SYNCrew Setup – Frequently Asked Questions

SYNCrew Kiosk

This article discusses what the app is and how workers use it. Read THIS ARTICLE OVER HERE about how to set it up.

What is the Kiosk app?

The Kiosk app allows multiple workers to log in using the same device. That is different from the traditional SYNCrew app that is designed to be used exclusively by a single worker. Often times, the device is a tablet but it also runs on phones. Both Android and iOS (ipads) are supported. The most common use cases for the kiosk app are:

On-site workers who do not move around like factory, warehouse, or office workers. In these cases, typically an iPad or Android tablet will be secured to a wall near the entrance.
Workers who don’t want to use their own phones and where the company does not want to use the manager/managed worker setup. In these cases, the kiosk app is loaded onto a managers phone and the workers ask to use it when they punch in or out.

How workers use the kiosk

Once the Kiosk is set up, a worker simply opens the app on the phone or tablet and clocks in or out in just a few seconds, like this:

CLOCK IN:

1) Enter phone number and note that language can be changed here as well in the upper-right

2) The worker fills in any info that is required (based on your app’s setup). The camera will automatically take a selfie when the worker clicks “clock in.”

3) The app will confirm the clock in was completed

4) The app automatically returns to the main ready screen for the next worker to use

CLOCK OUT:

1) Just as at the start, the worker enters their phone number and clicks “Go”

2) The worker fills in any information the app was set up to collect and takes a selfie photo when clicks either:

Clock out: to clock out for the day

Leave location: to leave this location, but keep their clock running

3) The app will confirm that the clock out was completed

4) The app automatically returns to the main ready screen for the next worker to use

Set up the Kiosk app

The Kiosk app is meant to be set up by an Admin. Your company can have different kinds of kiosks in different places and for different uses. Please read about setting up the kiosk app HERE.

As always, if you have any trouble or questions, please reach out to your account manager or support@syncrew.com and we’ll be happy to help you out!

Setting up a SYNCrew Kiosk app

This article discusses how to set up the kiosk app on a new device or at a new location. Read THIS ARTICLE OVER HERE to learn about what the app is and how workers use it.

Initial setup

1) Log in using an ADMIN user. The admin will set up the kiosk first, then workers can use it.

If you plan to have people in the field set these up and those people do not have admin accounts already, you can create a limited admin account for them so they can do this. LEARN ABOUT LIMITED ADMIN USERS

2) After you log in, you will be presented with this setup screen. The left side of the screen relates to setting up which project the kiosk is located at and the right side deals with how to manage your custom fields.

Project Selection:

Pre-pick project: Search for the project where the kiosk is located and click on it. Once you select it, you will see the name shown at the top of the screen (red box at right).

To clear the currently selected project, click “clear”.

Worker select project: You can leave the project blank so that the worker will need to select the project when they clock in. This is similar to not having the project locked above, except if it is blank, there will be no project pre-selected.

In most situations, you will want to “Lock” the project by clicking the box (orange arrow at right). If the project is “locked,” workers will not be able to clock into different projects from this Kiosk app. If you leave it unlocked, the selected project will show up and be pre-selected, but the workers can change it at clock in time.

If you are unsure about which of these options will be best for your situation, please reach out to us anytime at support@syncrew.com

Custom Fields:

What you see on the right side of the setup screen is based on your company’s settings. You can learn more about custom fields here.

When the screen loads, each row shows the name of the custom field. For each entry, you can:

Enter a default value. For example, if you enter “1234” in the work order number field, when a worker clocks out, this field will have “1234” in it automatically, but the worker can edit it.
Lock that value. Following the prior example, if you click “lock” next to the work order number field, when a worker goes to clock out, “1234” will be pre-filled and they will NOT be able to change it.

If you leave all this blank, the worker will just be required to enter all the information when they clock out.

Once all your settings are done, click “SAVE” and your kiosk app is ready to use. You should see the screen below that your workers will use to clock in. If you ever need to edit the settings, click the

As always, if you have any trouble or questions, please reach out to your account manager or support@syncrew.com and we’ll be happy to help you out!

Project Settings

Projects have lots of customization available to reflect the reality that no two projects are identical! Below are descriptions of these features and how to use them. If you have any trouble or questions about them, please reach us at support@syncrew.com and we’ll be happy to help you get things set up exactly as you need.

Project Units

Project units were originally built to allow for projects that were apartment buildings to have a sub-project for each unit – basically allowing something like: 1000 Brannan St, #402.

Project units must be enabled at the company level by going to Settings –> Configuration, then scroll down to the “Projects” section. In that section, check the box next to “use units in buildings (apartments, etc).” There is another option below that called “make unit selection mandatory” and if that is checked, the worker MUST select a unit, otherwise the worker CAN select a unit, but does not need to.

Once units are enabled, go to the edit screen of the project you wish to and scroll down until you see the units area (screenshot below). To use units for a project, just enter the name of units there as shown in the blue box below. The name is often “apartment,” but can be anything – other examples are lot, area, phase, etc). Then enter the values that workers can select from in the add new unit section (red box below). You can enter multiple entries as once if they are separated by a comma. Click “add” once you have typed them in and save the changes to the project.

Accounting Name

Accounting name must be enabled at the company level by going to Settings –> Configuration, then scroll down to the “Projects” section. In that section, check the box next to “Use accounting name”

Once this feature is active, each project will have an additional text field that is used to track an extra name for all projects. This name is only seen in reporting and integrations with external systems so workers do not see this.

Dynamic Accounting name based on skill: Accounting names can be different based on the skill selected by the worker. To set up these skill-based accounting names, go to the edit screen on the project you wish to add them for and scroll down until you see a section that looks like the screenshot below. The top “accounting name” (circled in red below) is the default accounting name.

To add a skill-based accounting name, click on the green plus icon (circled in blue below) and then pick the skill and enter the accounting name. In the green boxes below, the example shows that when the worker selects “appliances” as the skill at this project, the accounting name will be “s-bux Livermore – appliances.” Further, in the example below, if the skill is anything other than “appliances” or “cleaning,” the accounting name will be “s-bux, livermore.”

Project specific skills

The worker enabled skills above can be over-ridden by location-specific skills list. To enable that, go to the project edit screen and scroll down until you see a check box next to “use location skills list”. Check that box and you will see your company’s enabled skills appear below. Select the skills you want workers to be able to select from the list and save the project settings. Once you have a location-based skills list for a project, workers will see ONLY that list of skills when they clock in there, regardless of what their own list looks like.

Project Labels

Project Labels are a way to group different projects together, sort of like a folder except that a project can have more than one group applied. These are visible to admin only, so workers are not aware of them from the app. Click HERE to learn more.

Required Form at clock out or change task

SYNCrew’s form functionality can be set up so that a worker MUST complete the form before clocking out or going to another project. The instructions below walk you through creation of a form and setting it to be mandatory. You can view a quick overview of what forms are by clicking HERE.

Create the required form:

If you don’t have a form already built, build a form as shown HERE.
In order to make the form work for a mandatory form, the settings at the top must be configured so the “project” is set to “clocked in project”

Set the Form as required

Once your form is created, go back to the main forms setup screen and select your form in the dropdown labeled, “Required at the end of each work block.” Then click save to the right.

Now your workers will be required to complete this form before starting work with any clock in that follows a clock out. If they change task throughout the day as they work, they will only complete this form once. If they clock out and then come back to work for whatever reason, they would complete the form again.

Your workers will need to be sure they have recently updated apps so if they are able to clock in without completing the form, that is most likely the issue. Have them update the app and then leave it open for a few minutes with good wifi or cell signal and it should update properly to require the form.

How to review forms

The admins can now access the form via the Reports -> Custom Form reports Page.

Once on the page, select the Covid form (and any other desired filters for time, employee etc). Below you can also filter by responses (For example you can search all Yes responses to a particular question)

On the list that returns, you can click on any particular form where it says “View Details” to see the responses. You can also generate PDFs and manually email the forms from here.

Support requests

The SYNCrew app allows workers to request help directly in the app. Since workers must already be logged in, the majority of requests that come from here are not actually technical support issues so they are first routed to the people who know the worker best – their manager or company administrator. The email you receive has the text the worker typed to describe their issue and also a link to open their profile page so you can quickly and easily get right the their page to see what is happening. If you receive a support request and you don’t know how to answer the question, you can forward the request to suppor@syncrew.com.

Once the worker clicks to submit their request for help, a simple email gets sent to either a single company email or the manager of the team that the worker is assigned to. Here are your two options for how to route that email.

Single Email: This option will send all change requests to a single email address. This is most often used for companies with a centralized IT function.
Send to Manager: This option will route the help request based on who is set as the manager of the team that the worker is assigned to. In the event that a team’s manager is disabled (because they left the company or have a new role), those help request will go to a backup email. To learn how to set up a manager for a team, click HERE.

Overview of Settings and Configurations

To get the most out of SYNCrew, it’s important to make sure it is set up to deliver everything your need and desire. This page is a summary of the various settings and configurations.

There is a huge amount of information below and while we have done our best to make it clear, some of it can be complicated and if you prefer to just ask for help, we are available at support@syncrew.com to assist!

Custom Data Fields to be filled in with the app during work: SYNCrew has some optional fields that you can enable to allow (or require) workers to fill in as they leave a project or change their skill. There are text, number and pick list fields available and they are commonly used for things like description of work, materials used, contract vs. Time and Material, but they are very flexible so let us know how you want to use them. These fields can be optional or required, in which case the worker cannot move on until they enter the required information. Click HERE to learn more.

For companies that need more than the four optional fields, you can enable forms and make a custom form, with as many data fields as you want, required. Click HERE to read more about required forms.

App configuration: Click this link to see the ways you can configure the worker’s phone application. This includes optional settings, visual tweaks like changing the text on buttons, and more. Click HERE to learn more.

Custom Data fields associated to each worker: These are optional data fields that can be enabled for companies that have data to associate with workers. There are text fields and pick lists available and they are mostly used for back-end office needs like keeping track of employee information, which yard they work out of, or other things like that. Click HERE to learn more.

Project Settings: Projects have lots of customization available to reflect the reality that no two projects are identical! Click HERE to learn about the various ways you can customize projects.

Skill settings: Every event in SYNCrew has a “Skill” associated with it. These are things like terms to describe the kind of work being done (like landscaping, stone work, cleaning, etc.). Your company will have a unique list of skills and then each person and/or project will have a sub-set of those enabled, as you configure. Click HERE to learn more about skills.

Be sure you have the right service level to meet your needs: VIEW PLANS

Overview of emailable alerts in SYNCrew

SYNCrew has many ways to automatically email information outside the system. These are summarized here. If you do not see the options where they are mentioned, it is likely that your current plan does not include them. Please contact us at support@syncrew.com for any help.

Event Alerts with Photos: SYNCrew can automatically send you an email when certain actions are taken. These are easy to set up and powerful alerts to help managers keep track of certain real-time actions without needing to look in the portal since alerts can be filtered by project, worker, skill, type of event (clock in, clock out, flagged photo, etc). These are set up in Settings –> Alert Settings –> Email Alerts.

Report Alerts: You can have a work block report or budget report emailed overnight. These can be sent daily or weekly on a specific day. These are set up in Settings –> Alert Settings –> Report Alerts.

Lunch and Overtime email alerts: These alerts are designed to help managers enforce lunch break laws and overtime policies in realtime, without needing to log into the system. The admin picks a time range where these emails will be delivered every 30 minutes in that window. Each email will show the workers currently clocked in, how long they have been working today, whether they have taken lunch, and their contact information. Managers can quickly review the email and call/text any worker who is about to enter a meal break violation or unauthorized overtime. These are set up in Settings –> Alert Settings –> Lunch and OT Alerts.

Change Request: This is a simple way for workers to request edits to their time and other things they may commonly talk to the office about. These requests generate an email with the worker’s note. Learn more by clicking HERE.

Requests for help: Workers can request help in the app. Often times the help requested is a question best answered by their manager and the email has a link to easily open that workers profile page. In the event it is a technical issue that our technical support team at SYNCrew can best address, just forward this email to support@syncrew.com. Learn more about the request for help email by clicking HERE.

How do I change my plan?

SYNCrew offers a number of plans to allow our clients to get all the features they need at a great price. Why pay for stuff you don’t use?

To see your current plan, you can go to Settings –> License Information. There you can see which features you have enabled and which are not enabled.

Once you decide which features you need, you can review our current plans at the link below. To change plans or inquire about which might be the best plan for you, just email support@syncrew.com

View Current Plans

Photo Flags

Photo flags are a way to categorize photos. When a worker takes a progress photo, they will have the option to add a flag from the list you enter here. These are used for many things but common examples are for receipts, pre-existing damage, serving notices, and things like that. Importantly, each SYNCrew client sets their own photo flags so they can be whatever YOU need!

How to enable and configure photo flags

Turn on photo flags for your account
1. Go to Settings –> Configuration in the left navigation
2. Scroll down to “App configuration options” and look for “photo flags”
3. click the box next to “enable”
4. Scroll down and click “save”
Set up your flags
1. Go to Settings –> Configuration in the left navigation
2. Scroll down to “App configuration options” and look for “photo flags”
3. To view your current flag list: Click “click to view and search current list” and the list will pop up
4. To add a flag: Type your flag name in the “add new flag name” field and click “add.” Repeat for each flag you wish to add. Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click “save”
5. To remove a flag: Click “click to view and search current list” and the list will pop up. Click the flag you wish to remove adn click “remove.” Repeat for each flag you wish to remove and then scroll to the bottom of the page and click “save”

What it looks like in the app

In the app, the worker will take a progress photo as normal. When they are at the screen where they put notes in, your list of options will be available and the worker can select whichever they wish.

List of flags to choose from at left. “Receipt” flag selected at right.

How to find flags on the admin dashboard

Dashboard: Photos with flags will have a red box around them on the dashboard. You can also click “flagged” in the row of check boxes above the photos to view ONLY flagged photos.
Photos: In the photos search, there is a filter for flags and you can search whichever flag you are looking for. This filter is in addition to other filters so you can search for flagged photos by a particular worker, for example.
Reports –> Activity: In the Activity Report, there is a filter for Photo Flags and you can search whichever flag you are looking for. This filter is in addition to other filters so you can search for flagged photos as a particular project, for example.
Email alerts: Email alerts can be set up to automatically send an email anytime a photo is flagged. Depending on your service plan, you can have multiple email alerts so different photo flags can be sent to different people (internal to your company or outside clients and vendors, as appropriate). To configure email alerts, go to Settings –> Alerts –> email alerts.

App Configuration Settings

The SYNCrew app is very configurable. Below are all the ways that you can change how the app functions.

Worker Type: There are different kinds of Worker accounts. When you create a new Worker account, you are asked what to select a “Worker type” and these actually change how the app functions. Click HERE to read about these different worker types.

You can enable the following features by going to Settings –> Configure, and then scrolling down to “App configuration”. After changing settings, be sure to scroll all the way down and click “save”

Custom buttons on app home screen: When a worker is clocked in, the app has default buttons that say “take photo or video,” “Start meal break,” “go to next jobsite,” and “done for the day.” These may not be exactly right for your type of work and so you can change what these button show. To use custom text, click the check box marked by the red circle below and then edit the button names to what you want for English and Spanish. For workers whose phones are in other languages, it will show English. Remember to scroll down and click “save” when you are done.

Add Break Time Enable: Checking the box next to this option makes is so the app will allow workers to add their breaks at the end of the day. Specifically, in the event that a worker did not take a break during the day, when they clock out, the app will ask if they want to add a break for the day. If the workers says to add a break, it will be added in the middle of the last work block they worked.

Allow worker to end break after 30 minutes, regardless of when button is clicked: Checking the box next to this option will add a feature to help workers correct the somewhat common mistake of forgetting to clock back in after lunch. When this option is enabled, and the worker has been on lunch break for more than 30 minutes, a button will appear that says “end break after 30 minutes.” This way, if the worker remembers much later that they never ended their break, they can easily click to end it after 30 minutes instead of ending it then and asking an admin to correct the time.

Photo Flags: Photo flags are a way to categorize photos. When a worker takes a progress photo, they will have the option to add a flag from the list you enter here. These are used for many things but common examples are for receipts, pre-existing damage, serving notices, and things like that. Importantly, each SYNCrew client sets their own photo flags so they can be whatever YOU need! Read more about photo flags HERE.