporting in the Built Environment. We continually develop the solution in response to requests and ideas from thousands of surveyors across hundreds of customers.
Below are just some examples of how we are helping our customers drive increased productivity through innovative use of our technology.
Easily annotate photos to make a report visually appealing and more meaningful
Image annotation is commonly used by surveyors to highlight defects and pinpoint areas of interest for further analysis or investigation.
As picture paints a 1000’s words, adding further annotation makes the overall report more visually appealing and meaningful to your client.
The powerful annotation functions built into the GoReport app allows you to apply notes, draw arrows, colour, shade your photos or magnify a section to really highlight the observations you are reporting.
You can choose to use the annotated images for further reference during the edit and review stage of your survey or add marked-up images to your final report along with notes for your client to acknowledge or take action.
As GoReport API is available to integrate with other 3rd party tools, this gives you the option to continuing using an annotation tool that is more suited to your company’s workflow.
Rapidly record your findings using Dictation - Automatically convert voice to text
| Working with you, we know how many of you record your findings and observations using dictation. So we have incorporated powerful audio functionality throughout GoReport.
ONLINE – Using a traditional ‘voice to text’ method, you can speak directly into the GoReport app as you conduct your survey. Your voice is converted to text there and then. OFFLINE – We know there are times when you won’t have an internet connection, so the software also has a feature to record voice files, which are ready to be automatically transcribed to text when you upload your survey to your own discreet area of the GoReport web portal, where you can edit and review your text before publishing. Both online and offline Dictation is automatically attached to the correct place in your report, avoiding the need for time consuming sorting and transcribing, eliminating the need for manual transcription or 3rd party costs. |
Easily sort & filter survey data whilst still on site to help check everything is complete
| Revisiting site to fill in missing information that could have been captured on the first visit can prove expensive and result in costly delays in completing your survey and submitting the results to your client.
Sorting & Filtering provides powerful onsite QA capabilities to quickly view, check and edit your survey. When undertaking large surveys, with perhaps multiple surveyors contributing, the volume of survey data can quickly grow into hundreds, even thousands of rows of information. Sorting & Filtering helps avoid missing data and makes it quick and easy to move around large, potentially unwieldy surveys. Sorting is enabled for every field in your data capture table. So, you can quickly re-order your survey by floor, room, element type, condition rating, etc., bringing like entries together to quickly find the entries you want and check for any missing data. Filtering takes things one step further. By simply entering a search criteria, e.g. external walls, health and safety issues, etc., the GoReport Software finds all matching entries in your survey and displays them, ready for checking and editing. |
Copy part or all of existing surveys to save time and effort
| It could be that you are returning to site to update a previous survey. Or perhaps the property you are inspecting contains floors, rooms or areas that are similar or the same as a previous survey.
Either way, the Cloning features in GoReport allow you to quickly copy just part or the whole of an existing survey. This powerful, time-saving feature is available using the mobile data capture software whilst on site, and via the internet web portal at your desktop. Working with our customers, we have added intelligence to our Cloning features. For example, you choose whether to include attachments such as photos and notes in your copy survey. So, when it comes to repeat work, the Cloning saves time, effort and money. |
Standard text from your library of phrases for rapid data entry
| Many of our customers have a library of standard phrases and pre-defined responses they repeatedly use. Your pre-defined responses (phrases) might be from the RICS library or your own unique set.
Using GoReport, you can store your library of standard text and phrases to pick from as you enter data into your survey, saving you substantial amounts of time and laborious effort typing the same text over and over. Furthermore, total flexibility means that standard phrases you include in your survey can be modified for that occasion, leaving your library intact for next time. To get you up and running quickly, we can even import your standard phrases from a spreadsheet, so they are ready to use when you go to site for your first survey using GoReport.
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Your library of survey & inspection templates to meet your own needs
Structured templates help you capture the relevant information, accurately and rapidly. Templates contain the fields or boxes, ready for you to enter your survey information using any combination of Pick Lists, Standard Phrases, Dictation, typing and even Hand Writing.
We understand that the information you need to record for an RICS Homebuyers survey is very different to a Planned Preventative Maintenance or Condition survey for a commercial property. So every template needs to be fit for purpose for the type of inspection you are conducting.
That’s where the Template Library feature in GoReport comes into its own. Your Template Library can contain as many differing types of data capture template as you want. Each template will look and behave exactly as you need, following the workflow that suits you.
The range of templates we supply includes;
Capture photo's, annotate them, effortlessly include them in your report
| Photographs frequently form a valuable reference in reports, providing helpful images to support findings.
The comprehensive Photographs features in GoReport make it easy to include photos in your report. Take as many photo’s as you wish, a mixture of landscape or portrait, using your iPad, iPhone or preferred digital camera. Then simply sort and arrange them later, deleting any that are unwanted. Using powerful annotation functions allow you to apply notes, draw arrows, colour and shade your photos to really highlight the observations you are reporting. Even add a caption which will appear underneath your photos. Every photo you take stays associated to the correct place in your report, eliminating the complications and frustrations of sorting through numerous photos, trying to remember exactly where they apply in your report. Furthermore, every photo can automatically have a unique sequential reference number attached. Not only that, you can include them in your report as thumbnail images alongside your text, an appendix at the end or even both, with the flexibility to choose how many images per page you prefer. Whatever your preference, GoReport will automatically scale and format your photos automatically, saving you hours spent trying to make photos scale, fit and align when using everyday word processors or spreadsheets. |
SmartPins allow you to tie together layout plans with your surveys and inspections, to provide accurate location information
GoReport SmartPins take the power of your reports to a new level. Whether it be a snagging inspection or a detailed condition survey, by simply placing coloured SmartPins onto layout plans as you compile your inspections and surveys, you create a powerful visual link between your data and the plans. So when you issue your report, complete with SmartPins layout appendix, your customers and suppliers know exactly where in the property you are describing.
If you don’t have an existing layout plan, then SmartPins can be added to any image you save as a pdf, such as a photo of the fire escape plans as you enter the building. By simply clicking on SmartPins you can display all the key data and even click straight through to the relevant entry in your report.
You can choose to colour code SmartPins to group them together in categories. For example, you may represent all severe defects in orange, whilst all Health & Safety issues are flagged with red pins.
Powerful drag and drop, plus simple editing options, make it easy to update your plans at any time.
SmartRules gives you control over what information is captured on site
| SmartRules enable you to control your workflow when capturing survey and inspection data. By configuring conditional and mandatory fields in your data capture template, you control which fields are available for completion and which fields must be completed, ensuring essential information is captured.
For example, it may be that whenever an item is given a particular condition rating, you want a prompt to enter the estimated remaining life of the item. Or whenever something is flagged as urgent or a Health & Safety issue, the software prompts and requires you to include a photograph to support your findings. SmartRules even allows automated workflows to be created. For example, when you upload your survey to the web portal, GoReport can automatically generate an email, ready to send to your client, complete with an Excel attachment containing all the Health & Safety issues flagged during the survey. Whatever your particular requirements, SmartRules can be configured to ensure your data capture flows just the way you want, helping you capture relevant and essential information. |
Quickly classify, sort and report your survey findings using Ratings
| Ratings allow you to rank your inspection findings using your preferred ratings method. Whether you use RAG (red, amber green) ratings, ABC, or numbers, the Ratings feature in GoReport provides you with simple buttons to press as you record each observation and defect in your inspection.
Then when it comes to sorting and reporting, GoReport software can automatically collate all findings with the same rating and report them together, or perhaps include an Appendix to your report containing just the high priority items needing action. The choice is yours. Ratings give you the power and flexibility to quickly and efficiently rank each item, then sort and report them how you prefer. |
Include and calculate costings in your survey
| Whether you are undertaking a Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) survey, preparing a Life-Cycle Costing Report or calculating an interim or end of lease Dilapidations claim, chances are you are going to want to include costings in your report.
GoReport provides you with Costings functionality to enable you to calculate and submit fully costed surveys, quickly and accurately. Whether you use your own library of costings or an industry published standard such as BCIS, GoReport can store and use your preferred rates. Your rates are automatically accurately applied to each item, multiplied by the quantities involved to generate fully costed reports, include options to add additional costs and adjustments, such as design and supervision fees. Like everything in GoReport, you have the flexibility to review and change rates on a project by project basis. And because the rates are controlled by you in your rates library, you can be confident they are applied consistently across your surveys by all your team, eliminating potentially expensive and embarrassing errors. |
Ensure consistent structured data using customisable Pick Lists
| One of the key advantages of moving to digital data capture and reporting is structured, consistent data. Using Pick Lists, not only saves time entering data, but also means everyone using GoReport within your organisation adheres to consistent terminology across surveys.
For example, a list of elements can be automatically linked to their subsequent sub elements, giving you a simple, logical flow for capturing data. Using Pick Lists also enhances client perception and experience, by providing consistency across reports they receive . And when it comes to analysing information from multiple surveys, whether it be across a property portfolio or a range of surveys of a particular type, the consistent approach from using Pick Lists allows you to view meaningful and informative results. |
Save time on site by pre-populating property & asset info
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Using Barcodes and QR Codes to identify assets
| Tagging is often used for asset management to identify each unique asset within the property. Asset tagging is commonly seen in Facilities Management.
Our M&E customers in particular use and encounter asset tagging, where every boiler, chiller, pump, etc., is labelled with a unique barcode or QR code. To support our customers using asset tagging, we have incorporated barcode and QR reading in GoReport. Simply using the camera feature of the iPad or iPhone enables surveyors to scan the asset tag. The GoReport software will then automatically identify the item if it exists in a previous survey for that property, or record the code against the asset in the new survey, making it quick and easy to identify and locate the item in the future. The barcodes and QR code functionality in GoReport is just one more way we have enhanced our solution to meet customers needs. |
Multiple surveyors can work on the same project at the same time
GoReport has been designed form the ground up specifically for surveyors and inspectors working in the built environment sector. We know from experience working with customers, there a times when a project demands “all hands to the pump”.
It’s situations like these that expose the weaknesses of using simple form-filling software and basic word processor or spreadsheet templates and the power of a package dedicated to the task becomes invaluable.
GoReport is true multi-user, allowing as many people to work alongside each other as required to meet the constraints or deadlines of the project, simultaneously capturing information, confident that their individual survey data will be subsequently incorporated into the overall inspection report, along with that or their colleagues.
Use the Notes feature to capture and save accompanying information
Working alongside surveyors, we witness how frequently you need to scribble a note or record some information that isn’t necessarily incorporated in the report being provided to your client, but does form an important part of your reflective thinking or supporting records.
The Notes feature is designed precisely for this purpose. An electronic notepad which allows you to enter as much or little information, including photos, etc., alongside the relevant entry in your survey.
When you are ready, you can view or print your personal Notes, knowing they are safely electronically stored with survey, should you ever need to produce or refer to them later.
Record geolocation data in your surveys using GPS Co-ordinates
| Our customers undertaking rural and land surveys are required to include meaningful location data in their survey reports. For example, a survey of a farm may need to accurately identify the location of outbuildings, barns or other structures within an extensive curtilage.
GoReport contains the necessary functionality to automatically generate and record accurate GPS co-ordinates when required, with the simple press of an icon during data capture. Unique functionality to meet specific customer needs. |
Gestures make GoReport easy and intuitive to use
| GoReport software is designed to be easy and intuitive to use. After all, when it comes to digitising your surveys and inspections, you don’t want to face using a complex, clunky piece of software.
We understand that capturing survey information using GoReport has to be better than using traditional pencil and paper. We also know that like most people in the 21st century, our customers use a variety of technology on their phones and tablets. So you expect using GoReport to be simple and intuitive. That’s why we have made full use of “Gestures” in GoReport, for example allowing you to swipe left and right to go forwards and backwards. No fiddly buttons to find your way around, just simple gestures, leaving you free to focus on your inspection – heads up studying the property, not heads down concentrating on complex software. |
Handwriting Recognition allows you to continue writing down your findings
| Our customers use a range of techniques to record their findings when on site capturing information for their surveys and inspections.
We don’t expect customers to change the way they work when they implement GoReport. We embed into GoReport all the same tools you currently use. That’s why we have enabled the facility for you to handwrite your entries directly into GoReport on your iPad or iPhone. Your handwriting is automatically converted into typed text, ready for publishing in your report. Using handwriting recognition in GoReport you can carry on using your favourite methods of recording information. |
Review and edit your reports before publishing
| As well as tools to help with your QA procedure, we’ve incorporated in the web portal, all the functions you need to review and edit your surveys and inspections before publishing.
Whether it’s text, photos, dictation or any other entry, you can add, change and delete your inspection entries in the web portal, using just your internet browser. At the same time referencing your Notes. Perhaps you’ve taken more photos than you need, or want to expand the explanation you are providing on a particular observation. Whatever the need, you have full Edit & Review features in the web portal, including outputting a draft report for review before generating a final version for your client. |
Use colour coded tagging to represent different processes, workflows or assignments
GoReport Survey Management allows you to easily track the progress and performance of individual or multiple reports. Our tagging functionality available within the GoReport web portal allows you to seamlessly organise reports into categories that make sense for you, helping you make decisions and drive your task or project forward.
The tagging feature has been designed to be flexible, so you have control over your database of reports. Categorising and organising a high volume of reports using tags is helpful to make decisions based on a particular subset of surveys. Our tags use a combination of keywords and colours that can add more context to your database of surveys.
Manage your reports in the GoReport Web Portal and perform any of the following actions using the tagging function:
Flexible online tools help you QA your survey data before generating your output
| Whether you are checking through your own survey or reviewing the work completed by your surveying team, QA is something all our customers do.
Checking every entry is complete is a vital step in the QA process. To help make the QA process quick and efficient we’ve built tools into the GoReport web portal to help. Just like on the iPad, we’ve incorporated Sorting and Filtering to quickly find entries and look for missing data. To make the QA process even quicker we’ve added Quick Navigation. At the press of a button you can display a list of your report contents and move rapidly between sections by selecting from the contents list; saving you time scrolling through lengthy surveys, searching for the section you want. |
Merge two or more surveys into a single document for your client
| Not all survey reports are the result of just one persons efforts. Frequently they comprise of more than one individual survey that needs to be combined to produce a single output for your client.
It may be you who deployed multiple surveyors on a large, time-constrained project, or perhaps worked with specialist structural or MEP engineers for sections of the work. Whatever the reason, GoReport allows you to merge multiple inspections into one new single survey for reporting and output. To ensure you keep an accurate audit trail of the whole process, the individual inspections are retained even after merging together, so you can track back to identify each detailed entry. |
Design and build your own data capture and report output exactly as you want it
With GoReport Creator, surveyors can build their own data capture for surveys and inspections, create their own professional output reports, and export data according to their own business workflows. It is ideal for a variety of survey types and appeals to surveyors and inspectors with no tech experience as it empowers any user, with access to the toolset, to build their own data capture and template exactly as they want it.
Utilising drag and drop technology and easily accessible Microsoft Word formatting, surveyors have a unique ability to build, modify and evolve their surveying and inspection requirements as their business grows and needs changes or individual projects demand.
Easy to use, with a highly intuitive interface, GoReport Creator can be adopted by beginner users and provides a range of options that make designing and optimising your data capture and report templates a seamless task.
For more information on GoReport Creator visit our Knowledge Base
Generate content rich PDF reports at the press of a button
| GoReport can output your data directly to fully formatted, content rich PDF reports.
We provide the ability to allow your data to be displayed however it is required on this PDF output. From layout choices to producing charts and graphs to mathematical calculations and the ability to create an Executive Summary as required. The potential to raise the quality of information and service you deliver for your clients through the reports you provide are limitless. Content rich reports are generated as PDF’s, literally at the press of a button, without the need for tiresome and risk-laded manipulating of information using everyday office software. |
Export one or multiple surveys to Excel for analysis, charts and graphs
| Spreadsheets are a familiar tool for many people. Whether you are dealing with a single survey or want to combine data from several surveys across a portfolio of properties, the ability to export surveys from GoReport directly into Excel spreadsheets, unlocks the everyday power of Excel.
We don’t just give you the option of downloading your survey data to Excel, we’ve incorporated macro functionality, so when you export from GoReport to Excel, we can automatically perform calculations, generate graphs and charts and aggregate costings. In fact, you can automatically generate a sophisticated Excel workbook, ready to send to your client. When it comes to drilling into your data for analysis, exporting from GoReport into Excel makes good sense. Furthermore, exporting to Excel provides a common gateway for transferring data into other software packages, most of which, just like GoReport, have the facility to import data from an Excel spreadsheet. |
Output surveys to Word for further editing
| We understand there are times when your survey information needs to form part of a larger document you will be submitting to your client. For example, in a Pre-acquisition Due Diligence report the condition survey undertaken using GoReport, may need to be bound together with information about leases, planning permissions, Land Registry documents, etc.
These are the occasions when using the Export to Word feature in GoReport can save substantial time and money. By simply selecting the Export to Word in the web portal, your survey data is exported directly into Word, ready for ongoing formatting as desired. |
Compress reports as you publish them
The success and adoption of GoReport by customers across their whole portfolio of surveys, means many are producing complex reports with large volumes of data with the resulting outputs being commensurately large in size. We’ve witnessed reports spanning hundreds of pages, containing literally thousands of lines of data and images.
Whilst there are 3rd party tools available for file compression after the files have been created, these require users to perform an extra step outside GoReport. As anyone who has used file compression tools knows, depending on the content, not every file can be successfully reduced in size.
To make the file compression process seamless and easy, we have embedded the functionality within GoReport, taking the opportunity to add intelligence. When you select Compress and Publish, the software automatically analyses your report to check is can be successfully compressed, then presents you with the results, before you proceed with publishing.
Automatically generate and include an Executive Summary
| Many customers like to include an Executive Summary at the beginning of their report. A succinct precis of their findings and any key issues or matters to which they wish to draw attention.
To help, GoReport can automatically collate content for inclusion in your Executive Summary, based upon your criteria. For example, collate a table of all Health & Safety issues identified during inspection and include a further table listing all defects in the property rated as in urgent need of attention. GoReport does the hard work for you, so you don’t need to trawl through your survey data and collate the information for your Executive Summary. |
Include informative graphs, charts, and tables in your reports
| It is said “a picture is worth a thousand words” and when it comes to generating high quality graphs, charts, and tables, GoReport speaks volumes.
Well designed computer software is particularly good at making light work of cumbersome tasks. This is exactly what GoReport does when generating graphs and charts for inclusion in your reports. Using your stipulated criteria, the software automatically produces the graphical outputs for you, without the need for you to collate the data from your survey, summarise the information and manually produce a graph or table. Including graphs and charts in your reports significantly enhances the quality of what you deliver to your clients. GoReport makes it a simple process. |
Analyse your survey data using interactive dashboards
| Surveys can contain vast amounts of rich data. However, there are times when presenting the information to your client in easy to understand dashboards is valuable.
For example, if you are preparing PPM or Life-Cycle surveys for a client, across a portfolio of properties, aggregating the property data for further analysis using interactive dashboards can elevate discussions to another level, compared with delivering numerous paper reports and expecting the client to understand the bigger picture. GoReport exports data into Microsoft PowerBI, an industry leading tool for interactive visualizations and business intelligence using dashboards. Having exported your surveys into a PowerBI, you can present your information using a dashboard of informative graphs and charts. The dashboards are interactive, allowing you to drill down through the graphs and charts to understand the survey information that feeds them. GoReport work closely with you to create the dashboards required for your own bespoke needs. When it comes to understanding and modelling your survey data, interactive dashboards are a powerful option. |
Sort & Group data into your structured report
| Using GoReport is about the benefits of digitising your surveying and inspection processes. Not about modifying the way you work to fit in with the software. Flexibility is the core of GoReport.
The order in which you capture data on site, frequently differs from the order in which you wish to group it in your report. It may be that several surveyors have worked on the project, each working in their own preferred sequence. Or maybe access to some rooms was restricted, dictating that the survey be captured in a particular order. Whatever the reason, when it comes to outputting your report, GoReport will automatically sort and group the survey information into the sequence you desire. Whether it be room by room, element group by element group or using condition and priority ratings. Whatever order the data has been captured in, GoReport sorts and groups it for your reports; giving you total flexibility to enter data in one order and output it sorted later. |
Keep your notes with your survey and choose whether to publish them
| The GoReport data capture software on your iPad and iPhone includes a powerful Notes feature (see under Survey section above).
When it comes to publishing your report you can choose whether or not to include your notes. You may want to output a version of your report that includes your Notes for filing internally, thereby providing evidence of your reflective thinking and supporting information, then output a report without your Notes for your client. Whatever your preferred method of working, you can be confident that your Notes are safely electronically stored with your survey, for future retrieval and reference. |
Include layout plans with interactive SmartPins with your report
| The GoReport data capture software on your iPad and iPhone includes a powerful SmartPins feature (see under Survey section above), that allows you to place intelligent SmartPins on a layout plan which are tied to your survey. A powerful tool for tying spatial information and your report together, when undertaking snagging inspections, condition surveys, etc.
When it comes to publishing your report, you can choose to include your SmartPins layout plan and send it with your report. When you do, the recipient not only sees on the plan exactly where in the property your report findings are located, but can also interactively click on any SmartPin and drill back to the relevant entry in your report. |