Solink Spot Check allows you to create custom, reoccurring prompts for your cameras using our Sidekick AI, which uses generative AI to interpret images.
With Spot Check you can detect people, objects and scenarios to help you monitor key aspects of your business on every camera - all you need to do is provide the instructions.
Spot Check is currently in beta and available in the Solink platform. Please contact our Support team at 1-888-335-9844 or via live chat if you wish to join the beta.
The AI provides a response to your prompt at a set interval and continues to generate a response until a certain number of occurrences, which you can configure directly from the Spot Check menu.
For example, you can create a Spot Check to run every 3 hours at one of your locations that asks the question: "Are there any employees looking at their phone in the store?" or "Is there an employee providing active service to customers?".
Some more examples of prompts Spot Check is capable of responding to include:
Whether an aisle in your store is accessible or blocked by an object.
If employees are providing active service to customers or are not providing any customer service at a given time.
If security guards are present or absent from their posts.
Whether the store is opened later or earlier than usual.
Prompts use one frame as visual context from all of the selected cameras at one of your locations OR all of the selected cameras in a designated camera group.
See the following video for a quick demo of Scheduled Spot Check:
Note: More Spot Check use cases are available below in the Spot Check Use Cases and Examples section.
How Scheduled Spot Checks Work
Spot Check scans all of the cameras at the location or in the camera group and answers the question based on that moment in time.
Spot Check uses Sidekick AI to assess your prompts and create responses.
Consult this guide for more information on best practices for creating Sidekick prompts.
Please note: Spot Check is not designed to respond to prompts that measure tasks, actions etc. over a period of time, including:
Calculating speed of service.
Evaluating order accuracy.
Real-time theft detection.
Speed of travel.
Spot Check Monthly Limits
Please note there is a monthly limit on the number of spot checks you can use. You can refer to the monthly limit - which resets at the beginning of each month - at the bottom of the spot check menu:
The following chart provides a breakdown of how your monthly balance is impacted based on the frequency you run spot checks at and the number of cameras per spot check:
Note: The monthly limit does not rollover month-to-month. The monthly limit resets to your maximum amount at the beginning of each month.
Create a Spot Check
To create a Spot Check, first access the Spot Check menu:
Navigate to the Events page in the Solink platform.
Select the AI tab at the top of the page.
Select the Spot Check button.
Once the Spot Check window opens, you can configure the following:
Select either Locations or Camera Groups to choose which camera(s) you want Sidekick to evaluate.
Select the corresponding location or camera group.
(Optional): Choose which cameras from the selected location or camera group you want to include in the Spot Check:
If applicable, choose the correct time zone to ensure Spot Check runs within the appropriate time zone.
Select the start date and time - in the next step you will decide when this Spot Check will repeat based on the selected start date and time.
Choose an interval for the Sidekick message to repeat - for example, if you select “every 6 hours”, the message will be sent to Sidekick and the AI will evaluate the selected cameras every 6 hours, starting from the date and time you specified. You can also select Does Not Repeat to send the message once.
If applicable, select the Active Week Days you want Spot Check to run on.
If applicable, select the date of Expiration for the Spot Check OR the number of Spot Check Occurrences before it expires.
Type an Activity Title for the Spot Check. The Activity Title is the name of the event when it generates on the Events page. With an Activity Title, you can easily filter out all the other events that you yourself didn't create or do not need to see.
Create a Prompt. Consult this guide for help with creating good prompts that will gather effective responses. Additionally, see Spot Check Use Cases and Examples for a list of suggested prompts by use case.
Type a Response Format to ensure Sidekick responds to your prompt as clearly and effectively as possible. For example, in the Response Format field you could type:
Provide the Location name in the response.
Location, Camera, aisle cluttered = yes or no
Provide people count = number in the response.
AI responses are not always consistent, so ensure to write an effective Response Format to give predictability to your answers.
(Optional) Select Preview to generate an immediate preview of your Scheduled Spot Check (an event card will generate automatically on the Events page). When you're ready, select Save to create the Spot Check.
Preview Spot Check Responses
Scheduled Spot Check generates responses on the Events page in the Solink platform.
Before saving a Scheduled Spot Check, it is highly recommended to preview. Select Preview to generate a "preview" event - this allows you to review an example of your Scheduled Spot Check before creating it.
Edit and Filter Scheduled Spot Checks
To locate your Spot Check events, select the Spot Check tab in the top-right corner of the Events page:
Use the following filters to further enhance your search for Scheduled Spot Check events:
Activity Title: This filter allows you to search for the name of the Scheduled Spot Check event. You assign the Activity Title during Scheduled Spot Check creation.
Spot Check Answers: Use this filter to search for the response text in the Scheduled Spot Check event card. For example, if you specified a certain format for the response - respond with "active service" or "inactive service" - you can use this filter to search for either of those terms and locate the corresponding Scheduled Spot Check event.
Once you have located a Spot Check event, you can review the prompt and answer within the event card. Select Show Prompt to show the original prompt:
To edit a Scheduled Spot Check:
Select the More Options (three dots) icon in the Spot Check event card.
Select Edit Spot Check to launch the Scheduled Spot Check configuration window. From here you can edit any of the parameters for your Scheduled Spot Check:
Spot Check Use Cases and Examples
The following table provides a list of example prompts you can create for Scheduled Spot Checks, based on various goals you may have depending on the industry you operate in.
Spot Check Goal | Suggested Prompt Text |
Track Late Prep Employee Arrival |
|
Track Late Store Opening |
|
Track Early Store Closure |
|
Check for Dirty Tables in Restaurant |
|
Check How Many Customers are Awaiting Service |
|
Check Hourly for Clear Aisles |
|
Check for Customer Service Desk Clerk |
|
Check Storage Container Door State |
|
Tire Room Safety Monitor |
|