What is ION?

Overview

ION is the iGUIDE Operator Network. It is a web platform that connects Job Posters who need a property captured with the certified iGUIDE Pros who do the capture work. It has two halves: a public directory of certified iGUIDE Pros that anyone can browse, and a job board where Job Posters post work and iGUIDE Pros bid on it.

This article covers who ION is for, how a job runs from posting to completion, what you can order, the account roles, what is public on the platform and what the profile badges mean.

Visit ION at ion.goiguide.com.

The ION home page at ion.goiguide.com, showing the Pro directory and job board entry points

Who ION is for

Job Posters are the people and businesses who need a property captured. Real estate agents, architects, builders, facility managers and insurance and restoration teams all use ION to find someone to do the work.

iGUIDE Pros are certified iGUIDE operators who capture properties with the iGUIDE camera system and deliver the digital files. An iGUIDE Pro can list themselves in the directory and bid on posted jobs.

You can be both. If your business posts work and takes work, one account can hold both roles.

How a job works, start to finish

A Job Poster posts a job. Property details, the dates they need it by, an optional price range and the deliverables they want.
iGUIDE Pros bid. The job appears on the public job board and is automatically emailed to iGUIDE Pros in the area. Interested Pros submit a fee, a start date and an optional note.
The Job Poster picks an iGUIDE Pro. They compare bids, message Pros with questions and accept one. That books the job.
The iGUIDE Pro captures the property. Once fieldwork is done, they mark the capture complete and upload the deliverables.
The Job Poster reviews the work. They can request a revision, flag a delivery as incomplete, or mark the job complete and leave a review.

What you can order through ION

Start by deciding what you need back from the capture. There are two paths.

A completed iGUIDE and add-ons. You receive finished, processed deliverables. What you can choose from depends on the industry you select.
Raw project files (.tar). You receive the unprocessed capture data and process it yourself. This requires an active iGUIDE Portal account to process the raw data yourself.

If you want completed deliverables, these are the options by industry.

Industry	Deliverables available
Real Estate	iGUIDE Virtual Tour & Floor Plan, iGUIDE Site Plan Add-on, Photography, Twilight Photography, Drone / Aerial, Video
Design Build	iGUIDE Virtual Walkthrough & Floor Plan, iGUIDE Advanced Drawing Package
Insurance and Restoration	iGUIDE Virtual Walkthrough & Floor Plan, Sketch Add-on (ESX file)
Facility Management	iGUIDE Virtual Walkthrough & Floor Plan, iGUIDE Advanced Drawing Package

Real Estate covers more than the iGUIDE itself. Photography, Twilight Photography, Drone / Aerial and Video are the other things a photographer commonly captures on site for a listing, so one visit from one iGUIDE Pro can cover all of it.

iGUIDE Advanced Drawing Package reveals a further set of CAD options once you select it: Reflected Ceiling Plan Add-on (DWG), Exterior Elevations Add-on (DWG), Roof Plan Add-on (DWG), 3D Model Add-on (RVT) and 3D Model Add-on (DWG). They stay hidden until the package itself is selected.

The Advanced Drawing Package includes a plotted PDF by default. You receive it whether or not you add any of the CAD options above. Knowing this up front avoids surprises about what arrives and what it costs.

For full detail on what each package and add-on includes, see Packages and Add-ons in the iGUIDE Help Center.

Account roles

Every ION account has at least one role, and you can hold both.

Role	What it lets you do
Job Poster	Post capture jobs to the board and manage bids
Find Work (Pro)	List yourself in the directory and bid on jobs

Both roles require business verification through Google Business Profile and an iGUIDE customer ID.

Your iGUIDE customer ID links your ION account to your iGUIDE account. There are two places to find it:

In the iGUIDE Portal. Go to Dashboard, then Billing Details. It is listed there as your Customer ID.
On any iGUIDE invoice. It is listed as Customer ID, and it is also the first six digits of your invoice number.

Both Job Poster and iGUIDE Pro accounts need one.

Adding a role to an existing account

You do not need a second account to take on the other role.

Select your initials in the top right, then Edit Profile.
Go to Account type.
Tick the role you want to add.
Select Update account type.

Adding Find Work (Pro) prompts you to fill in the extra sections a directory listing needs. Those are covered in Your ION profile: setup and management.

If you hold both roles, My Jobs gains a Viewing as switch so you can move between your Job Poster view and your Pro view. Each side has its own tabs.

What is public on ION

Three things are worth knowing before you use ION.

An iGUIDE Pro's profile is fully public, contact details included. Anyone can read it without an account. See Your ION profile: setup and management.
A job posting is fully public, but the project's full street address is not. It goes only to the iGUIDE Pro whose bid is accepted. See Posting a job on ION.
Bids, messages and delivered files are private to the people involved.

Profile badges

Advanced Capture Certified. The iGUIDE Pro has completed iGUIDE's Advanced Capture training. Any iGUIDE Pro can earn this one by finishing the online course in the iGUIDE learning portal. The badge is applied to their profile once they pass.

National Provider. The iGUIDE Pro delivers work across the country rather than in a single region, and National Providers appear at the top of directory results. This badge is applied by the iGUIDE team rather than earned automatically. Contact iGUIDE Support if you think your business qualifies.

Top Provider. Applied automatically to iGUIDE's most experienced operators based on their capture history, and reviewed every quarter. It reflects recent activity, so it can be gained or lost as volumes change.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How do I sign in to ION?

A: ION uses magic link sign in, so there is no password. Enter your email and ION sends you a secure link. Opening it brings you to a confirmation page where you select Sign in to ION.

If the sign in email never arrives, note that these emails come from ion-no-reply@planitar.com. Because that address ends in planitar.com rather than goiguide.com, some mail filters treat it as an unknown sender, so add it to your safe senders list. Links expire after 24 hours and work only once. If you still cannot see it, check your spam folder, then request a fresh link from the sign in page.

Q: Does it cost anything to be on ION?

A: No. Listing in the directory and using the job board are included for iGUIDE customers.

Q: Does ION handle payment?

A: No. The Job Poster and the iGUIDE Pro agree a price through the bid and settle directly between themselves.

Q: Do I need an account to find an iGUIDE Pro?

A: No. The directory is public. You need an ION account to message an iGUIDE Pro, request a quote or post a job.

Q: What is the difference between an ION account and my iGUIDE account?

A: They are separate. Your ION account is what you sign into at ion.goiguide.com. Your iGUIDE account is your iGUIDE Portal customer account, identified by your iGUIDE customer ID. ION asks for that ID so it can link the two. Signing up for ION does not create an iGUIDE account, and having an iGUIDE account does not create an ION account.

Q: Why does ION need my Google Business Profile?

A: It confirms you are a real, operating business, imports your location and details, and lets your Google rating and reviews show on your profile. Verified businesses carry more credibility with Job Posters, and reviews feed into how you rank in the directory.

Q: Can I get work through ION without being an iGUIDE customer?

A: No. iGUIDE Pros are certified iGUIDE operators, and a valid iGUIDE customer ID is required.