By Nicole Ramsey, field-service documentation systems analyst with 9 years of experience configuring inspection forms, technician checklists, and customer sign-off workflows
Last reviewed: July 21, 2026
FieldPulse Custom Forms let service businesses build or import inspections, checklists, completion reports, intake documents, and customer sign-off forms. Forms can be attached to jobs and other records, completed by employees or customers, and configured with required fields that block submission until the missing information is entered.
This independent guide is not operated by or affiliated with FieldPulse.
Start with the exact form attached to the job. Skip creating another checklist until its status, required fields, visibility settings, offline state, and related record have been reviewed.
What are FieldPulse Custom Forms?
FieldPulse is field service management software for scheduling, dispatching, customers, estimates, invoices, payments, projects, and mobile technician work. Custom Forms add structured documentation to those workflows through digital fields, checklists, photos, signatures, and imported PDFs.
A form can be used for:
- Pre-work inspections
- Installation checklists
- Incident reports
- Equipment assessments
- Completion certificates
- Customer intake
- Rebate paperwork
- Safety documentation
- Service feedback
- Internal approval records
Forms can exist as standalone records or be attached to records such as jobs, projects, estimates, and invoices. Attached forms keep the document connected to the customer and work history rather than stored as an unrelated file.
That connection matters later.
A completed inspection may support a warranty inquiry. A signed completion form may help answer a payment dispute. A before-and-after checklist can explain what changed during a visit months earlier.
Build a form or import a PDF?
FieldPulse supports both native Custom Forms and imported PDF forms.
A native form is built with configurable fields such as text inputs, dates, dropdowns, checkboxes, images, and signatures. Conditional logic can be used to show or hide fields according to earlier responses.
A PDF import preserves the appearance of an existing document while adding fillable fields over it. FieldPulse documents field types such as text and signature controls for imported PDF forms.
Use a native form when the workflow can be redesigned around mobile data collection. Import a PDF when the company must preserve a required layout supplied by a customer, authority, manufacturer, or existing business process.
Do this first: confirm whether the original visual layout is mandatory.
Skip importing a paper form merely because employees recognize it. A native form may be easier to complete on a phone, especially when the document contains dense tables designed for printing.
FieldPulse added controls for imported PDFs that allow field borders to be removed, text alignment to be changed, and field size or position to be adjusted.
Why a form cannot be submitted
Required fields are the first place to check.
FieldPulse allows a form builder to mark selected fields as required. The form cannot be submitted until those fields are completed. Its own installation-form example includes required photos and signatures from both the technician and customer.
Four common blockers are:
| Submission blocker | What to inspect |
|---|---|
| Required signature | Technician or customer signature remains blank |
| Required photo | Image field has no completed upload |
| Hidden conditional field | An earlier answer exposed another required question |
| Required selection | A dropdown or checkbox was opened but not completed |
Scroll through the whole form.
A technician may see a completed final page while a required field remains unanswered near the beginning. Conditional logic can also reveal a follow-up field only after a particular response, making the form appear complete until that answer changes.
Do not remove the requirement immediately. Confirm why the field exists.
A required customer signature may be part of the company’s proof-of-completion process. A required equipment photo may support warranty identification. Removing it to finish one job weakens every future use of the template.
Internal fields versus customer-facing fields
FieldPulse added the ability to mark Custom Form fields as Internally Visible Only. Internal users can access those entries, while customers receive a shorter form containing only the fields intended for them. The layout can also adjust to reduce blank spaces created by hidden internal sections.
This distinction prevents an avoidable documentation problem.
A service form may need internal fields for:
- Technician observations
- Suggested future work
- Safety concerns
- Manager review
- Warranty coding
- Pricing notes
- Customer complaint classification
Those entries may be useful to the business but unsuitable for the customer-facing copy.
Check visibility before sending.
Skip writing internal comments into a customer-visible free-text field because it is convenient on the mobile screen. The form should be designed so the technician knows where each type of note belongs.
One sentence can matter. “Customer declined recommendation” is different from an informal internal comment about the customer.
Selecting related job records inside a form
A Custom Form attached to a job can allow users to choose from related FieldPulse records directly inside the form. For example, an Asset Title field can present assets connected to the job, while an invoice field can list invoices associated with that job.
This is more reliable than typing the equipment or invoice name manually.
A commercial property may have six assets. Choosing the correct unit from a dropdown keeps the inspection connected to the actual FieldPulse record and reduces spelling or serial-number mistakes.
Check the parent job first when the expected asset or invoice does not appear.
The related record may not be attached to the job. The technician may also have opened a similar job for the same customer or service site.
Do not create a duplicate asset from the form merely because the expected choice is absent. Return to the job and verify its related records.
This is a high-priority setup rule: use linked records first, skip repeated free-text entry where FieldPulse already stores the item.
How Offline Mode affects forms
FieldPulse supports Offline Mode for Custom Forms connected to Job and Project records. Its June 2025 release notes say users can create and edit forms without internet access, with access to as many as 600 existing forms across Jobs, Projects, and Customers, plus 20 customizable templates.
Photos and video files can also be added to Custom Forms while offline.
Offline work is not immediately visible to the office.
The technician may finish an inspection in a basement, rural location, or building with poor service. Until the device reconnects and synchronizes, office staff may see an older version or no completed form.
Reconnect, then verify.
Skip creating another form from the web application because the technician’s copy has not appeared yet. Two completed inspections for one visit can create conflicting answers and signatures.
After connectivity returns, the technician should reopen the job, confirm that the form and attachments synchronized, and then notify the office if anything remains missing.
Feature availability can vary by app version and record type, so businesses should test their actual form before relying on it at a critical remote job.
Photos, files, and the generated PDF
FieldPulse’s current PDF workflow allows images from Custom Form image fields to be embedded directly where the image field appears. Users can choose Show Images in PDF, add a files section, or include a file summary with a QR code linking to the associated media.
The PDF preview can be reached through actions including:
- Send to be Viewed
- Send to be Filled
- Generate PDF
Users can also select Small, Medium, or Large photo sizing.
That setting changes the usefulness of the final document.
Small images may fit a long inspection report. Large images can make damage or installation details easier to review. A QR-code summary can keep the PDF shorter while providing access to linked media.
Preview before sending.
Do not assume every file is displayed merely because it is attached to the form. Check Show Images in PDF, Show Files, and Show Files Summary at end of PDF.
FieldPulse also lets administrators choose whether each form page begins on a separate PDF page rather than flowing continuously. That control is found under Company Settings, Custom Forms, and Settings.
Send to be viewed or sent to be filled?
Those actions serve different purposes.
Send to be Viewed is appropriate when the form has already been completed and the customer only needs the finished record. Send to be Filled is used when the recipient must enter information or sign the form.
Confirm the intended action before sending.
A customer cannot complete a view-only document as though it were an open intake form. An already signed inspection should not be reopened for customer editing unless the company deliberately needs another response.
The form status can also matter to later workflow automation. FieldPulse describes automatic status changes when forms are sent, completed, or signed.
Do not resend the same form through a different action without checking its current state. A second link can confuse the customer about which version is active.
Custom Forms and compliance records
FieldPulse presents Custom Forms as a tool for inspection reports, safety checklists, state or county forms, installation documents, and other compliance-related records.
The software does not decide which form is legally required.
A local authority, manufacturer, insurer, customer contract, or industry standard may require a specific document, retention period, signature, or inspection procedure. Requirements can vary by region and trade.
Confirm the source document first.
Skip replacing a mandated government or manufacturer form with a shorter internal checklist unless the responsible authority has accepted that format.
For workplace safety in the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration may be relevant depending on the work and employer. FieldPulse can record a safety inspection, but the business remains responsible for following the applicable OSHA standard, state-plan requirement, and company procedure.
Electronic documentation helps preserve evidence. It does not convert an incomplete inspection into a compliant one.
Why a new custom field is missing on mobile
FieldPulse’s customer custom-field documentation says a full mobile resynchronization may be required before newly created custom fields appear. It notes that logging out and back in can sometimes be necessary.
This is a different feature from Custom Forms, but the symptoms can look similar.
An administrator creates a new field. The office sees it on the web. The technician sees the old mobile record and assumes the field was not saved.
Refresh the mobile data first. Skip creating another field with a slightly different name.
Duplicate fields such as “Equipment Type,” “Unit Type,” and “Equipment Category” can fragment reporting later.
FieldPulse also supports field visibility by role and a customer or supplier visibility toggle for customer custom fields. When enabled, those fields may appear on documents such as purchase-order PDFs, job reports, estimates, invoices, and asset reports.
Check visibility as well as synchronization.
Pricing and FieldPulse support
Custom Forms are presented as an available FieldPulse capability rather than a feature guaranteed in every identical account setup. FieldPulse uses customized pricing according to users, configuration, and selected products.
A useful pricing discussion should include:
- Number of form builders
- Number of technicians
- Required PDF imports
- Offline use
- Customer-facing forms
- Signatures and photos
- Form templates
- Reporting and retention needs
FieldPulse’s Custom Forms documentation lists support@fieldpulse.com and 469-382-5668 for assistance.
Before contacting support, note the form name, attached customer or job, device, online or offline state, required field, send action, PDF setting, and whether another user can reproduce the issue.
Do not include credentials, authentication codes, or confidential customer information that is unrelated to the support request.
Frequently asked questions
Can FieldPulse create inspection forms?
Yes. Custom Forms support inspections and checklists.
Can I import an existing PDF?
Yes. FieldPulse supports imported PDFs with fillable fields and signatures.
Why can’t the technician submit the form?
A required text field, selection, photo, or signature may still be incomplete.
Can customers fill out FieldPulse forms?
Yes. Customer-facing forms can be sent for completion or signature.
Do Custom Forms work offline?
Forms linked to Job and Project records can be created or edited in Offline Mode. The completed data must synchronize after connectivity returns.
Can internal notes be hidden from customers?
Yes. Fields can be marked Internally Visible Only.
Why are photos missing from the PDF?
The relevant display settings may be disabled. Review Show Images in PDF, Show Files, and the files-summary option before generating or sending the document.
What should be checked before sending a form?
Confirm the correct customer and job, required fields, signatures, related assets, internal visibility, attachments, send action, and PDF preview.
