FE
Field Engineer · Stage 1
Getting Started
Guide
Everything a technician needs to run a replacement survey and generate a recommendation — start to finish, no experience required.
Survey & Recommendation Tool · For field technicians
What this tool does. It has two modes. Sales / Survey walks you through a replacement evaluation at a customer's home and produces a Good / Better / Best recommendation with rebates. Tech / Repair guides you through a trouble call — confirming the problem, identifying the system, diagnosing on real readings, and walking you through the repair. When you open the app you pick which one you're doing.
You'll need: the web address for the app (your manager has it — it looks like https://your-company.vercel.app) and a phone or tablet with internet. There's nothing to install.
00Pick your mode
Every time you open the app, it asks what you're here to do. Tap the mode for this job; you can switch anytime with the "Switch mode" link at the top of either home screen.
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FE
Field Engineer
Choose your workflow
Field Engineer
What are you here to do today?
SSales / Survey
Replacement eval & recommendation
›
TTech / Repair
Trouble-call diagnosis & repair
›
Mode select (opening screen)
- Sales / Survey — choose this for a replacement evaluation. The walkthrough in Part 1 below covers it.
- Tech / Repair — choose this when you've been dispatched to fix something. Part 2 covers it.
Part 1Sales / Survey Mode
01Opening the app
Type the web address into your phone's browser. To make it easy to find next time, add it to your home screen (your phone's browser menu has an "Add to Home Screen" option) — it then opens like a normal app.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Replacement Survey
Size up the job.
Get the rec.
Capture the jobsite once, then generate Good / Better / Best per system.
+ New Survey
Saved Surveys
Smith, John
1 system · Rec ready · Jun 5
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Garcia, Ana
2 systems · In progress · Jun 5
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⚙ Lookup Backend
Connected ✓
Home screen
- + New Survey — tap this to start a fresh job at a customer's home.
- Saved Surveys — every survey you start is saved here automatically. A green dot means the recommendation is ready; an amber dot means it's still in progress. Tap any row to reopen it.
- Lookup Backend — this is already set up for you. As long as it shows Connected ✓, leave it alone. (If it ever shows an error, tell your manager.)
02Step 1 — Customer & Property
Fill in who the customer is and basic facts about the home. Fields marked with a small orange star are required — you can't move on until they're filled.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Step 1 of 5
Customer & Property
Customer name *
John Smith
Street address *
1420 Oak Street
Total conditioned sq ft *
—
⌁ Look up property from address
Customer & Property
- Progress bar & required fields — the bar at top shows how far through the survey you are. The orange * marks required fields.
- Look up property from address — after typing the street, city, and state, tap this. It fills in square footage and year built from public records so you don't have to. Always glance at the square footage and correct it if it looks wrong — it drives the sizing.
- Power / utility provider — after the property lookup, the app figures out the electric and gas utilities for the address on its own and asks you to confirm them on the next screen (below). Accurate utilities make the rebates and savings numbers much sharper.
- Next → — moves to the next step. Exit saves and returns to the home screen.
03Step 1 — Confirm the utilities
Right after the property lookup, the app names the electric and gas utilities it found for the address and asks you to check them. You can't move on until you confirm — this keeps the rebates and savings estimates accurate.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Step 1 · Customer & Property
Confirm the utilities
We found these for 1420 Oak St, Brighton. Is this correct?
Electric · Xcel Energy (PSCo)
High confidence · Source ↗
✎
Gas · Xcel Energy
High confidence · Source ↗
✎
🔒 Next stays locked until you confirm.
✓ Confirm & continue
Edit providers
Utility confirmation
- Two utilities, electric and gas. They're often the same company (around here, Xcel usually does both), sometimes not. Each shows how confident the app is and a Source link you can tap to check.
- Edit is a pick-list, not typing. Tap the ✎ (or Edit providers) and choose from the known utilities for that area, or "Other." That keeps the name clean for rebates and savings.
- Confirm to continue. Tap Confirm & continue and you're on to Systems. If the app couldn't find one, it still asks you to pick before moving on — it never guesses silently.
04Step 2 — Systems (and reading a nameplate)
Add one entry for each independent system in the home. A house with separate upstairs and downstairs units gets two systems — each one gets its own recommendation. Tap a system to fill in its equipment; this is also where the camera does the work for you.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Smith, John · system
Main floor
Nameplate Photos
⌁ Read with AI
AI read · verifyhigh
Date: Serial decodes to mfg 2012 (10 yrs).
Equipment Details
System type *
AC + FurnaceHeat Pump
System editor
- Nameplate Photos — tap the + to snap (or pick) photos of the unit's nameplate and serial sticker. Add a couple for a clear read.
- Read with AI — tap it and the app reads the photos and fills in brand, model, serial, type, and an age estimate automatically.
- AI read · verify — the blue panel shows what it found and how confident it is. Always check the fields it filled, especially the age — serial-number dating isn't perfect, so the app flags it for you to confirm.
Back on the Systems list, tap + Add system for each additional unit. When every system shows a green dot, tap Next.
05Steps 3 & 4 — Site Conditions & Comfort
Two quick tap-only steps. Site Conditions captures the things that affect the install (ducts, electrical panel, drainage, access). Comfort & Needs captures why the customer is buying — their complaints and their goals — which is what turns into smart framing and upsell flags later.
FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Step 3 of 5
Site Conditions
Ductwork condition
GoodFairPoor
Electrical panel
200A+200A150A125A100A
Equipment access
EasyModerateTight
Site Conditions (tap to select)
- Just tap. Every answer here is a button — tap the one that fits. Tap again to deselect.
- Be honest about ducts and panel. If ductwork is Poor or the panel is small, the tool turns that into a flag on the recommendation, which helps you scope the job correctly.
- On the Comfort step, "Comfort complaints" lets you pick more than one (hot/cold rooms, humidity, dust, noise). These drive the air-quality and zoning suggestions.
- Ask about their goals — and mark the main one. The Comfort step also asks what matters most: lowest upfront cost, best value, lower bills, comfort, reliability, environment, direct replacement, or best available. Pick all that apply and tap one as primary. The recommendation then leads with the tier and the story that fits — e.g. primary "lower bills" puts the savings number up top, primary "lowest cost" leads with the Good tier and financing. It only reorders what's emphasized; the customer still sees every option.
06Energy profile
A quick capture that powers the savings estimate: what they heat with today, and whether they have solar or a battery.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Energy profile
Energy profile
Heating fuel today
GasPropaneElectricHeat pumpOil
Solar panels?
YesNo
7.2 kW · net-metered
Battery backup?
YesNo
13.5 kWh · backs essentials
Energy profile
- Heating fuel — what they burn now. Propane and oil are where switching to a heat pump saves the most, so flag those.
- Solar — if they have panels, a new heat pump may run largely on their own power; that makes the savings case much stronger.
- Battery — capture size and what it backs up. It's a resilience/peace-of-mind talking point, and may affect incentives. Don't know exact numbers? Estimate — a bill sharpens it later.
07What matters most (goals)
On the Comfort step, capture their complaints and — most important — their goals, marking the one that matters most.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Comfort & needs
What matters most?
Complaints
Hot/cold roomsHumidityDustNoise
Goals — tap all, then ★ the main one
★ Lower billsComfortLowest costBest valueReliabilityEnvironmentDirect replaceBest available
Comfort & goals
- Pick all that apply, then ★ the primary. The recommendation leads with the tier and the story that fit the main goal — e.g. "lower bills" puts the savings number up top, "lowest cost" leads with the Good tier.
- It only changes emphasis, not options. The customer still sees every tier and the real numbers — you're meeting them where they are, not steering.
08Document the home (photos)
Capture the site so the proposal looks complete and the install crew can plan the job without a second trip.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Photos · Smith
Document the home
Install location
Exterior
Electrical panel
Equipment & nameplates
Access / obstructions
Site photos
- Snap every category — install spot, exterior, electrical panel, nameplates, and anything tight or in the way. Tap ＋ to add as many as you need.
- More is better. These ride along on the proposal and go to the install crew, so the goal is that they can plan the whole job from your photos.
09The Recommendation
After the last step you land on the recommendation screen — the payoff. Each system gets its own sizing estimate and a Good / Better / Best lineup, followed by whole-home flags and available rebates.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Recommendation · Smith
GoodStandard
14.3 SEER2 · Single-stage
BetterTwo-Stage
16 SEER2 · Two-stage
BestInverter
18+ SEER2 · Variable
Duct improvement opportunity
FederalVaries
Heat pump incentive
⌁ Find rebates & incentives
Copy job summary
Recommendation screen
- Sizing estimate — the dark boxes show the rough cooling/heating size for that system. It's a starting estimate, not a final load calc — confirm before quoting.
- Good / Better / Best — three tiers to walk the customer through, from budget to premium. Each lists its key selling points.
- Flags — the colored bars are opportunities and watch-items the tool spotted (aging equipment, duct work, panel upgrades, air-quality add-ons, maintenance plans). Use them to scope and upsell.
- Find rebates & incentives — tap to pull current programs for this address. Copy job summary copies a plain-text recap you can paste into an email or your office system.
Optional — how exact do you want the savings number? It comes in three levels. Rough is the default and needs nothing from the customer. For a tighter number, tap Add a bill: one summer and one winter bill gets you a Better figure, and a full year of bills gets the Best, most exact one. It's never required and never blocks the survey — they can email bills later. The app reads only the usage and cost, and keeps the numbers, not the bill image. You can also switch what the savings compare against — doing nothing, repairing the old unit, or a basic replacement — right on the screen. The rough number uses published energy rates with a date stamp and an asterisk (e.g. "based on 2024 rates"); since prices have risen since, the estimate is conservative — point that out, real savings are likely higher.
How the price is built. The tool puts together a complete, all-in price for the system you're proposing — equipment, labor, materials, hauling away the old unit, and a new line set if the old one can't be reused. It'll ask about anything that changes the work — a line set through a finished basement, a crawlspace or attic unit — so check those. You can also add scope items (panel upgrade, ductwork, IAQ, zoning) or describe a one-off under "Other." Prices are estimates while we finish the pricing setup.
Closing the deal. The recommendation turns into a proposal you can show or send the customer: the system, the savings, and the full price — what they pay, the down payment, up to two financing options you enter (estimated monthly payment, term, and APR — marked "subject to credit approval"), the estimated rebates, and their net out-of-pocket. They can sign right there, pay the deposit (default 60% now, 40% at completion), and the job is marked ready to install — the office then confirms the equipment and sets the date. You'll see the sell price and how far you can discount, but not the company's cost. Closing at a higher price earns you more commission; discounting earns less, and the tool won't let you go below the minimum.
Take lots of photos. Capture the install location, the home exterior, the indoor equipment area, the electrical panel, the nameplates, and anything tight or in the way. These go on the proposal and to the install crew, so the more the better.
10Savings & out-of-pocket
From the recommendation you can show the estimated savings, switch what they're compared against, and refine the number with a bill.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Savings · Smith
Compare against
Your current system (do nothing) ▾
Est. annual savings*
$1,650/yr
Rough estimateadd bills to refine
Propane → heat pump · 2024 rates*
* Based on 2024 EIA rates; energy prices are up ~10% since, so your real savings are likely higher.
＋ Add a bill for an exact number
Savings estimate
- Compare against (dropdown) — switch the baseline: doing nothing, repairing the old unit, or a basic replacement. The number always reads "savings vs. [that baseline]."
- The asterisk — the rate's date is shown. Because prices have risen since, the estimate is conservative; tell the customer their real savings are likely higher.
- Add a bill — Rough by default; one summer + one winter bill makes it Better, a full year makes it Best. Never required.
11The proposal & close
The recommendation becomes a proposal you can show or send: the full price, rebates, net out-of-pocket, deposit, financing, and a signature.
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FE
Field Engineer
Stage 1 · Survey + Rec
saved
Proposal · Smith
Your proposal
Better — cold-climate heat pump
$14,200
Deposit (60%) — now
$8,520
Balance (40%) — at completion
$5,680
Financing — subject to credit approval
$189 / mo
120 mo · 9.99% APR
$312 / mo
60 mo · 7.99% APR
✍ Sign & accept
Proposal & close
- The breakdown the customer sees — system price, estimated rebates, the net out-of-pocket headline, and the deposit now / balance at completion (default 60/40).
- Two financing options you entered, each marked "subject to credit approval." The credit app itself is done in the lender's own app.
- Sign & accept — the customer signs, the job is marked ready to install and sent to the office (it syncs to the calendar and QuickBooks). You see the price and how far you can discount, never the company's cost.
12Faster capture & all-electric homes (new)
Newer shortcuts that save time on the truck — and handle the homes with the biggest savings.
Identify everything from photos
On the Systems step, tap ⚡ Identify everything from photos and snap a label on each piece of equipment — the furnace, the outdoor AC condenser, a heat pump, a swamp cooler — then tap ✨ Identify. The tool reads them all, looks up the specs, and builds the systems for you: a furnace and an AC become one "Furnace + AC" entry automatically, and the type is picked for you. Review what it filled in — each is marked "AI-detected — change if wrong" — and fix anything that's off. It won't erase a system you've already entered; it adds to it.
Furnace + AC: capture both labels
A furnace-and-AC system is two machines, so when the type is "Furnace + AC" you'll see two photo buttons — Furnace label and AC condenser label. Shoot each one; the tool reads each and keeps both model and serial numbers (the office needs both for ordering and warranty).
All-electric & baseboard homes
If the home heats with electric baseboard (or electric with no ductwork), the tool recommends a ductless mini-split — no ducts, no drywall, just line sets. You'll set the number of zones / indoor heads on the recommendation screen, and the price follows that count. These resistance-heat homes have the biggest savings you'll quote.
Check the gas at the meter. On the utilities step, answer "Gas service at the home?" from what you actually see — gas on the map doesn't mean there's a meter at the house. If there's no gas, the tool drops dual-fuel and won't promise a rebate that needs gas service. If the customer's bills are electric-only, the tool will flag "likely no natural gas" and let you mark it in one tap.
No AC? That's a selling point
Record what they cool with today — central, window units, swamp cooler, or none. If it's a swamp cooler or nothing and you're quoting a heat pump, the tool adds an "Adds air conditioning" note to the proposal: you're giving them whole-home cooling they've never had, on top of the heating savings. (We don't sell swamp coolers — we just record them.)
Read the bills with AI
On the Savings step, add photos of the electric and gas bills — even from two different companies. The tool reads the usage, the customer's real rate, peak demand, and temperatures, and uses their actual rates in the estimate instead of averages. One summer and one winter bill sharpen it; a full year is best.
13Quick tips
- It saves as you go. If you get interrupted, just close it — your survey is on the home screen, in progress, when you come back.
- Always verify the square footage the lookup fills in. Everything sized downstream depends on it.
- The age the camera reads is a best guess. Confirm it against the unit if you can — serial dating varies by brand.
- Rebate amounts change constantly. Treat them as a conversation starter and check the source link before you promise a number.
- One system per independent unit. Don't combine an upstairs and downstairs system into one entry — they size and price differently.
Part 2Tech / Repair Mode
This mode is for a dispatched trouble call. You arrive, tell the tool what you're servicing and what's wrong, capture the equipment, and it walks you through diagnosing and fixing it — guiding you exactly as far as your credentials allow.
T1Your profile
The tool knows who you are and what you're certified for. Your profile is set by your manager/admin — you can't grant yourself credentials. It's what decides how far the tool will guide you on risky work.
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FE
Field Engineer
Service · Repair Copilot
tech
JR
Johnny R. · T-1042
novice · EPA II
+ New Trouble Call
Recent Calls
Furnace — No heat
Closed · Jun 6
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A/C — No cooling
In progress · Jun 6
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Tech home
- Your badge — name, Tech ID, experience level, and EPA type. Tap Edit to review it. Credentials themselves are admin-set.
- + New Trouble Call — start here when you arrive on a job. Past calls are listed below (green = closed, amber = in progress, red = escalated).
Why it matters: a profile without EPA Universal, line-voltage, or gas clearances will be guided through everything it's allowed to do, then stopped and told to escalate at the step that needs a credential you don't hold. That's the safety net.
T2Equipment & the complaint
Pick what you're there to service, then record two things separately: what the customer said, and what you actually find on arrival.
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FE
Field Engineer
Service · Repair Copilot
New trouble call · Step 1
What are you servicing?
Then: the complaint
On arrival, tech finds
ConfirmedCouldn't reproduce
Equipment + complaint
- Pick the equipment. Each tile is a job type. This sets which components the tool will ask you to capture next.
- Reported vs. confirmed. Type what the customer reported, then tap what you actually find — Confirmed, Couldn't reproduce, or Different problem. This protects you, and a problem you can't reproduce is a different job than one you confirm.
T3Capture the system
The tool lists the standard components for this job and asks you to photograph each nameplate (the AI reads make/model/serial, same as the survey side). Then it asks if there's anything else.
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FE
Field Engineer
Service · Repair Copilot
Furnace · Step 3
Capture the system
Furnace
Carrier · 58STA · SN…
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+ Other component
zoning, humidifier, secondary unit…
Component capture
- Tap each component to photograph its nameplate and let the AI fill in the details (verify them, like on the survey side). A green edge means it's captured.
- + Other component — if the system has zoning, a humidifier, a secondary unit, anything extra, add it here so the diagnosis has the full picture. When you're set, tap Start diagnosis.
T4Diagnose — one step at a time
This is the heart of it. The tool gives you one check at a time, tells you exactly how to do it, and you enter the actual value you measure. It reads your number and decides the next move — like a senior tech on the line with you.
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FE
Field Engineer
Service · Repair Copilot
Furnace · No heat · diagnosis
⚠ I see something dangerous — stop
Check 24V at W (call for heat)
Set meter to VAC. With a heat call active at the thermostat, probe W to C on the control board…
Caution: low-voltage; keep clear of line-voltage terminals.
Measured value (V)
Enter what you read
Photos — optional, for the record
Submit reading →
Diagnostic step
- The check + how-to. Every step names what to check and explains exactly how to do it safely — written so you can follow it even if you've never done it.
- Enter the real value. Don't guess pass/fail — type the actual number you measured (0V, 24V, 12 PSI, 78°F). The tool reasons on your real reading.
- Snap photos. Add as many as you want at any step — the meter, the part, the wiring. They're saved with the job for the record and for support/training, and help the tool "see" what you see.
- Danger button. Always at the top. If anything looks or smells wrong at any moment, tap it to stop immediately.
T5When the tool stops you
The tool will halt for two reasons, and both are protecting you: a safety hard stop, or a step that needs a credential you don't have. In both cases everything you've already confirmed is saved for a clean handoff.
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FE
Field Engineer
Service · Repair Copilot
Furnace · diagnosis
⛔ Stop
Suspected cracked heat exchanger — a carbon-monoxide safety risk.
Shut the unit down, red-tag it, advise the customer, and escalate.
Beyond your scope
This repair needs line-voltage clearance (E1), which isn't on your profile.
Log & escalate
Hard stop & credential gate
- Safety hard stop. For dangerous situations (gas smell, CO, cracked heat exchanger, water on live electrical) the tool halts and tells you the exact action — shut down, red-tag, advise, escalate. Some serious stops can only be cleared by a senior/master tech who holds the right credential, and only with a logged acknowledgment.
- Credential gate. If the fix needs a certification you don't carry, the tool stops you there — not because you did anything wrong, but because it's beyond your current scope. Tap Log & escalate; your whole diagnosis is saved so the next tech doesn't start over.
T6Repair & verify
When the tool reaches a diagnosis you're cleared to fix, it walks you through the repair, then has you confirm it actually worked before closing out.
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FE
Field Engineer
Service · Repair Copilot
Likely diagnosis
Failed hot-surface igniter
Guided repair
1. Cut power at the disconnect.
2. Remove the igniter mounting screw…
3. Fit the new igniter (don't touch the element)…
Repair done — verify →
Diagnosis, repair & verify
- The diagnosis appears in green when the tool is confident.
- Guided repair — step-by-step instructions for the fix, within what you're cleared to do.
- Verify the fix. Tap through to re-check the original complaint and record a confirming reading (and a photo) before the job closes. The finished record is stamped with your Tech ID and certification number, and you can copy a summary for the office.
T7Tech quick tips
- Enter real numbers, not pass/fail. The whole diagnosis is only as smart as the readings you give it.
- Photograph generously. Extra photos at each step cost nothing and help support, training, and the record.
- If it stops you, it's working as intended. A credential gate or hard stop is protecting you — escalate; don't work around it.
- Tap the danger button the instant something feels off. Smell, scorch, water on electrical — stop first, sort it out second.
- It saves as you go. An interrupted call is waiting on your tech home, in progress.
Screens shown are faithful recreations of the live app for instructional purposes. The actual app may differ slightly as it's updated.