Remote Inspection Glossary

Remote inspection has picked up vocabulary from five different industries, and the same idea often carries three names depending on who is talking. This glossary defines the terms as they are actually used by building departments, claims organizations, field service teams, contact centers, and the vendors selling into them.

Remote Inspection Fundamentals

The core vocabulary of inspecting an asset, property, or piece of equipment without sending someone to the site.

Remote Inspection

Any inspection carried out without the inspector physically present at the site. The person on site (a homeowner, technician, contractor, or driver) acts as the inspector's eyes using a phone camera, while the inspector observes, directs, and documents from anywhere.

Remote Video Inspection (RVI)

A remote inspection conducted over live video. The inspector joins a real-time session, guides the on-site party through the asset, and captures photos, measurements, and notes as the walkthrough happens. RVI is the most common form of remote inspection because it preserves the back and forth of an in-person visit.

Virtual Inspection

Used interchangeably with remote inspection in most industries. Government building departments and insurers tend to prefer this term, while field service and utilities lean toward remote inspection.

Live Remote Inspection

A synchronous inspection where inspector and site contact are connected at the same moment. Best when the inspector needs to redirect the camera, ask follow up questions, or make a pass or fail call on the spot.

Asynchronous Inspection

The site contact captures photos and video on their own schedule against a guided checklist, and the inspector reviews the submission later. Also called store and forward or self guided inspection. It removes scheduling friction at the cost of real-time control.

Self-Service Inspection

An asynchronous inspection the end customer completes entirely on their own, usually from a link, with prompts telling them what to photograph and in what order. Common in auto claims and pre-insurance underwriting.

Hybrid Inspection

A workflow that combines a remote first pass with a physical visit only when the remote pass surfaces something that needs hands on verification. The remote step acts as triage, reserving truck rolls for the cases that earn them.

Desktop Inspection

A review conducted entirely from existing evidence such as aerial imagery, prior reports, permits, and submitted photos, with no live session at all. Also called a desk review.

Guided Photo Capture

An on-screen flow that tells the person holding the phone exactly what to shoot next, often with overlays, framing guides, or sample images. It is what makes asynchronous inspection produce usable evidence instead of a random photo roll.

Inspection Workflow

The defined sequence of steps an inspection follows from request through scheduling, capture, review, and sign off. A configured workflow is what turns ad hoc video calls into a repeatable, auditable process.

Inspection Checklist

The structured list of items an inspector must verify, usually rendered inside the session so each item can be marked pass, fail, or not applicable with attached evidence.

Inspection Report

The output artifact of an inspection: findings, photos, video clips, annotations, timestamps, location data, and the inspector's determination, packaged for the record.

Inspection Evidence

The captured media and metadata that substantiate a finding. Strong evidence is timestamped, geotagged, attributable to a named session, and stored unaltered.

Chain of Custody

The documented trail showing who captured a piece of evidence, when, and every hand it passed through afterward. It matters whenever an inspection outcome could be disputed, litigated, or audited.

Re-Inspection

A follow up inspection performed after corrections are made to a previously failed item. Remote re-inspection is often where the clearest return on investment shows up, because the second visit is usually short and narrow.

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Remote Visual Assistance and Support

Terms from the customer support and contact center side, where video is used to diagnose and resolve rather than to certify.

Remote Visual Assistance (RVA)

Live video support where an agent sees what the customer or technician sees and guides them through a task. The category spans troubleshooting, installation help, warranty triage, and onboarding.

Remote Video Support

A common synonym for remote visual assistance, favored by contact centers describing the channel rather than the capability.

See-What-I-See

Shorthand for the core mechanic of remote visual assistance: the remote expert views the live camera feed from the person on site. Frequently abbreviated SWIS in vendor documentation.

AR Annotation

Drawing, arrows, and markers placed on the live video feed that stick to the object as the camera moves. Augmented reality anchoring is what separates a useful annotation from a scribble that slides off the screen.

Telestration

Freehand drawing over a video image, borrowed from sports broadcasting. Used loosely as a synonym for annotation, though telestration usually implies marks that do not track the object in three dimensions.

Co-Browsing

The agent views and optionally navigates the customer's browser session alongside them. Useful when the problem is a form, a portal, or a configuration screen rather than a physical object.

Screen Sharing

The customer shares their device screen with the agent. Distinct from co-browsing, which is scoped to a single web session and typically respects field level masking.

Session Link

A one time URL sent by SMS or email that opens a video session in the recipient's browser. The absence of an app install is the single biggest driver of connection rates in consumer facing use cases.

Browser-Based Session

A video session that runs in the native mobile or desktop browser with no download, no account, and no store approval. Contrast with app-based sessions, which convert far worse with one time users.

Call Deflection

Resolving an issue through a lower cost channel so it never becomes a dispatch or an escalation. Video deflection specifically means diagnosing visually and fixing remotely instead of sending someone out.

Truck Roll

Dispatching a vehicle and technician to a customer site. The unit of cost that most remote visual assistance business cases are built around.

Truck Roll Avoidance

The share of service events resolved remotely that would otherwise have required a dispatch. Usually the headline metric in a remote visual assistance ROI model.

Remote Resolution Rate

The percentage of video sessions that end with the issue resolved and no further visit required. A cleaner metric than deflection because it counts outcomes rather than intent.

Agent Assist

Real-time help delivered to the agent during a session: suggested next steps, relevant knowledge articles, or automated detection of what the camera is pointed at.

Escalation Path

The defined route a session takes when the frontline agent cannot resolve it, whether to a senior technician, a specialist, or a scheduled site visit.

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Field Service and Operations

Metrics and concepts from field service management, where remote inspection and assistance most often get measured.

Field Service Management (FSM)

The software category covering scheduling, dispatch, work orders, parts, and technician management. Remote inspection tools typically integrate with FSM rather than replace it.

Work Order

The record authorizing and describing a unit of service work. Remote sessions are usually attached to a work order so evidence and outcomes stay tied to the job.

Dispatch

Assigning a technician and a time window to a job. Every remote resolution is a dispatch that did not have to happen.

Triage

Assessing a reported problem to determine severity, required skill level, and parts before committing resources. Remote triage moves this step ahead of the dispatch decision.

First-Time Fix Rate (FTFR)

The share of jobs resolved on the first visit. Remote triage lifts FTFR by making sure the right technician arrives with the right parts.

Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)

Average elapsed time from problem report to restored service. Remote diagnosis compresses the front half of this interval.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

The contractual response and resolution commitments a service organization makes. Remote sessions are often the only way to hit aggressive response windows in rural or spread out territories.

Technician Utilization

The proportion of a technician's paid time spent on productive work rather than travel or waiting. Remote work raises utilization by removing drive time.

First Contact Resolution (FCR)

The share of customer issues resolved in the first interaction, with no callback or follow up. A contact center metric that video channels tend to improve sharply.

Skills-Based Routing

Directing a session to the agent or expert whose qualifications match the problem. In video support this matters more than in voice, because visual diagnosis is specialist work.

Remote Expert

A senior technician or engineer who supports multiple field crews by video rather than traveling. A common staffing model for scarce expertise in utilities and industrial equipment.

Knowledge Capture

Recording and indexing what happened in a session so the resolution can be reused, whether as a training clip, a knowledge base article, or training data for automated assistance.

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Insurance, Claims, and Underwriting

How remote inspection is described by carriers, adjusters, and risk teams.

First Notice of Loss (FNOL)

The initial report of a claim to the carrier. Attaching a guided photo capture flow to FNOL is the highest leverage place to introduce remote inspection in claims.

Claims Adjusting

Investigating a claim to determine coverage and the amount payable. Splits into desk and field roles, a boundary that remote inspection has substantially moved.

Desk Adjuster

An adjuster who works claims from an office without site visits. Remote video expands the range of claims a desk adjuster can close without escalating to the field.

Field Adjuster

An adjuster who inspects losses on site. Remote tools do not eliminate the role, they concentrate it on complex, large, or disputed losses.

Virtual Claims Adjusting

Handling a claim end to end using remote inspection, photo submission, and video calls in place of a site visit. Standard practice for auto and small property claims at most large carriers.

Cycle Time

Elapsed days from claim report to settlement. The metric most directly improved by removing the scheduling delay of a field visit.

Loss Adjustment Expense (LAE)

The cost of investigating and settling a claim, separate from the claim payment itself. Travel and adjuster time are the components remote inspection targets.

Scope of Loss

The itemized description of damage that drives the estimate. Remote capture quality determines whether a scope can be written without a second look.

Estimatics

The practice and software of pricing repairs from documented damage. Estimating platforms increasingly ingest remote inspection photos directly.

Underwriting Inspection

An inspection performed before or shortly after a policy is bound, to verify condition and risk. Also called a risk inspection or pre-insurance inspection.

Pre-Existing Damage

Damage present before the insured event. Establishing it is a frequent point of dispute, and timestamped remote capture at policy inception is the cleanest defense.

Total Loss

A determination that repair cost exceeds the asset's value. Remote inspection often reaches this call within hours rather than days.

Subrogation

Recovering claim costs from a responsible third party. Well documented remote inspection evidence strengthens a subrogation file.

Fraud Indicator

A signal that a claim may be misrepresented, such as inconsistent metadata, recycled photos, or damage patterns that do not match the reported cause. Remote capture with controlled metadata makes several classic fraud patterns much harder.

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Building, Construction, and Permitting

Terms used by building departments, general contractors, and trades.

Building Inspection

A jurisdictional inspection verifying that construction work complies with adopted codes. Required at defined stages before work can proceed or a building can be occupied.

Virtual Building Inspection

A code inspection performed by a certified inspector over live video with a contractor on site. Adopted widely after 2020 and now written into policy in a growing number of US and Canadian jurisdictions.

Code Compliance

Conformance with the building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and fire codes a jurisdiction has adopted. The pass or fail standard a building inspection applies.

Plan Review

Examination of construction documents for code compliance before a permit is issued. Distinct from inspection, which verifies the built work matches the approved plans.

Permit

The jurisdictional authorization to perform construction work. Inspection milestones are attached to the permit record.

Rough-In Inspection

An inspection of framing, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work before it is concealed by drywall. Time sensitive, which makes it a strong candidate for remote scheduling.

Final Inspection

The last required inspection before a certificate of occupancy can be issued.

Certificate of Occupancy (CO)

The document permitting legal occupancy of a completed building. Delays in inspection scheduling translate directly into delayed COs and carrying costs.

Punch List

The list of incomplete or deficient items to be corrected before a project is accepted. Remote walkthroughs are commonly used to verify punch list closeout.

Progress Documentation

Periodic photo and video capture recording the state of work over time. Serves scheduling, billing verification, and construction claims.

Jobsite Photo Documentation

Systematic capture of site photos tagged to a project, date, and location. The evidentiary backbone of construction disputes and warranty claims.

Third-Party Inspection

An inspection performed by an accredited private agency on behalf of a jurisdiction or owner. Frequently used where department staffing cannot meet demand.

Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)

The body or official with legal authority to approve equipment, installations, and procedures. Determines whether remote inspection is permitted and under what conditions.

Inspection Backlog

The queue of requested inspections waiting to be performed. The operational pressure that drives most municipal remote inspection programs.

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AI, Automation, and Computer Vision

What automated analysis actually does inside an inspection or support session.

Computer Vision

Automated interpretation of images and video. The underlying capability behind damage detection, part identification, and reading labels in an inspection feed.

Object Detection

Locating and classifying specific items within an image, such as a meter, a breaker panel, or a cracked shingle.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Extracting text from images. In inspection contexts this typically means serial numbers, model plates, meter readings, and VINs, captured without manual transcription.

Damage Detection

Automated identification and classification of damage from images. Accuracy varies sharply by damage type and capture quality, which is why guided capture and automated analysis tend to be deployed together.

Anomaly Detection

Flagging conditions that deviate from an expected baseline, without needing a labeled example of every possible failure.

Confidence Score

The model's stated certainty in a classification. Production workflows route low confidence results to a human rather than acting on them.

Human-in-the-Loop

A design where automated output is reviewed or approved by a person before it affects an outcome. The default posture for any inspection decision with financial or regulatory consequences.

Automated Session Summary

A generated written record of what happened in a session, including findings, actions, and next steps, produced without the agent writing it up afterward. Removes the after call work that otherwise eats the time video saves.

Automatic Session Documentation

Capture of session artifacts (transcript, photos, annotations, participants, duration) into the system of record with no manual step.

Real-Time Guidance

Prompts surfaced during a live session that tell the agent or the customer what to do next, driven by what the model sees or hears.

Training Data

Recorded and labeled session material used to improve automated detection. Consent and retention terms determine whether session recordings can lawfully be used this way.

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Video, Capture, and Connectivity

The technical layer that decides whether a session works in a basement, on a roof, or at the edge of coverage.

WebRTC

The browser standard for real-time audio and video without plugins. The reason a session can open from a text message link with nothing installed.

Adaptive Bitrate

Automatic adjustment of video quality to match available bandwidth. What keeps a session alive on weak cellular instead of dropping it.

Frame Grab

Extracting a still image from the live video stream at full sensor resolution rather than screenshotting the compressed feed. The difference matters when the still becomes evidence.

Geotagging

Attaching GPS coordinates to captured media. Establishes that an inspection happened at the address it claims.

Timestamping

Recording the capture time of media from a trusted source rather than the device clock. Combined with geotagging, it is what makes remote evidence defensible.

EXIF Data

Metadata embedded in an image file: device, settings, time, and often location. Stripped or inconsistent EXIF is a standard fraud signal.

Remote Camera Control

The remote party adjusting the on-site device's camera directly, including zoom, focus, torch, and switching between lenses. Removes the loop of asking someone to move closer.

Torch Control

Turning on the on-site device's flashlight from the remote side. Trivial sounding and disproportionately useful in crawlspaces, attics, and panels.

Low-Light Enhancement

Processing that makes usable images out of poorly lit environments, where a large share of real inspection work happens.

Offline Capture

Recording media locally when there is no connection, then uploading automatically when connectivity returns. Essential for rural sites, basements, and industrial interiors.

Latency

The delay between something happening on site and the remote party seeing it. Above roughly half a second, guided direction becomes frustrating.

Session Recording

Full capture of the video session for the record. Governed by consent requirements that vary by jurisdiction and by party.

Bandwidth Floor

The minimum sustained throughput a session needs to remain usable. A practical procurement question that vendor demos on office wifi never answer.

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Security, Privacy, and Compliance

The controls that decide whether a remote inspection program clears review.

Consent Capture

Recording that participants agreed to be recorded, before recording starts. Requirements differ between one-party and all-party consent jurisdictions.

SOC 2 Type II

An audit report on the design and operating effectiveness of a vendor's security controls over a period of time. The baseline enterprise procurement asks for.

GDPR

The European Union regulation governing personal data, including video and images of identifiable people. Relevant to any session that could capture a bystander.

HIPAA

The US regulation covering protected health information. Applies whenever a remote session touches a patient or a care setting.

Data Residency

The requirement that data be stored and processed within a specified country or region. A frequent gating condition in government and utility procurement.

Encryption in Transit

Protection of data as it moves between participants and servers. Standard for any credible video platform.

Encryption at Rest

Protection of stored recordings, images, and transcripts. Often examined separately from transit encryption in security review.

Audit Trail

An immutable log of who accessed or changed a record and when. What an auditor asks for when an inspection outcome is challenged.

Retention Policy

The rules governing how long session media is kept and when it is deleted. Over-retention is a liability, under-retention destroys evidence.

PII Redaction

Automated or manual removal of personally identifiable information from captured media, such as blurring faces, license plates, or documents in frame.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Restricting what each user can see and do based on their role. Determines whether a contractor can view other jobs, or an adjuster other claims.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Authentication through the organization's existing identity provider. Usually a hard requirement above a few hundred seats.

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About this glossary

Blitzz builds remote visual assistance and remote video inspection software used by building departments, insurers, utilities, manufacturers, and field service organizations. This page is maintained as a reference, not a product pitch. If a term is missing or a definition has drifted from how your industry uses it, tell us and we will fix it.