Coming from another inspection tool

There is no one-click import from another inspection tool. AfterInspect cannot read the reports, templates or comment lists exported by another report writer, and there is no way to upload one to it. This article covers what you can do instead, using only what exists today.

What cannot be brought across

• Old reports. You cannot import them. Most inspectors keep their archive in the old tool and start new inspections here.
• Templates in another tool's format. There is no import for them, and no template editor for ordinary accounts. The template-building tool in the app is for the AfterInspect team only.
• Comment lists. There is no import of a spreadsheet, CSV file or another tool's saved comments. Entries are added one at a time.
• Report layouts. A report looks the way AfterInspect builds it, with your branding. You cannot load another tool's report format.

The fastest route that exists

None of these steps comes with a time estimate. How long each takes depends on how much of your old wording you want to carry over.

1. Pick the closest template. Open Account, then Templates, and look through the catalog for the standard or specialty template nearest to what you use now. Tap View sections to compare its sections with yours, then tap Add. See Templates and add-on sections.
2. Cover the gaps for each job. Add an add-on section (condo, radon, sewer scope and others) when you start an inspection, and use + Other or + Add topic inside an inspection for an item or section your template lacks.
3. Bring your favourite wording into the comment library. Open Comment library and tap + Add entry to type in the sentences you use most, with a severity and a recommendation. You do not have to do it all at once: while you write up a real inspection, tick Save to my comment library on a finding whose wording you want to keep. The built-in entries are there to start from as well. See The comment library.
4. Add your standard pages. Put your scope and terms into notice pages, and your phone, email and address into company contact details. See Report pages.
5. Set your look. Add your logo, colour and licence numbers in Branding (see Branding your report).
6. Try it on a sample. On a new account's empty inspection list, tap Try a sample inspection to get a finished sample, generate its report (see Complete an inspection and generate the report), and see what your clients would receive before you use it on a real job.

Then follow Your first inspection for the field workflow.

If something goes wrong

• You cannot find a template that matches your old one. Pick the nearest and use + Other and + Add topic inside the inspection. You cannot edit the template itself.
• You need to keep old reports. Keep them in the old tool, or as PDFs you saved. AfterInspect does not hold other tools' reports.