Sign makers work with their hands. On site, on the ladder, at the vehicle, at the printer. Typing on a smartphone isn't an option in this reality. Dirty gloves, tools in hand, rain, cold — these are the conditions under which information needs to be captured.

Yet the industry types. Or worse: writes on scraps of paper. The audio-first workflow in PlotonIQ flips this. You speak — the AI does the rest.

The paper problem

Every sign maker knows this: you're standing in front of the storefront, the client describes what they want. You write on a scrap of paper. "3x win frost, 1x door hrs wht." Back in the office: what does "frost" mean here? Which brand? And is that a 3 or an 8?

Then there are photos. 47 photos on the phone, somewhere between lunch and holiday pictures. Which photo belongs to which job?

How audio-first works

Step 1: Create a memo

Open PlotonIQ on your phone. Tap + → New Memo. Three snippet types: Text, Audio, Photo. For site work, start with Audio.

Step 2: Dictate

Press the record button and speak freely. No form, no fields: "Smith's Bakery, 12 High Street. 4 shop windows, roughly 150 by 110 centimetres each. Frosted film, client wants 3M Crystal. Entrance door needs opening hours, white vinyl lettering. Installation Thursday, shop's closed till 11am."

Stop recording. 30 seconds. That's it.

Step 3: Attach photos

Take 3-4 photos: full facade view, window detail, entrance door, any problems. Each photo becomes a snippet in the memo — auto-geotagged with timestamp.

Step 4: AI transcribes

Whisper transcribes the recording. 95%+ accuracy, even with background noise. The AI automatically recognises: customer name, address, materials, dimensions, and scheduling info. The memo becomes structured: contact data, positions, materials, dates.

Step 5: Memo to quote

One tap: "Generate AI Quote." The AI takes the recognised positions, prices with market data, generates justification, creates a PDF. Review, adjust if needed, send.

Total time from the car park to sent quote: under 5 minutes.

Offline capability

On site you don't always have signal. Audio recording and photos are stored locally and sync when connectivity returns. AI transcription happens server-side — you need signal for that. But capture works offline. You never lose a recording because you're in a basement.

Why not just a notes app?

You could use your iPhone's voice memo app. But then you have an audio file — not structured data. You'd need to listen again, type out the info, build a quote. Same effort as the paper scrap.

The difference with PlotonIQ: transcription is the first step of an automated pipeline. Speech → Text → Positions → Pricing → PDF → Send. Each step flows into the next. It's not a voice memo — it's a voice-to-quote workflow.

Tips

Say material names in full: "3M Crystal frosted film" not "frost." AI recognises brand names better than abbreviations.

Include units: "150 centimetres by 110 centimetres" not "one-fifty by one-ten."

One memo per job: Don't mix multiple clients in one memo.

Photos first: Take photos before dictating — you'll have visual reference while speaking.

Conclusion

Audio-first fits the reality. Hands busy, desk far away, time short. Instead of typing quotes in the evening, dictate in the car park and the quote is sent before you start the engine. This works today, on any smartphone, without downloading an app.