ArchiSnapper

Benefits:

Efficiency. I once used five separate tools to complete a field report...hard copy set of drawings/specs, paper pad, pen, camera, & desktop computer. Now I use one...ArchiSnapper!

Drawbacks:

Personally, I have experienced more software crashes than I would have liked, via the IOS app, and a few of them erased a lot of work I had just completed on the job sites. I have communicated with the developers about it and they have been understanding and continue to work on making it better.

Benefits:

The application is extremely user friendly, and can be easily taught to new project team members. Also, being able to download data and manipulate checklists & categories in microsoft excel has enabled me to create customized checklists with ease.

Drawbacks:

Sometimes newly created projects will not sync across all devices registered on a business archinsnapper account. This issue poses frustration when field inspector is needing to call in for technical support while in the field. I am not sure if this is an overall issue with the programing, or if it is an issue on our particular iPad devices

In sum:

Productivity increase; clear communication to client; ease of report distribution

In sum:

I'm using this app on a daily basis now. Easy to use and a fair price. I would strongly recommend it to my fellow architects.

Benefits:

The program has the ability for us to make our own Checklist for site visits so we do not forget what to look for during different stages. Taking photos for the issues, and marking up PDFs and photos is simple.

Drawbacks:

The program needs automatic weather for the day of the site visit, or the ability to connect to the internet to get the exact weather for that day and area. When an issue is created and photos are added, you have to remember to save it. It doesn't automatically save when you close it. The laptop has turn off a couple of times and the issues were not saved. If there was an automatic save after 15 seconds that would be great. An option at least.

Benefits:

This software will save a lot of time in report development. What I liked most was the automatic insertion of pictures into the report. If you have ever done this manual in a word processor program you will truly appreciate the ease at which this software makes this possible.

Drawbacks:

Software needs a easier way to tag photos for the report. I'd like to snap a pic and then title it before moving on to the next subject.

In sum:

I used this software for a project that has intensive reporting requirements and it saved enough time to justify the expense of the subscription.

Benefits:

I like the ease of this app. It helps structure our apartment checks and make reports for clients who like to know that everything is working well in their apartment.

Drawbacks:

The reports don't look as visibly appealing as I'd like them to, but they are still very good.

In sum:

Very good. The support team are extremely helpful and responsive, and overall the app is very user-friendly.

Benefits:

ability to easily add and annotate photos directly into an interactive filed report that can be immediately be shared with other members of the team.

Drawbacks:

A recent upgrade disabled the use of the phone's native camera app, limiting the way I can take photos. I contacted support and they agreed to look into a way to fix that, and sent me a previous install so I could revert to the previous way. Fix works great for now, but I'm looking forward to a newer version with the other improvements they made, and without the limitations of the camera.

In sum:

I love the product. I use it for every site visit. Clients find the photo log extremely helpful. And the customer support is amazing. Within minutes of reporting an issue today, I was chatting with a developer who addressed the issue immediately and agreed to look into future options to address it further. I know they will stick to their word as this is not the first time I've made comments which have quickly made it into the app.

In sum:

Where it used to take me hours to prepare a report after my visit, thanks to Archisnapper it is now almost ready as soon as I leave the construction site.

Benefits:

Overall easy to use with professional layout. It's kind of absurd to have a minimum number of characters for the "pros" question. I appreciate that the software doesn't require such silly things.

Drawbacks:

Everything is organized by project name, not client. Client could be a better option. The cap on the number of projects, including archived projects, is annoying. I dont love the new camera feature (red button and animation for taking a photo). It's not very intuitive. Would be nice for the contact field to auto-format the phone numbers so they're consistent. For example, make all phone numbers like (XXX) XXX-XXXX. Auto-correct with capitalization for photo captions would be nice. I dont like the required report number field. Sending reports through the website on the iPad is a little clunky. The report email subject should auto-populate with the project name or at least have that option.

Benefits:

Ability to create reports in the field with pictures and annotations and distribute to the team via email quickly.

Drawbacks:

Editing reports after they are synced on tablets is challenging - I would like to see this improved.