5 ways to automate lost and found logs

#1 - The basic check-in

Who it's for: Single-site businesses that pick up the odd lost item and just want a record that survives the end of the shift.

What it is: A lost and found log is a record of every item handed in: what it is, where it was found, who found it, and a line of detail that helps match it to its owner. This version has four steps on a phone. The person who picks up the item types what it is, drops a pin where it was found, types who found it, and adds a bit more detail. Each completion is one timestamped record, so the log is the list of items handed in over time.

In practice: A single-store bookshop on a busy high street. A customer hands a pair of reading glasses to the till. The bookseller opens the canvas, types "tortoiseshell reading glasses", drops a pin at the front counter, types "handed in by a customer", and adds "in a soft brown case". When the owner phones the next morning, the bookseller searches the log, finds the entry with its timestamp, and reunites the glasses in under a minute. No scrap of paper, no sticky note that fell off the monitor.

Why it works: A lost item only becomes a problem when there is no record of it. The moment something is handed in, three questions are waiting to be answered later: what was it, where did it turn up, who had it last. This version captures all three at the point of handover, while the detail is fresh. The record is timestamped server-side, so nothing depends on someone remembering at the end of the day.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (what the item is)
• 1 location step (GPS pin where it was found)
• 1 text input (who found it)
• 1 text input (a bit more detail)

#2 - With written guidance

Who it's for: Venues with high footfall and lots of lost property, where different staff pick items up and need to handle them the same way.

What it is: The basic check-in plus a guidance note woven through the canvas. The guidance tells the person where to store the item the moment it is logged, how long to keep it, and what to do with anything valuable. A new starter on their first shift handles a found wallet exactly the way a long-serving supervisor would, without anyone having to brief them in person.

In practice: A 200-room seaside hotel with a leisure club and a restaurant. Items turn up everywhere: a charger in the pool changing room, a coat in the restaurant, a child's toy in a corridor. A dozen different staff might log an item across a single day. The guidance reminds each of them that everything goes in the locked drawer at reception, not a back-of-house pocket or a shelf. It tells them general items are held for a month and anything of value goes in the safe with the duty manager notified. Every item follows the same path regardless of who found it.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A written guidance note on where to store items, so every item lands in the same locked place instead of in pockets or under counters
2. A written rule for retention and handling of valuables, set once and read inline as staff log
3. A clear instruction for cash, so the person who finds it knows to hand it straight to the duty manager

Why it works: Written guidance sits inline at the moment the person is about to act. The storage reminder is on the screen as they open the canvas, while the item is still in their hand and the decision of where to put it is live. The retention rules are there as they finish, so the keeping rules are read at the moment of logging, not buried in a handbook they skimmed in week one.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (where to store items, how long to keep them, what to do with valuables)
• 1 text input (what the item is)
• 1 location step (GPS pin where it was found)
• 1 text input (who found it)
• 1 text input (a bit more detail)

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Sites that hold valuables and need a name on the record of who handed the item in and who claimed it back out.

What it is: The basic check-in plus two signatures: one from the finder on intake, and one from the claimant on return. The text inputs stay the same. The signatures confirm identity at handover and handover out. The return signature is left blank until someone actually claims the item, so a single record carries the full story of an item from the moment it was found to the moment it left, with a name at each end.

In practice: A members' gym and racquets club across two sites. Members leave watches, rings, and the occasional set of car keys in the changing rooms. When a watch is handed in, the staff member logs the detail and signs the intake to confirm what was handed over. A week later the member comes in to claim it, and signs the return on the same screen. If a question ever comes up about whether the watch went back to the right person, the record shows who signed it in and who signed it out.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A finder's signature on intake, confirming the item was handed in as described
2. A claimant's signature on return, confirming the owner received it, left blank until the item is claimed
3. A single record that ties the handover in and the handover back out together, with a name at each end

Why it works: A text description says what the item is. The two signatures say who was responsible for it at each handover. The finder's signature closes the question of what came in. The claimant's signature closes the question of what went back out and to whom. Both are captured on the touchscreen, on the same record as the detail, so a high-value item never moves without a name attached to the moment it moved.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (what the item is)
• 1 location step (GPS pin where it was found)
• 1 text input (who found it)
• 1 text input (a bit more detail)
• 1 signature (finder's signature on intake)
• 1 signature (claimant's signature on return)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Businesses wanting a photo to match items to owners over the phone, before anyone travels to collect.

What it is: The basic check-in plus a photo of the found item with its lost-property tag or reference number clearly visible in the shot. The person takes a clear shot as they log it, and the photo lands in the record alongside the typed detail. When someone calls describing what they lost, the person on the phone can pull up the photo and confirm it is the right item before anyone makes a trip to collect it.

In practice: A regional bus and coach company with four depots. Drivers find phones, bags, and umbrellas on board every day, and the items get logged at the depot they return to. An office worker takes a clear photo of each item as it comes in, making sure the item's tag or reference number is visible in shot. A passenger calls the next afternoon, sure they left a navy backpack on the morning service. Instead of asking them to describe every pocket and zip, the office worker pulls up the photo, holds it to the description, and confirms the match in seconds. The photo also settles the awkward case where two people both think the same bag is theirs.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A photo of the found item with its tag or reference number visible, captured at the time
2. A visual record that a caller's description can be checked against, before anyone travels to collect
3. A way to tell near-identical items apart, so the right bag goes back to the right person

Why it works: A typed description is one person's words. A photo is what the item actually looks like. When an owner calls, the two can be compared directly, and a vague "black wallet" becomes a specific wallet with a worn corner and a particular clasp. The photo is captured at the moment of handover, on the same record as the location and the detail, so there is no later step where someone has to go and find the item to photograph it. A tag or reference number in the shot ties the photo to the log entry, so there is no confusion about which item the photo shows.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (what the item is)
• 1 location step (GPS pin where it was found)
• 1 text input (who found it)
• 1 text input (a bit more detail)
• 1 photo of the found item with its tag or reference number visible in shot

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Teams where the photo gets taken but nobody reviews it. Multi-site businesses where head office can't look at every photo.

What it is: The basic check-in plus a photo of the found item with its tag or reference number visible, which Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: does the photo clearly show the found item and its tag or reference number? If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it spotted to the team chat, so it gets sorted before everyone moves on.

In practice: A three-site hotel group logs lost items at each site. The front desk team photographs each item, making sure the tag is visible in shot, and uploads to the log. Poppi reads the photo: clear item, tag visible, reference number legible. Verdict yes, and nothing changes. On a rushed Friday evening the photo is blurry and the tag is out of frame. Poppi answers no and posts the reason to the team chat ("The tag or reference number is not visible in the photo. Please retake it with the tag clearly shown"). The staff member sorts it while still at the desk.

What it adds to the basic check-in:

1. A photo of the found item with its tag that gets checked the moment it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message with Poppi's reason the moment a photo fails the check
3. The manager stops being the only person who ever looks at the photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the person logging off. That's the only moment the problem is still cheap to fix. A manager reviewing photos the next morning can only record that the photo is unusable. Poppi catching it at shift end gets it retaken while the item is still at hand.

Steps included:

• 1 text input (what the item is)
• 1 location step (GPS pin where it was found)
• 1 text input (who found it)
• 1 text input (a bit more detail)
• 1 photo of the found item with its tag or reference number visible
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

How to pick the right version

You do not need to know how the canvas builder works to pick the right version. Every version here is the basic check-in plus one addition, so pick the additions your business actually needs.

Do other people log items, or is it just you?

If it is just you behind one counter, the basic check-in (#1) is enough. You know where you keep things and how long you hold them, so you do not need the canvas to remind you.

If anyone else logs items (a colleague, a new starter, staff spread across a building), go to #2 onwards. The guidance note is what stops one person putting a wallet in the safe while another leaves it under the till. You write the storage and retention rules once. Everyone reads them inline as they log.

Do you need someone to sign off at the end?

If the items you hold are everyday things, a logged record is enough. Stick at #1 or #2.

If you hold valuables, the signatures are the lock. Go to #3. The finder's signature confirms what came in, and the claimant's signature confirms what went back out and to whom, both on the same record.

Do you need a photo as proof?

A text description says the work was done. A photo shows what the item actually looks like. If you take enough property that descriptions start to collide, or you want to match an item to a caller before anyone travels, go to #4. The photo lets you confirm the right item over the phone and tell two near-identical bags apart.

Does anyone actually look at the photos?

If a manager genuinely reviews every photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when something's wrong.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same log.

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Conclusion

A lost and found log is a record of every item handed in: what it is, where it was found, who found it, and the detail that matches it to its owner. Every version above is the same basic log plus one addition: guidance on storage and retention, a signature on intake and return, a photo with the item's tag, or Poppi checking that photo. Pick the ones your business needs and combine them in the playground.

→ Build your lost and found log on Pilla.