What Our Customers Are Saying

Visual Approvals have had a major impact on our business. It has changed the way we do building surveying. I remember when I first started, Simone and I would be on the lounge room floor, making up all the folders for the jobs. Back then, we didn’t know any different. But now, having Visual Approvals is incredible. The job creation consolidates all the information, including the email history, into one file.

Moving from Dropbox to the VA Cloud is working much better. With our server, Dropbox used to go down, which could be quite frustrating.

I’m amazed at how Andre has written the program. He’s always trying to improve the system, which helps improve the efficiency of the staff and our business.

I've used VA in two companies, firstly when I was a cadet at BCG and later when I started my own business. VA is the workhorse of our business, as everything runs through it. As VA evolves, we find that we gain new efficiencies, particularly with the new technologies that are coming on board. We understand that developing these new technologies takes a lot of effort, which is why we're excited to see new opportunities to do things differently.

I really enjoy using the Inspector App because it allows me to utilise the voice-to-text and the iPad Pen. It's amazing how we no longer have to rely on pen and paper as we did back in the day at BCG. Now, while on-site, we can take videos and photos and send reports immediately. We can also catalogue a large number of photos, mark them up on a plan, and have everything recorded and secured back onsite. What's even more amazing is that all of this can be done by just one person. It's truly a game-changer.

I am excited about the changes that Development is introducing, such as the new Xero Integration. We used to do things one way, but now we have a completely new way of doing them, which is great. Additionally, VA allows us to address our compliance requirements, which is crucial in today's litigious environment. Having all the necessary information at our fingertips, regardless of location, is fantastic. I can access it whether I am in Samsonvale QLD 4520 or sailing down the Danube River on holidays, which I have done, and we have the photo to prove it.

Cornerstone has evolved alongside VA, and we continue to do so. VA is our workhorse, enabling us to complete a lot, and I mean a lot, of work more efficiently. We are always exploring ways to capitalise on these efficiencies. It's great to be able to call VA's staff and discuss our ideas with them. They are always helpful in suggesting ways to develop our ideas further. In some cases, they have already anticipated our needs and provided us with suggestions on how to implement them. Overall, we have a good working relationship with VA.

We use Visual Approvals every day, and it is fundamental to our daily operations. With a geographically dispersed team, VA makes it extremely convenient for us to share files and keep track of all our jobs on a single platform. The ease of use and efficiency of the software has played a significant role in our growth and success.

Regarding my experience with Visual Approvals, I must say that Gayle has been an absolute pleasure to work with. She is incredibly helpful and always goes above and beyond to assist us whenever we need it. Prior to using VA, we used a basic access database that served as a simple filing system. However, switching to VA has enabled us to access a wide range of features that have greatly improved our workflow. Although we are still transitioning to fully utilising all the benefits of VA, I am taking things one step at a time to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

I find VA to be a great application. The software is user-friendly and allows for the efficient organisation of assessments. It also integrates well with other software. For our internal processes, VA is well-suited for inspections, assessments, and documentation handling. Additionally, we find it easy to communicate with clients and other stakeholders using VA. Overall, VA has proven to be a valuable tool for our certification process.

Visual Approvals is our engine and the backbone of our operations. VA streamlines our assessment processes, generates certificates, and ensures that every step of the process is tracked. Since I came on board, we began taking advantage of its full functionality, such as generating forms and using checklists to expedite the approval process.

Gone are the days of spending countless hours compiling building approvals, as Visual Approvals takes care of it all. Our team uses the Visual Inspector app for on-site inspections, eliminating the need for paper files. I am particularly keen to use VA's default inspection report because of its integration of photos into the report.

As a result, we have been able to run our business more smoothly and efficiently, welcoming new staff members with internal training on Visual Approvals and allowing them to learn on the job.

We started using Visual Approvals in 2012, and I've worked with AcroCert prior to VA and after VA.

Prior to VA, we used a series of Excel spreadsheets and mail merge documents which worked for the volume of projects we were doing at the time. However, as we grew, we knew we needed to manage the jobs more efficiently, so we started to use VA. We fell into the trap or mindset of 'we need it done this way, but Visual Approvals doesn't do it our way, so VA needs to change'. However, when I moved into a management role, I looked at what we were doing and thought, let's flip this ideal. Visual Approvals does much more than what AcroCert uses it for, so let's start changing our business model to use VA more effectively and efficiently, the way it is intended and set up to do.

This change did a couple of things:

1. Strengthened AcroCerts' relationship with Visual Approvals

2. Enhanced and changed the way AcroCert operates as a company

Until 2019 AcroCert operated with both a physical hard copy file and an electronic file in VA, so we used a hybrid system. This caused issues because the two files were never in sync. So, in 2019, we eliminated the physical file and did everything in Visual Approvals. Then in 2020, when Covid hit, in an instant, we were able to pivot and move everyone working from the office to working from home. We were able to do that because of Visual Approvals. Our use of the software has only improved from there. We've started building and using the checklists in Visual Approvals, and the Certifiers have been using the iPad. Hence, our inspections are far more consistent and in turn, our clients see much better service from our team. By all means, Visual Approvals has improved AcroCert's service delivery.

I have nothing but praise to sing for the Visual Approvals product, and Jason Bird is a credit to Visual Approvals.

Certification is a very niche business, and there is a great amount of governance and legislation to ensure that everything is compliant, it is amazing what Visual Approvals has built into the program to accommodate these requirements. VA has risk mitigation checks but also the flexibility to be customised for what we need as a business. Visual Approvals have helped us streamline the certification process and the workflow for the processes that support the certification team. We cannot fault it.

Visual Approvals has been a game-changer for us; we love it. It saves us so much time, and the processes are so much simpler. The fact that a new job has an instant checklist is a big help. The checklists are far more in-depth than what we previously used. We are pleased we decided to go with Visual Approvals, and we’re looking forward to the next steps.

Imagine every piece of building legislation you operate under built into a software program. That’s VA. Now think of all the other software programs that you use for HR, CRM, Accounting, Sales, Email, Word processing, Task distribution and Workflow Management. VA does that too. VA = choice. Choose to be all in and use every feature or choose to be all out and use it for the bare minimum. Either way, VA just works. Single building certifier or multi-office multi-discipline firm with support staff. Either way, VA just works.

After using VA for 14 years, I wouldn’t choose anything else.

We operate our business across two offices and having all the information in Visual Approvals for each job makes it very easy for everyone to work from the one system. When I initially compared Visual Approvals to other programs I quickly realised that everything is set up and ready to use so it was an easy decision. Visual Approvals also came very highly recommended by other building certifiers. Visual Approvals has exceeded my expectations. It is very easy to use and understand and therefore I can do my job efficiently.

If you’re thinking of moving to Visual Approvals then go for it. The team is there to help with anything from start to finish, nothing is too hard to sort out. Visual Approvals generally makes your life easier.

The great plus with VA is that it is paperless! Everything is electronic from the signing of documents to onsite inspections with tablets, we do not keep any hard copy files and we use a lot less paper. VA has made the entire permit process far more efficient.  I would highly recommend VA!

When I think of Visual Approvals the word that comes to mind is ‘easy’. Visual Approvals provides easier access to each file, it’s easy to create reports, electronic filing with the councils is easy, it’s easy to do QLeave and QBCC returns, and it has many searchable fields making it quick and easy to find and retrieve information.

Their customer support team is great to work with. Overall, they do a very good job for us and Visual Approvals helps us deliver quality support for our clients, increasing our client’s delight.

When Cornerstone commenced, it was important to make sure we were starting out with the best certification software available to the market. Our aim was to grow into our data systems needs so that our business growth wasn’t restricted at critical growth stages. Visual Approval has consistently enabled us to develop our business growth with robust platform options and program stability.

VA supports all aspects of our business from the assessment and inspection stages, processing of council applications, document generation,  invoicing and ordering requirements as well emailing. VA also provides clear and accurate checking processes for our staff and allows easy tracking of a job’s progress.

Cornerstone is proud to be associated with Visual Approvals and we have great confidence that they will continue to support our certification office well into the future.

We have been using Visual Approvals software for many years now and, as one of the largest users of the software, we have been especially happy with the way the team at Visual Approvals has listened to us and tailored the package to suit our needs.

It has certainly streamlined our approvals process and has become an integral part of the way we do business every day.

As the Managing Director of a company that spans the state, I find Visual Approvals’ networking capabilities invaluable. The software enables us to store all our information securely on a single server, which is updated automatically.

Prior to using Visual Approvals, we had database and archive systems, which were much harder to manage. With Visual Approvals these functions are integrated into a single package. This means we are able to easily keep track of all data and activities that take place within the company.

From an administrative point of view, it is great because it gives us the ability to maintain control of all that’s going on within the company. For example, we can set up individual user accounts with different access capabilities and keep a record of which staff members have viewed and edited a particular file.

In short, Visual Approvals has been written for the way we, as certifiers, do business. It takes a lot of the “guesswork” out of the approval process and gives us confidence that all the details are taken care of and all the data for each project is securely stored.

As a startup company, our biggest obstacle was cost, but this was a relatively minor issue. We knew VA would pay for itself in the short term. A great deal of our work is repetitive, I sought a system that could ensure information was entered once and then that information could be manipulated and used in various forms as necessary. VA could achieve this and was somewhat customisable. VA could also ensure that we could be paperless and ensure our work is stored electronically for simple retrieval and review.

The three biggest benefits of using Visual Approvals Certification Software would have to be:

1. The speed at which we can serve our clients.

2. The reduction in administrative staff to perform the same function due to VA simplification.

3. The consistency the software can provide across our company ensures we are all performing and viewing aspects in the same manner

VA is a necessity for any serious Building Surveyor / Certifier. It simplifies the process and ensures a high level of service to the client. The support is fantastic with response times generally the same day.

We were working with Council’s Pathway system which was very difficult to navigate and not designed specifically for managing building approvals. As a result, we were losing clients, time and money dealing with applications that were lost in the system. Also, it took a lot of time and resources to train staff to be able to use the system. VA is a complete package that includes: Electronic approval and inspections; Integrated accounting; and Document management.

Three benefits of using Visual Approvals would have to be:

1. Being able to manage the approval process electronically, including marking up plans

2. Keeping records on-site

3. The use of IPads on-site to undertake inspections

Easy-to-use software that enables you to run a paperless office, easily monitor your business and largely maintain control of business processes.

We did a cost-cutting exercise across all of our expenditures 18 months ago and this included our software/IT costs. I also wanted to find an easier way to undertake electronic certification over the method our previous software provider offered. 
Visual Approvals is amazing compared to every other system I have seen. The sheer efficiency of doing everything, providing electronic approvals to clients with a system designed to do this (not some added option or workaround process), It’s just a more efficient way of working.

Being able to issue permits electronically has allowed me to be more flexible in the way I work, remote from the office, at home etc.

The system is the best I’ve seen, the support is great, always prompt and effective, and the pricing structure while different to most other packages, I feel is a better way of paying for an IT package. It’s a “no brainer.

If you're looking for a building approval software package that does more than just approvals, then Visual Approvals is the perfect solution for you. It is a complete business management system that enables you to manage applications, issue decision notices, make on-screen assessments, electronically annotate plans, and much more.

We can easily access all the information, records, and documentation that relates to a particular job in a single, secure and convenient location. This makes it more organised to keep track of the progress of the job, chase up any outstanding documentation and keep things moving along efficiently.