Guides
QR code machine documentation: a buyer's checklist for machine builders
A QR code that opens a PDF is easy. A QR code that reduces service calls is a different product. Use these ten questions to tell them apart.
Updated October 20, 2026
- One record per machine, or one link per product line? Serial-number level matters when parts, options and history differ.
- Do operators need an app or an account? Every login is a reason not to scan. (Servotag Pro: no app, no login, no VPN.)
- Is the content released by you? Operators should only see guidance you have approved – with technician-only content behind service codes.
- Can operators send a structured fault report? Machine, plant, photo or video and description in one message – not a phone call.
- Where do reports go? Email is the minimum; a signed webhook lets you feed your own service system.
- Does it need access to the machine control? It shouldn't. (Servotag Pro doesn't.)
- Which languages can operators use? Installed bases are international. (Servotag Pro: four operator languages.)
- Can you brand it and give each customer their own portal?
- How is it priced? Per user seat punishes adoption. Servotag Pro is priced by machines in the field, with unlimited internal users.
- What happens when the contract ends? Plates on machines in the field stay there for years. Ask what a scan shows. (Servotag Pro: a notice page with your contact details; your data is not deleted.)
What the history behind such a plate looks like over the years is shown in a hydraulic unit service history example.
Use the calculator on the home page to estimate what avoided site visits and faster fault reports could mean for your installed base.