We’re listening to your feedback!

The past week we’ve built several user-requested features that we’re rolling out to our platform today:

Login-free flow for client & agent

Spectora is now even easier to use for clients and agents! We have removed the need for buyer and agent to login.  We’ve replaced the agent and buyer dashboards with the new Inspection Page, the hub for all the people, activities and documents related to an inspection.

Here buyers can accept agreements, pay, and view contact info:

When a report is ready, the buyer and agent can view the report and additional documents:

This page is accessible by anyone with the URL, so take appropriate safeguards to protect confidentiality.  We recommend sharing the page with your client when the inspection is scheduled, and later with the agent once the report is ready.  If you’re an existing user, update your automated emails accordingly.

When our system sends out buyer/agent emails, we attach user-specific tokens (a random string of characters) to the links to identify who is viewing the report, so you will still get notified when your client or agent views it.

How to implement (for existing users):

The old links and dashboard still work if you prefer them, though we hope everyone adopts this easier flow!  This will be the default for new inspectors, but if you’re already using our platform you can implement it by changing your email template links to the new {{INSPECTION_LINK}} shortcode:

Don’t forget to update your Report Ready automated emails/texts too!

Agent Tools: Repair Document

Also, with our login-free flow we’ve tucked away the Agent Tools to the navbar to be unobtrusive but still accessible.  Let your agents know the new location of the Repair Document Generator:

 

Let us know what you think of the new flow!

 

Inspection Improvements

I’ve also made a number of improvements to help you manage your inspections:

• Edit info for the Agent and Client!  Correct typos and make your report look better by adding client and agent photos and contact info.  (You will not be able to update a profile if the owner has “claimed” it by updating it themselves.)
• Edit inspection address.  Fix typos or assign a new property to an inspection.
• Printable work orders.  Helpful to print out and take on-site:

• Payment optional. Allow customers to pay for an inspection even though you don’t enable “Require Payment”.  They will see the option in the Inspection Page, but it will be in blue (instead of orange for “required”).  It will not block them from viewing the report if they choose to pay you another way (ie in-person).
• Custom Work Order IDs for your own tracking. If you use a number-based schema, these will auto-increment with each inspection (ie if your last inspection was 22, your next default Order ID will be 23). Otherwise you can enter in anything you want.  Add in the New Inspection Page and the Inspection Details Page.
• Client CC email address. Great for adding a spouses’ email!
• Property info displayed. We grab info from Zillow on year built, square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms, and more. Now we’re displaying this in your Inspection Details page and your Work Orders.
• Upload Agreement Scans. Upload a signed scan to an Inspection Agreement. It will then be considered “signed” and show up as green on your indicators.
• Suppress Notifications. Sometimes you don’t want any emails/texts going out for an inspection.

 

Follow-Ups Now  After Publish   Time

We have shifted all follow-up emails and texts to be in relation to the published time (the moment all reports for an inspection are published).  This prevents notifications from firing too early, as well as allows you time to input client and agent info before the inspection so they are included in the follow-ups.  You’ll notice that we don’t generate these until you hit Publish.

Be sure to adjust your Automation settings and templates if necessary!

 

Customizable Toolbar

Make your toolbar match your workflow:

 

What’s next?

In the coming weeks, I’ll be focusing on improving the mobile app (specifically the photo flow) and adding support for multi-inspector firms.  I’ll also continue to fulfill user requests where I can, adding to our growing feature list while keeping it easy to learn and use day-to-day.

Keep the feedback coming!