What each visit records
| Record | How it is captured | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Start and finish time | The crew taps Start and Complete in Field Mode | You; the client’s report shows the time the visit was completed |
| GPS position | Where the phone was at the start and at the finish, plus the trail it recorded while the visit was open | You; photos on the client’s report show where they were taken |
| Photos taken at the site | Taken in the app during the visit, each stamped with the time and the GPS position | You and the client — they are the heart of the site report |
| Crew | Whoever is on the route and working the visit | You |
| Salt and de-icer | “Log material” in the app: the product and the amount put down at that site | You only — never on the client’s report |
| Crew notes | Typed in the app during the visit | You only |
A site report for every visit, sent when you choose
When the crew completes a visit, Icey builds the site report: the site and its address, the service, the status, the date and time the visit was completed, a job reference, and the photos, each with the GPS position where it was taken when the phone recorded one. The report is kept on the job in Site Reports.
You choose when clients get them. A new Icey account starts with client report emails off, so nothing is emailed to a client until you send it. Send any report with a tap (the dashboard offers each of your first few as they finish), or switch on Client site reports in Settings → Preferences and Icey emails each client’s reports once a day at the time you set. Anything finished after that time goes the next day.
The daily email goes to the addresses on the client’s page that have Site reports ticked. While client reports are off, an address you add there starts unticked, so tick each one that should get them when you switch reports on. Addresses brought in by a spreadsheet import are not on that list yet — add them on the client’s page before the first storm. A report you send yourself outside 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. waits until 9 a.m. in your time zone, so a route that finishes at 3 a.m. doesn’t land in a property manager’s inbox at 3 a.m.
What stays in your own records, and why
The client’s report answers one question: was the site serviced, and when. Everything else stays internal — salt and de-icer amounts, crew notes, weather notes and the names of the crew.
Material amounts are your business records. They belong in your files rather than on every report a client receives. When an insurer, an adjuster or a lawyer asks what went down at a site on a given night, you open that visit in Icey: the times, the GPS, the photos and the amount logged at that site.
No signal? The crew keeps working
Parkades, underground lots and rural routes lose signal. Field Mode keeps recording anyway: starts, finishes, photos and material logs are saved on the phone with the time the crew tapped them, and they sync when the signal comes back.
On the iPhone app, location can keep recording with the phone locked once it is allowed “Always”. In a phone’s web browser — how Android crews use Icey today — GPS records while Field Mode is open.
Why a visit record matters in a slip-and-fall claim
Slip-and-fall claims often arrive months after the storm, and they turn on documentation: was the site serviced, when, and what was done. A record made at the time — the times, GPS and photos from the visit itself — is far stronger than notes rebuilt from memory. Our slip-and-fall documentation guide covers what a good record includes, and the free salt log template shows the same fields on paper.
This is general information, not legal advice. Ask your insurer or a lawyer what your contracts and your province or state require.
Frequently Asked Questions
What app proves a snow contractor serviced a site?
One that records each visit as it happens: the time, the GPS position and photos taken at the site, all tied to that visit. Icey Software’s Field Mode does this on the crew’s phone and turns each completed visit into a site report for the client.
How do snow contractors prove they salted?
By logging the material at the site during the visit, alongside photos and the visit’s time and GPS. In Icey the crew taps “Log material” and records the product and the amount for that site. The amount stays in your records; the client’s report shows the visit and the photos.
Does the client see how much salt was used?
No. Salt and de-icer amounts never appear on the client’s site report. They stay in your account, where you can look them up for any visit.
Is the site report sent to the client automatically?
Only once you switch it on. A new Icey account starts with client report emails off: every completed visit still gets its site report, kept on the job, and you can email any report to the client with a tap. Switch on Client site reports in Settings → Preferences and Icey emails each client’s reports once a day at the time you set, to the addresses on the client’s page that have Site reports ticked. Addresses brought in by a spreadsheet import are not on that list until you add them there, so check each imported client before the first storm.
Does it work without cell signal?
Yes. Starts, finishes, photos and material logs are saved on the phone with the time they happened, and they sync when the signal returns.
Can I pull up a visit for an insurer or a lawyer?
Yes. Every visit keeps its times, GPS, photos, crew and material in your account, and each completed visit has its site report. General information, not legal advice.
Go deeper
- Slip-and-fall liability documentation — what a visit record needs to hold up
- Free salt application log template — the same fields on paper, printable
- Salt & de-icing tracking — how material logs work in Icey
- What is Icey Software — the facts, the prices and everything it does
Start recording every visit
Free for crews of up to 5 operators: sign up, add your sites and open Field Mode on your phone today. No demo call.