Inspector A - Comprehensive FAQ for Food Safety Auditors and Inspectors

Product & Purpose

What is Inspector A? Inspector A is a mobile inspection app and report generation platform built specifically for food safety inspections. It converts paper-based inspection workflows into digital reports with photos, automated scoring, and client portals. Originally built for health departments, it's now available for independent auditors, consultants, and franchise quality teams.

Who is Inspector A for? Independent food safety auditors conducting SQF, BRC, or HACCP certifications; restaurant consultants doing mock health inspections; franchise quality auditors; and small consulting firms (1-5 people) doing 50-many inspections per year who currently use paper, Word, or Excel.

What problem does Inspector A solve? It eliminates the 1-2 hours auditors spend after each inspection manually creating reports, copying photos into Word documents, and emailing PDFs. It also stops the constant "where's my report?" client requests by providing a client portal with instant access.

How is this different from using Word or Excel? You conduct the inspection on your phone, take photos as you go, and the report generates automatically with all photos organized by inspection point. What takes 1-2 hours manually takes 5 minutes. Your clients get a professional PDF and portal access immediately.

Pricing & Plans

How much does Inspector A cost? Free tier: 5 inspections per month with Inspector A branding. Professional: $79/month for unlimited inspections and client portal. Team: $199/month for up to 5 team members.

Is there a free trial? Yes. You get 5 free inspections per month forever. No credit card required to start. This lets you test it on real inspections before committing.

What happens when I hit 5 inspections on the free plan? The app prompts you to upgrade to Professional ($79/month) for unlimited inspections. You can also wait until next month when your 5 inspection limit resets.

Can I cancel anytime? Yes. Monthly subscription, cancel anytime. No contracts or commitments.

What payment methods do you accept? All major credit cards. Billing is automatic monthly or yearly.

Features & Functionality

Can I use my own inspection checklists? Yes. You can customize checklists for FDA food code, SQF, BRC, HACCP, or create custom checklists for your specific audit requirements.

How does the grading/scoring work? Each inspection point has a compliance value. The system automatically calculates an A-D letter grade based on violations marked as Out of Compliance. You can customize the scoring algorithm to match your methodology.

Can I add photos to inspections? Yes. Take unlimited photos during the inspection and attach them to specific inspection points. Photos automatically organize in the final report by category.

Do clients get access to reports? Yes. Clients get portal access to view all their inspection history and see scores. They receive an email notification when a new report is available.

Does it support temperature monitoring? Yes. Track temperature compliance records for each inspection (refrigeration, hot holding, etc.) with pass/fail status.

Can multiple team members use one account? Agency plan ($199/month) supports up to 5 users. Each person has their own login. Professional plan is single-user.

Is data backed up? Yes. Cloud-based with automatic backups. Your data is secure and accessible from any device.

Getting Started

How long does setup take? 15 minutes or less. Sign up, customize one inspection template, and you're ready for your first inspection.

Do I need training to use it? No. If you know how to conduct an inspection, you can use Inspector A. The interface follows the same workflow as paper inspections.

What devices does it work on? iOS and Android mobile apps for conducting inspections. Web dashboard for reviewing reports and managing clients. Works on phone or tablet.

Can I import my existing client list? Yes. You can manually add establishments/clients or contact support for bulk import assistance.

What if I need help setting up? Professional and Team plans include priority support via email. We typically respond within 4 hours on business days.

Use Cases & Comparisons

I do restaurant consulting mock inspections. Is this overkill? No. Mock inspections are exactly what Inspector A is built for. Your restaurant clients get the same professional report their health department would issue, but you deliver it in 5 minutes instead of 2 days.

I currently use a generic inspection app. Why switch? Inspector A is purpose-built for food safety with FDA checklists, food code-specific scoring, and professional report templates that your food industry clients expect. Generic apps require you to build everything from scratch.

What about Google Forms or paper with photos? You still have to manually compile everything into a report. Inspector A generates the complete professional PDF automatically. You're trading 1-2 hours of manual work for 5 minutes of automation.

Business & Compliance

Is my client data secure? Yes. Industry-standard encryption.

Can I delete data if needed? Yes. Soft delete functionality means you can reverse deletions. You maintain full control over your data.

Do you sell or share my data? No. Your inspection data and client list belong to you. We never share or sell customer data.

What if a client requests their data? You can export reports as PDFs or contact support for data export assistance. You maintain ownership of all inspection records.

Does this meet food safety audit documentation requirements? Yes. The reports include all standard elements: digital signatures, timestamps, photo documentation, and compliance scoring. However, you should verify with your specific certification body's requirements.

Common Objections

I only do 30 inspections a year. Is this worth it? At 1.5 hours saved per inspection × 30 inspections = 45 hours saved per year. If your time is worth more than $21/hour, the Professional plan ($948/year) pays for itself. Plus your reports look more professional.

My clients won't pay extra for a fancy report. You're not charging extra. You're delivering the same report faster while spending less time on administrative work. The professional appearance is a bonus that makes you look more established.

I'm not tech-savvy. Will I be able to figure this out? If you can text on your phone, you can use Inspector A. The mobile app follows the same flow as your paper checklist. Point, check, photo, done.

What if I need something custom? Contact us. We've built custom features for paying customers before. If it helps food safety auditors work more efficiently, we're interested.

Getting Started Next Steps

How do I sign up? Go to myinspectora.com and create an account with your email. No credit card required for the free tier.

What's the fastest way to evaluate this? Sign up, create one inspection template matching your current checklist, and use it on your next real inspection. If it saves you time, upgrade to Professional. If not, you've lost nothing.

Can I see an example report before signing up? Yes. Download a sample food safety inspection report at myinspectora.com (see example report section).

I have a question not answered here. How do I contact you? Email support@inspectora.com or use the contact form at myinspectora.com/contact.

Last updated: December 2025