Proof:

A real-world conversation

This actual email exchange shows how easy it is for a project engineer or manager to turn dense observation reports or punch lists into organized, actionable, and properly-assigned records.

Step 1

A project engineer forwards the field report they just received from the consultant.

Step 2

Three minutes later, Bex has:

• Analyzed the report
• Extracted images—with annotations (arrows, circles, etc.)
• Normalized the data into Procore-ready fields
• Selected the applicable projects, assignees, trades, locations, and observation types as defined in Procore, for all 13 items
• Decided which items are for information only, if any
• Sent an approval request

Step 3

The PE reviews the data table and finds a few corrections to make, using simple, natural language.

Note the last bullet: there's no need to give Bex 13 different row numbers. Bex understands these instructions just like a person would, flexibly, without requiring the user to learn how to talk to it. Items can be changed, deleted, split, even moved to different projects with ease.

Step 4

Bex now makes the changes and responds with a fresh approval request. At this point, the PE writes back one word: approved.

Step 5

Within minutes, Bex has saved all 13 observations to Procore and send the PE a confirmation.

Step 6

A moment later, subcontractors receive personalized "rollup" notifications of new assignments. In both English and Spanish. (Did we mention that Bex is multi-lingual?)

These emails contain a summary of each item, plus PDFs containing the details in a clear, printable, and easy-to-follow format. They include the complete observation/punch item, including photos and diagrams, saving the assignee several trips to Procore.

Step 7

When the subcontractor completes the work, they can email a photo and quick explanation, and Bex update the observation status with a comment. Project managers, engineers, and administrators stay up to date, and with the tight time cycles, costly rework is avoided.

KPI actuals

This is a real Bex activity log report showing how it accelerates the observation (punch list) process, greatly shortening the time between a site walk and when subcontractors get notified of crucial deficiencies:

Points of interest

1. Highlight 1 shows the elapsed time from Bex first getting the report from a project engineer to when subcontractors assigned to items got notifications: less than one hour. These reports had 13 and 33 items (2/12 and 2/4 report dates, respectively). The customer reports that before Bex, each item would take anywhere from 2 to 4 minutes to enter into Procore, so Bex reduced hundreds of clicks and 1–2 hours of employee time to just three emails over a span of 12 to 36 minutes. These aren't outliers, they're typical results as you can see from the rest of the chart.
2. Highlight 2 shows longer gaps in the approval process as the project engineer took on other tasks or quit for the evening after sending Bex a report. This demonstrates how your valuable employees can get on with their most important work while Bex patiently does the drudgery and waits for further instructions. Users can go at their own pace, and don't have to stare at a screen and complete the task in one go.
3. Overall, this chart shows a tremendous improvement in the elapsed time between a consultant writing up a report after a site walk, and subcontractors getting notified of deficiencies. The customer says that before Bex, because of how painful the process was, it could take from 2 weeks to a month to get reports processed—often leading to costly rework, such as when a drywaller inadvertently covers up a plumbing issue that neither subcontractor was aware of.

Conclusion

Bex has already proved itself in the field by tackling one of the most onerous yet vital data entry and communication tasks a commercial construction company faces: field observation and punch list reports. And, users report that it is fun to work with and very easy to make changes before giving final approval.