Changelog
Follow up on the latest improvements and updates.
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Hi all,
We've created an Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) template which is almost ready for release. We are putting the finishing touches on this template and expect to have it ready by the end of July, if not sooner.
Until fairly recently, IAQ inspectors benchmarked their findings against a mash up of standards, including CIBSE and WHO. However, we've been able to create a template which is
mostly
based on the (relatively new) British Standard, BS40102 —with some slight deviations where necessary. Rather than simply copy the British Standard, we've worked closely with some key HVAC clients to align our template with the data that's practical for IEQ inspectors to capture on-site.
The template includes lets you report on:
✔️ Thermal Comfort (Temperature, Relative Humidity)
✔️ Indoor Gases (CO, CO2, TVOC, HCOH, Ozone, NO2)
✔️ Airborne Particulates (PM 2.5, PM 10)
✔️ Microbiological (Bacterial, Fungal)
✔️ Environmental Comfort (Light, Noise)
What's got me excited (yes, really!), is that this template uses some of the best new features available in Flow Mobile Surveying, including calculated dashboard fields and section views. These are features we'll be gradually rolling out to older templates in the next few months.
Please note: This template covers all the usual Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) checks, plus additional checks for light and noise. So, it will be suitable for carrying out either Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) reports or Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) reports.
If you'd like to stay informed when we officially release this template, please add your vote to our roadmap request here. If you've previously voted for this template, you don't need to do anything, you'll be updated when we mark it as ready!
Do you have any questions about this template? Or are you wondering how to access it? Send your enquiries to andrew@flowmobile.app
Speak soon,
Paul
Good news, everyone!
We've made progress with our development partners, and Paul King has recorded a brief video update for our Client Portal v2.
There are still some wrinkles to iron out, but we can now show you the framework of the Portal.
In this video, Paul demonstrates the login process, the map view of estates, and how to manage reports and tasks associated with each site.
We're also working on a feature that will allow you to easily upload reports directly from Flow to the portal.
Join our waiting list:
Are you interested in this new product for your clients?
Please complete the short form via the link below to join our waiting list.
Your feedback is invaluable as we finalise these features, so please let us know your thoughts!
Please note: The Client Portal is a separate product and will be chargeable for your clients, so please only join the waiting list if you have interested clients. We are working out the finer details; we will let everyone on the waiting list know when we've figured them out.
Thanks,
Andrew and the Flow Mobile Surveying Team
Hooray!
The planning stage is complete, and work has begun on our new Client Portal!
We expect to release it within the next few months.
What is a Client Portal, and why offer one?
A Client Portal is an online repository (a big map view) where you can store all of the reports and compliance tasks for a single client —this means they can see all their reports and risks in one place.
A central portal makes managing compliance reports and tasks easier for your clients (duty holders with multiple properties).
It'll work in parallel to Flow Mobile Surveying, so you can easily transfer completed compliance reports from your Flow Mobile Surveying account once you've signed them off.
Offering a Client Portal can give you financial perks, too. By providing "client portal management" as a service, they can create an extra revenue stream for your business. As a bonus, they also encourage your clients to schedule re-inspections.
A screenshot of the new Client Portal (currently in development)
Join our waiting list:
Are you interested in this new product for your clients?
Please complete the short form below to join our waiting list.
Please note: The Client Portal is a separate product and will be chargeable for your clients, so please only join the waiting list if you have interested clients. We are working out the finer details; we will let everyone on the waiting list know when we've figured them out.
Thanks,
Paul and The Flow team
There's a major team-up in the works...
We're in the process of testing a new 'Sample Exchange' feature, which will allow Flow Mobile Surveying surveyors to send sample information to any Alpha Tracker lab at the click of a button.
The results will be returned by email, so you'll still need to key them into Flow for now, but it's a fair improvement on the overall process.
Please note:
We won't be making this feature available to all users by default
since it requires a fair bit of manual setup, and we're still working out the kinks. But if you're interested, drop us a message, and let's chat!Ps. This feature is primarily for the asbestos market for now. However, we plan to make it available to other industries that require sample analysis —for example, the HVAC industry— in the future.
Here's proof that we're teaming up with Alpha Tracker!
Are you sick of entering the same form configurations again and again?
Quick Fills speed up data entry on forms —they're great for situations when you find yourself entering the same data repeatedly.
Gosh, that "Hot Cup of Magma" has really burned my tongue!
Examples of Quick Fills:
Here are some real-life situations when Quick Fills come in handy:
- Adding Materials + Material Scores (asbestos surveys)
- Adding Categories + Hazards (fire risk assessments)
- Adding Risks + Working Procedures (risk assessments)
So, what's changed?
Until recently, you could only add Quick Fills using the mobile app, which limited their usefulness. Now, you can add Quick Fills on the Dashboard in the same way!
And all this time, you thought we'd forgotten about you, didn't you, office folk? No, you were always our favourite. 😉
So, all that speedy data entry that only those jammy mobile users could do on the app is now available to office users, too —nice!
Just click the
lightning bolt
any time you see it in the top right corner of a form. And voila, your form will be filled out in a flash.
Please note: Quick Fills are currently maintained by the Flow team and are specific to individual templates. So you'll only see Quick Fill options that have been added to your templates. Since it's only just been released, you may also need to refresh your browser to make this feature available.
Contact support@flowmobile.app if you would like to add Quick Fills to any of your report templates.
Hi everyone, we're currently planning work on our Client Portal v2. If you're interested in this feature and would like to get involved in the planning discussions, please contact paul@flowmobile.app, ideally before February 2025.
Getting involved means you can:
- Influence development to get what you need.
- Get early access to the new Client Portal when it's ready.
- Provide feedback on the feature roadmap.
- get insights into our long-term goals.
The Client Portal v2 feature has long been our most requested feature, so we're excited to see where this goes.
All the best,
Paul, and the Flow Mobile Surveying clan
⌚ Get ready for multi-day and time-based scheduling!
Until now, you've only been able to assign jobs to a single date. However, the reality is often more complex. Jobs might take weeks or months to complete or start at a specific time. This exciting update allows you to accommodate these real-life situations.
These highly requested scheduling improvements are
scheduled
(whoa, could we have any more scheduling going on here?) for deployment in the week commencing Monday, November 11th.IMPORTANT: You must ensure all mobile app users upgrade to v1.0.90 (this version is currently available in the Google Play and Apple iOS Store)
This release brings the following improvements:
Dashboard:
- Specify times when creating jobs.
- Create jobs spanning multiple days.
- Create jobs with multiple "events".
- Include start and end times.
Mobile App (v1.90.0+):
- Multi-day jobs are shown on each individual day.
- View start and end times for jobs.
- Jobs are sorted in time order.
Drop us a message if you have any questions about these new scheduling features 😊
Thanks!
Paul and the Flow Mobile Surveying Team
You probably already know that
job notes
are an excellent way to send private information to your surveying team. Many of you use notes to store client
phone numbers
, email addresses
, and other relevant job details. But until now, there was a drawback...they weren't selectable 😢 So, a fat lot of good they were then, huh?
😀 But note lovers, rejoice!
In the new mobile app release (v.1.0.85), now available on the Google Play and App Stores, you can copy all job notes —we've added a button to make this easy!
And if you don't want to copy the entire note, we've got you covered there too.
…now it’s
selectable
Extreme close uuuuuuup!
Advanced Scheduling - We're Looking for Testers!
v1.0.85 also contains some hidden changes for advanced scheduling.
Advanced scheduling is currently in the testing phase and needs to be "switched on" for each client. So you won't notice any immediate changes on the mobile app. With advanced scheduling turned on, you'll be able to connect Flow to your third-party calendar, such as Gmail and Outlook.
But before we roll this feature out to our biggest customers, we'd need some help. We're looking for a few smaller customers to test the new feature. If you're struggling with scheduling and want to help us out (and gain some serious brownie points), please drop a message to andrew@flowmobile.app.
Many thanks!
Paul
We've teamed up with one of the world's leading mould specialists, Nicole Bijlsma, to create a one-of-a-kind mould inspection template for Flow Mobile Surveying.
You can learn more below...
Mould: An Industry with Limited Guidance:
🦠 Mould Inspection is an industry with little guidance.
In Nicole's words:
"It's a bit of a dog's breakfast out there."
The lack of guidance means that inspectors are often left to themselves to try and figure out the best approach, and many believe that simply fogging a building will fix all of the homeowner's problems. So, there are lots of cowboys in the industry...
However, Nicole believes that remediating mould in buildings needs a multi-pronged approach, incorporating data from tools like thermal imaging cameras and moisture meters and obtaining a detailed history of the building and its furnishings.
This template, created with the help of Nicole, offers a standardised approach to inspecting water-damaged buildings so you can present your clients with enough data to justify taking action and fixing the issues.
Learn More About This Template:
Watch a full walkthrough of this template below:
Learn about the approach and insights behind this template:
👷 Do You Offer Mould Inspections to Your Clients?
Get in touch for a demo to see how you can create mould inspection reports in minutes. Contact andrew@flowmobile.app for further details.
Please Note: This template has been designed for the Australian market. But if you want to use it outside of Australia, let us know, and we may be able to adapt it to other parts of the world.
Two major dashboard updates in a week; what's going on?
The dashboard job search has remained unchanged since the early days of Flow, so an overhaul was long overdue; now, that day has come!
The old search boasted excellent features like typo tolerance and chained search queries. But you couldn't use it to find jobs for specific dates. And we recently introduced Tags to help you categorise jobs —but what use is a tag unless you can search for it?
So thank you, Old Search, you've served us well these last couple of years 🙏 But the New Improved Search will take it from here.
Here's a preview of the new search in action:
Since this new search is live, you can try it yourself :)
Search examples:
🔍 To get the most out of the new search, you'll want to start tagging your jobs with some helpful information. Check out my guides to managing tags and these tag suggestions —they're just suggestions, though; you should use whatever tags are right for your business.
Here are some searches that are now possible:
--
Search > Urgent jobs:
[requires tag: 'urgent']
--
Search > Jobs for a Branch or Office:
[requires tags: 'branch:{name}' or similar]
--
Search > Jobs for a Job Type:
[requires tags: 'commercial', 'residential', or similar]
--
Search > Jobs for a specific Date:
--
Search > Jobs for a specific Month:
--
Search > Jobs overdue a Re-inspection:
[requires a 'reinspect 12 months' tag or similar]
--
I hope the new search features make your day-to-day life easier. Especially those administrators struggling with scheduling right now. If you have any feedback on this new feature please get in touch.
Paul and the Flow team
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