GoCanvas Business Apps and Solutions Reviews & Product Details

We use Canvas to record field service cases. The ability to build a different app, or form, for the various contracts we hold saves quite a bit of money. In the past we've always run into apps that can provide some of the support we need, but lack a key piece. That left us to invent a work around, which often increases data variance, or purchase a secondary program. The support we've received from Canvas has also been top notch. No waiting around for days to receive a call back on a issue. They often give us calls just to check on how things are going and to tell us about new features. The latest being a calendar that was added to the dispatch screen. This lets us schedule and easily see how our field services are working the day. The price is extremely competitive for this sort of software as well. Its hard to list one feature as what we like best. All around the software has been great asset to our company. It also integrates with Zapier, which is just a bonus. There is a api that canvas freely offers if you want to do it the old fashioned way.

One of our main clients has a tendency to omit key items when discussing our contracts, then after we start they have new requirements for data capturing. The only issue we've run into has to do with these ocurrances. Apps cannot be changed without a version update, but once the version is updated data cannot be pulled from multiple versions at once. They may have new headers or be in a different order, which is why it is difficult to fix. However, when you're dealing with thousands of entries it is not always possible to do one of these updates. Also the regular search feature only searches the last 500 entries to a particular app. You can search everything when using the advanced search.

Recording thousands of field service trips in a short amount of time. This includes upwards of 40 unique photos and dozens of serial numbers. It also lets us get a signature from clients and digitally record it; should the work come in question.

The freedom to create products that are specific to my needs. The tools are easy to use and give me the ability to create almost anything. I cant say enough wonderful things about support. They generally respond within the hour and never stop until I have an answer or resolution. The platform is continually expanding, offering better options for the tasks I am trying to complete.

I cant say there is anything that I dislike about Canvas.

Plan, experiment and have fun!

Before Canvas, I had inconsistent data being submitted by my field technicians. All of my field personnel (myself included) had no access to real data concerning the customers we are servicing. The only way for us to get the data was to call into the office and take up the office staffs time trying to answer questions.

Since we have started with Canvas, the data submitted by the technicians in the field has become consistent, reducing the number of questions raised in the office trying to support them. The data that is available to the technicians is almost limitless. They can check inventory, customer history, asset history and contact information. I have also created apps to manage the on-call service rotation, time cards, after hours dispatch and even accident reporting.

To sum it up, Canvas has enabled this company to save time and money by making valuable information ready instantly and consistently.

The ease of creating and updating forms. I love the designer PDFs. They look great. I also love the Zapier integration. I integrate so many of our form submissions with Google Sheets. Very helpful.

Not knowing if a photo field is going to create a second page on the designer PDF report. I have to test it several times before getting it right.

Definitely, consider this product if you are looking to setup electronic / mobile forms for your company. You will not be disappointed.

We are getting needed forms and billing faster than ever before. We're creating less paper nightmares and get things from other states in hours rather than days. We find new forms, reports, etc. to add to our Canvas forms at least weekly. We are capturing daily reporting from our drivers that we weren't necessarily able to before and it helps us on many levels.

Having access to forms and applications on mobile devices is a must in today's digital world. Canvas works flawlessly in this aspect. Elements on the screen are scaled beautifully, and the interface is easy to understand.

The Canvas platform can handle a multitude of business processes; however, there lacks a connection of the information between apps. For instance if a purchase order is created, it would be nice to pull values from that form into a material receipt form. I think this kind of built-in feature would bring the Canvas experience to a whole new level.

If you're looking to eliminate paper clutter and reduce the time spent filing and entering data from hard copy documents, look no further that Canvas.

We've integrated Canvas into our client's workflow to minimize their paper footprint, and streamline their business process from on the job site to in the office.

The mobile client and desktop client make it very easy on our staff to input information consistently and correctly. Also, being able to customize the app for our specific needs is a big plus. And once the information is entered, having the consistent output report format keeps everyone on the same page with expectations.

While we are able to customize the PDF reports, they do have their limitations and are sometimes difficult to get the information organized in the desired format.

Great product. Make sure you understand the pricing and level structure.

The mobile platform makes it very easy for our staff to enter data so we are seeing a much greater participation than before, which provides us useful information for future planning. We have also been able to use fewer staff in the administration role for distributing and organizing the information.

I love how easy it is to write apps and our techs have done away with all of their 3-part forms, which has saved us a lot of money.

Can't think of anything that I don't like

Their support team has always been great to work with

We had a number of forms for our technicians, depending on what type of service call they were making. Now they don't have to worry because all their forms are available on their phone or tablet. I also want to note that their tech support team is the best around. They are always friendly and helpful!

Reliable and lots of convenient features. Easy to read reports, fairly easy to design apps. The new interface is beter than before. You can now copy questions. Much faster to create custom apps

Not much these days. Since the improvements made in the update, it has become much more user friendly. The new app builder is just as easy to use as the old one with some more features. Some people say they do not like the new App builder, but it is A-OK

Get it. Makes life way easier if you have the proper data plans already. Also gets people into the habit of communicating via mobile phone which is very important if managing from a remote office. It could not be a better tool and it is very valuable because it changes along with your needs as a business or from project to project.

Proof of completion, information needed from sites to get work done quickly and in one visit. We also can capture a ton of detail with the app and because we can customize it on the fly it is very easy to add or remove questions

That I could design all the forms we need with very little coaching from tech support. The staff is friendly and helpful and the ability to design your own stuff is awesome. Their platform is pretty easy to use.

There are limitations that require their programmers to do. I wish there were more options for tables and built in math. And the PDF designer does have limitations that can be frustrating. But overall the system is still pretty well thought out and cutting edge.

Definitely do a trial version and make sure it fits your needs. Tech support and sales staff are very knowledgeable helping you navigate whether it's a good fit. Use them in the consideration process.

Dispatching inspectors and providing a much quicker vehicle to submit field reports has been huge for us. This has saved lost time by hours a day and helped our guys be more efficient in the field.

Pictures, GPS and ability to have conditional fields. Apps work great on portable devices like smart phones. Data can be collected and monitored near real time. Ability to group and dispatch jobs too certain employees or employee. Files are time stamped. Monitoring of job completion. Ability to upload and update reference data easily. Editing app as required after publishing very easily.

No if or statements. Reference file upload limitation, there is options though.

Customizable apps and forms with automatic reports.

Field Deployment of Watt Hour Meters. Pictures for verification and error correction. GPS for equipment locating. Keeps the technicians focused on duties with required and conditional fields.

Ability to see the results of our work from the field, ask questions, and gather signatures to provide accountability for our work to our customers.

Unable to have reporters edit previous versions of Apps once changes have been made. Crashing and compatibility issues with some phones.

Eliminating the need for paper sign-offs and surveys as well as reducing the number of revisits to locations as we are receiving information directly from the site and can address issues before our installers leave. Benefits include receiving the information and photos in an easy to read and modify PDF with reasonable file sizes instead of individual pictures and forms.

I love the flexibility of Canvas. The dependencies that it allows you to build into your forms/apps is perfect for our business. It allows us to create content-rich forms that are focused on ease of use. Scalability is another amazing facet of Canvas. We started with a handful of users and are now close to 100 - adding new users and assigning them apps/forms is simple and intuitive.

There is no such thing as a silver bullet. But even with that, we've been very pleased with Canvas and don't have anything that stands out here.

Start with apps from their app exchange to understand how others use Canvas and then modify them to meet your specific business needs.

Exchanging documentation. Integration between different applications - Excel, Canvas, Salesforce.com. Improving customer service - faster turnaround on activities. Improving data accuracy and ease of retrieval.

This is one of the most customizable platforms we work with, making it a huge asset. As we use it, we keep improving it. Whatever you need, you can make it happen with some imagination.

Designing and creating the apps wasn't the easiest thing, but they also have an option where someone can do it for you.

The support couldn't be better, and the product itself is as great as you're willing to make it. We couldn't be happier.

We went paperless with our service work orders. They are now more professional, more organized, and we're able to mandate some of the info our techs send in by not letting them skip certain entries.

That it can be used on my phone as an app. It allows my company to go almost paperless.

It takes longer to input data then it does to write it down on paper. The time value scrolls up and down on apple products instead of being able to just type the time which would be faster.

It is a great way to go paperless. It also you to customize the forms that your employees will fill out.

Going paperless. Being able to submit documents without turning them in, in person. Being able to review past paperwork without contacting the office.

Helps keep track of job information for construction sites.

Cost to add a user to allow access to apps within a paid account is too high. Need to add a user to have access to an app and the cost is very high to do that which lowers the productivity.

Helps keep track of each job which is very helpful. However, the cost to add someone onto an account to use (1) app is very expensive. Currently paying a high cost to use the software which is hurting the bottom line. Pros and cons -- Helpful to keep track of jobs and make sure to get paid accordingly -- Cons, very expensive software and not allowed to add a user without adding much more to the cost which makes it less productive. That is unfortunate.

We have just started working with GoCanvas and have had a pleasant experience so far. The training has been professional and very informative. I love that they have a customer support chat that is available right there when you are stuck. Also, the mobile app is easy to use!

The only thing not so user-friendly is the PDF creater. Some functions do not work as well as we would like them to.

Less time for our employees in the field filling out paperwork. Going along with that, some of that information gets lost because it's a paper copy, so there is no way with this app for someone to forget to submit information.

So easy to use, from start to finish. Programming new apps, setting up all the parameters, end-user experience.

It could use a preview, prior to signature. We create a document for a customer, and ask them to sign, but they don't see the result or form before signing.

Also, pretty dang expensive if your user base is large.

It is addicting if you enjoy programming. You learn a new trick each time you improve something else.

Clean documentation. Automatically filed/e-mailed/archived. Very professional.

It is very convenient that we can create custom sign offs and then adjust those sign offs in real time if changes are needed once we start to use the sign off in the field. Creating the sign offs is simple, the basics can be taught to someone new in just a couple of minutes.

The finished sign offs are clean and easy to navigate. The file sizes are also very manageable. The administration functions are simple as well and easy to figure out and navigate.

Canvas load very slowly on a mobile device. The website is also often slow to load.

We run into a lot of issues with people who have created an account already. We cannot add them to our apps/sign offs. This is an ongoing issue. The fix is straight forward (make them a new account with a different email address) but often this secondary email address is not their primary address and that sometime creates future issues.

On several occasions I have emailed questions to Canvas and received no answer or received and answer weeks later, which is pretty useless. I have also left phone messages and never received a call back.

We do installation work in retail stores. Canvas allows us to get a real time overview of the results of each install across Canada. We often receive the the complete sign off (including photos) before the installer leaves the site, so if there are issues we get them resolved before the installer even leaves. This eliminates a lot of revisits at our end.

We are also able to load the files into our database so that our clients have easy access to them. The fact the the file sizes are small and each sign off is customizable is a big win for us and our customers.

This makes it easy for field technicians to get paperwork in immediately without the hassle of keeping up with a bunch of paperwork. This is also great for our customers to immediately get their work orders. Overall, very simple user interface, clean design.

Sometimes there are issues with submitting and submissions can be ruined when in a bad service area, creating duplicate work. This creates frustration for our users but issues are usually overcome with syncing or waiting for a better signal area. The load time between our software and Canvas to realize the work orders.

If you have a need for immediate information flow - this is the way to go. While it can be a little difficult to submit, issues are usually easy to resolve.

Getting work orders signed and to our customers immediately, easing the upkeep of paperwork for the technicians. Easy to get customer information over to a technician, they can see the address and contact number in the app.

With no Capex with flexible cost you can get a full platform for mobility application, fully integrated with your ERP / backend system.

Support is not available in European office time, so reaction to problem is not always prompt

We can get our Service Report information into our ERP system in real time and we have reduced invoicing time from 4 monthes to 2 weeks, with big positive impact on our cash flow

I like the ability to make the checklist in the app

I wish it was easier to make the pdf. If you make a change in the pdf document it doesn't update well. Pretty much you have to get it right the first time as making changes or updates does not seem to work well.

lt makes it nice to have field resources have a signoff sheet for onsite activities

From a client perspective this is a great tool. We are able to add questions that they want to have answered and involve the store.

It crashes and can be unreliable. It is sometimes too slow and froze twice today when I was using it. From a user perspective it is slow and increases the amount of time spent at each store, which results in lost revenue for my company. This is a good product, but if there were a similar product with better user capabilities, I would consider using that one instead.

Be patient, it can be slow. Make sure you save your work and double check that everything has been sent.

It is a value added that we can supply to our customer. The benefits of the finished product vastly outweigh the negative.

I like that the form creation tool is very user friendly. You can easily add elements to the form, customise those elements, and rearrange them. For example, you can add an 'image capture' element, which will allow users to upload images from the gallery or camera. You can customise the size of this image, so that the image doesn't fill the whole page. of the completed form. You can even customise whether the labels advising the user to upload to image appear below or above the image field. You can fine-tune the form just for your company's needs.

Other excellent features include:

-See statistics on the number of submissions for each type of form

-Assign users into groups. Each group can then have access to multiple forms.

-Forms can be completed by users even when they don't have a data connection.

The only thing i dislike is that there is now way to theme a form with your company's logo or company colours. I'm nitpicking though.

I recommend Canvas for any business wanting to get rid of inefficient and wasteful paper forms.

We mainly use canvas forms for our road services division. They perform assessments of traffic controller's to check if they are complying with the required safety equipment. Having electronic forms means:

-no longer wasting paper

-there's no paperwork to go missing

-forms can be modified when required

-handy features such as fetching location data from GPS - saves time having to fill out the address manually.

We've realised significant cost benefits after moving to this product.

ease of use and how it will make our company better not only with our customers but with the management team as well. the GoCanvas team are great people to work with

have not found anything that i dislike. all that i have dealt with has been a good experience.

i recommend that you give it a shot. don't just say that its not what you are looking for. once you get digging deeper you find allot of very useful apps.

standardization and time savings

It's so easy. We update our field teams across the country with very large amounts of data in minutes.

I have not found anything that I do not like about this product.

We have various databases that go to different groups of people. We are able to update a wide variety of stakeholders with large amounts of data in a very short time frame.

Our field techs save time by using the information in forms they are required to provide to our customers.

easy ability to add mobile functionality to our own main application without having to invest in a full system.

The api can be a bit glitchy when integrating information between our database and the canvas app.

the main benefit is that we are able to bring in mobile devices to our eco system. the department I work in is not directly linked to the IT infrastructure and this app has allowed my team to create significant improvements on our own.

I like the Skip Logic being able to skip questions and pages based on responses.

I want to be able to test the form on my PC upon saving. Inability to test the app on the PC

Data collection and automation

We have implemented several canvas apps across our department allowing us to accurately capture data and produce reports where previously this information would be lost to all. Canvas's API has allowed us to push notification information to users quickly and reliably.

When creating new forms it would be helpful to be able to copy multiple fields in one go rather then copy each field individually.

Improved reporting of incidents across our entire business, better stakeholder engagement

The flexibility of designing apps and forms along with the API integration abilities makes if a perfect fit for out desire to eliminate paper and commitment to a single point of entry for data. The support teams is available as needed and they are constantly adding new features.

There are some limitations that cause issues such as formatting apps specifically for tables, relatively few options for creating and formatting PDFs, and somewhat small set of formula and reference data comparison features but they are always adding options.

Learn the advances features such as reference data.

Remote data collection and it has been a game changer. Consistent information with ease of use.

Easy to use and author new apps. Department based security was also a pleasant surprise.

It sometimes lacks some conditional logic to fulfil certain needs workflows.

Review any unusual and specific uses cases and reporting needs before implementing.

Paperless inspections. Reduction of response time when alert conditions arise. Improved accuracy of and completion of inspections. This data allows for improved insight and analysis on cost of ownership now that inspections process have improved.

Canvas does a great job of allowing the user to design an app for mobile and computer use, then design how the information will be displayed in pdf form. Very easy to learn and use.

The pdf editing is limited and doesn't auto align field boxes

More pdf editing options

Going paper less when filling out commissioning forms and allowing for forms to be viewed, sent, or completed by multiple users.

the ease that Canvas gives us to complete forms required on a regular scheduled basis. provides a clean printing format and stores the information for easy access from any location.

the only provlem i have experienced with canvas have been issues with our own custom formats. Canvas has worked with us to make the corrections

ease of use, centralized record keeping and formating. all people submit the same form

Quick access of the information and straight forward

Attached photos can not zoom in or zoom out. Need to scroll for individual information

Quality checks of installation

This app allows quick reference into the job site/project for all users and is easy to use on the run.

It would be nice to be able to enter all fields in both the app and the online program. Currently, on certain fields can be updated in the field.

This allows our Project Engineers to quickly enter raw data while on site.

On a desktop it’s easy to search and Compile data. The system is also very organized.

there is no administrative version of an app.

Have to do everything from a desktop or browser.

Great product for property management. Submit and track work orders easily and clearly.

Keeps work orders extremely organized.akes tracking efficient.

- Increased time on tools for techs

- Ease of work tracking

- Paperless

I wish that Canvas could be a complete business management tools (CRM)

Just use it - it will change your life!

Paperless- We are now 100% paperless

Effectiveness - Increased time on tools by 40%

Improved Work Flow - Complete revamp of work flow company wide

Easy to use for the supervisors on site

also easy for us to file on the server to meet WHS requirements

There really isn't anything I dislike the only problem I have is getting the supervisors to use it

Saving money by supervisors doing quick app for quality control thus saving on maintenance at later dates

GoCanvas has a easy user interface to build custom applications that has allowed us to provide better customer service and save the company money. Easy to build, easy to deploy, easy to manage.

Recent upgrades to time stamps made it less user friendly

Freight Claims, Customer claiming they didn't receive items.

In just over a year we were able to reduce our paper usage by over 100000 sheets and transform how documentation and communication happen in our warehouse

I'll let you know when I find something!

Documentation traceability, consistently and legibility along with data trending and analysis beyond the usual numbers

• Ease of use

• Convenient app for on-site visits

• Customization

• After taking photos through the app to upload it does not also save to my device... I have to retake photos to save it to my device.

• Can be lagging and slow, a little buggy

Take the time to understand the program, get feedback from the actual users to improve ease of use and programming.

• We are getting installations signed off on, directly on site

• It is a professional business tool

The simplicity of the system is great. It's east to have someone without any programming knowledge build forms.

The pdf maker needs a little work to allow looped screens into the design function.

We have multiple field staff. It allows for quick paperless inspection on site.

We have embraced Canvas as our Enterprise solution for creating forms for various needs within our Organization.

Nothing so far but this could change as we utilize the tool more.

Allowed us to quickly meet the needs of our Organization for automating various paper forms.

App is extremely easy to navigate and the support system that Canvas provides is exceptional.

Some forms are a little difficult to create.

Collecting data from remote users and ensuring work is being performed.