What is in a completion record
| Evidence | How it is captured | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Completion time | Device time at completion | Not independently verified |
| Server-received time | When PlowPilot received the record | Later than completion if synced offline |
| Device GPS | Fresh reading at completion, with accuracy and capture time | Not live tracking; needs permission |
| Weather | Nearest qualifying NOAA / NWS station within 50 miles, observation within 2 hours before completion | Not a measurement at the property |
| Photos | Before/after, private by default | Shared only if you choose at completion |
| Crew and services | From the visit | Recorded by you, not audited |
Document a blocked driveway without claiming it was plowed
If cars, a locked gate or another obstacle prevent service, choose Unable to service, enter a required reason and optionally take or upload photos. The attempted visit saves its own time, server-received time, fresh device GPS when available, and automatic nearby U.S. NOAA / National Weather Service observations after sync. Missing evidence is clearly labeled.
- Return later this trip places the stop at the end of the current run. A return time is not guaranteed.
- Skip for this trip leaves it unserviced for that trip only, without removing it from future route masters.
- Save only, or email an eligible customer with your editable business-branded template, the reason and links to explicitly shared photos. No shared photos means no photo links. Email permission, account allowances and provider availability apply.
- Open the unsuccessful visit in its history and print a separate attempted-service record. Its banner states that no service was completed. It is not included as completed work in a service-proof packet.
- The attempted-visit record remains even if a later visit succeeds. Recording it does not create a completion invoice.
When evidence is missing
If location permission is off or the station did not report, the completion still saves and the gap is clearly labeled. Unreported measurements are not shown as zero. Older manually entered weather notes remain marked unverified. Coverage is U.S.-only, and lookups depend on the provider’s recent seven-day observation window.
Offline completions keep their GPS reading and original completion time. Weather is looked up for that completion time after sync, not the reconnect time.
Printing a service-proof packet
- Open the customer’s Service History.
- Choose Open printable proof and pick a date range.
- Review visits, crew, services, GPS, weather and photos.
- Print, or save as PDF with your browser’s print dialog.
Habits that make records more useful
- Leave location permission on for the tablet browser or installed app.
- Take a before photo on arrival and an after photo from the same spot.
- Use Unable to service with a required reason and optional photos rather than skipping a blocked stop silently.
- Complete the stop at the property, not later from the coffee shop.
Limitations, stated plainly
- Completion records are not certified legal proof that work occurred.
- Device GPS is not independently verified and requires permission.
- Weather comes from nearby stations, not property-level measurement.
- No live crew tracking.
Common questions
- Will this protect me in a lawsuit?
- We cannot promise that. It gives you contemporaneous records; how they are weighed is up to the people involved and your attorney or insurer.
- Do customers see the photos?
- Only the photos you explicitly choose to share: at completion for completed work, or in an optional unable-to-service notice for an attempted visit. No shared photos means no photo links. Emails use your business branding; the unable-to-service template is editable in Settings.