You may have already started to notice a new "badge" next to the project when viewing the schedule or the My Schedule page. This new badge - colored in brown - will be included if there are any proctors that are stored in the project's settings. This new feature pushes the data directly to the scheduling page so that you and your techs can quickly see what proctors are stored without needing to go somewhere else. Allowing the tech to have this information at their fingertips when reviewing their schedule or when they are arriving on the jobsite.

Why This Change Matters:

• Quick Data Access – No longer will users need to click around to other pages to get this information
• Improved accuracy – Techs will not have to guess at what proctors might be revelant
• Universal access – This information is now accessible from the schedule, my schedule and the display on the user's dashboard

Were you aware that not all dispatches for a project end up going to the same place? While we have had ways to handle this - specifically by using a custom address when scheduling - now you have a way to store addresses to be reused later. This will allow for you to not have to re-type addresses for regular / recurring locations for a projects. This is accomplished in two ways:

1. Add an alternative address for the project
2. Create a fabrication shop (or equivalent) that can be used across multple projects

For the first example, this allows you to store a secondary address for the project. You can also optionally apply a name for each of the addresses, or allow the system to set the names as "Default" and "Dispatch". Just go to the edit page for the project and you will see additional fields for the project to store this secondary address. Below is a screenshot that shows where you can find these fields on the edit page:

The second option, requires a bit of setup - but once you get this shops added, they can be reused as much as needed. Also if you do not see the options as shown below, please contact us to adjust your permissions within your system. 

The first step is to use the "gear" icon in the upper right corner of the system. You will be looking for an option labeled "Fabrication Shops". Once you locate this option, simply click on the link to navigate to the maintenance page for this feature.

This listing will allow you to maintain which shops are available for scheduling within the system. Simply use the "Create New" button to start adding new shops. For each shop, you can add as many addresses / locations that the shop has. This way when you are scheduling and sending a tech to a shop, it will be as simply as selecting the address from the drop down. Below is an example of a shop being created within the system. Once you have the information entered, simply click on the "Create" button to add the shop to the system.

Now, on to using these two options while scheduling a project! The entry screen will look pretty familiar but there are some new buttons available to use these new addresses. If you did not give the project's secondary address a name - the name shown will be "Dispatch". To access the shops stored within the system, you will need to select button labeled "Shop". In both cases, the system will then use these addresses to be shown from the dispatch so that the tech knows where to go. Also, you do not need to worry about mistyping or having the wrong address.

Selecting the secondary address:

Using the shops to schedule a dispatch:

Why This Change Matters:

• Time savings – Quickly reuse addresses for projects rather than having to type in a custom address
• Improved accuracy – No second guessing if you entered the address correctly
• One-time setup – Once you set up the addresses, the data is available for reuse by simply clicking

No longer will you need to download attachments that you have on field reports to reuse them on Break Reports! Now you can transfer any PDFs or images from the field report to the break reports with a few simple clicks. This is possible from the scheduling view when you creating the break reports, or anywhere you can see the break report's attachments - such as the daily breaks or the edit page for the break report. 

From the scheduling page, you will see a new "attachment" icon after the break report is created within the system. This will be your starting point for accessing the existing field report attachments to copy them over to the break report. The screenshot below show this new icon, and to start the process simply click on the icon.

The next window you will see allow you to edit the attachments for this break report. You can upload new PDFs or images, but we are here to reuse other existing attachments! To continue that process, you will see a button in the upper left corner of the window labeled "Import Field Forms". Please click on this button, and the system will load the PDFs and image attachments for the associated Field Report.

The following is an example of how the attachments are presented based on what the associated Field Report has. In this case there are several PDF and image attachments avialable for copying. The "Copy" toggle for each attachment will allow the user to control which attachments should be transferred and copied to the break report.

Why This Change Matters:

• Significant time savings – No longer do you need to download the file and re-upload it, with this copying feature you can be done quickly and move onto other things.
• Simplified workflow – With only a few clicks, the attachments are ready to be reused on the break report

Another time saver added to help expedite the field report writing process. Your users can now drag and drop PDF or Word files from their local machines on to the "Add" section of attachments for Field Reports. This can be one file or multiple files. The system will handle uploading each of the files and creating a new attachment for each. No longer will the users need to go one file at a time but can add many document attachments at once. 

Once these files are uploaded and processed by the system, the same level of control is available for each. The user can later edit the document and crop or apply annotations. As well, if the resulting attachment order is not preferred, the user still has the control to drag the attachments to control the ordering.

Why This Change Matters:

• Time savings – Processing one file at a time takes several steps, where this new feature will process as many files as needed in one step
• Multiple files at once – Users can now upload several documents rather than having to do one at a time

Instead of uploading one file at a time via the web interface, you can now drag and drop multiple files at once. The desktop tool still works for uploading folders (and subfolders), but now without downloading / installing this tool - you can upload many files at once. Currently, you can not drop a folder but you can still create folders (and subfolders) first then upload via dropping files while within that folder. 

You can accomplish from any display where you can see the project's files - such as:

• Project's edit page
• Scheduling page 
• My Schedule page
• Field Report create / edit page
• etc, etc

Why This Change Matters:

• Significant time savings - When needing to upload multiple files, you no longer need to do this one at a time or download the desktop tool.
• Simplified Upload Process - Simply drag and drop the files while within the folder you need!

Copying from previous lab reports has come to the system!  You can now utilize other lab reports as a starting point. This new feature allows you to search across other existing lab reports to find the one you would like to use. Once selected the contains of the copied report will be editable for the user to allow them to adjust based on the new report. Below is a screenshot with this newly added button.

Clicking on this button will show you a window to allow you to see other lab reports within the system. You can use the filters provided to locate the report and clicking the "select" link will start the copy process. The next step will display the options for copying over the previous report's details. Once confirmed, you will see these details updated within the report you are working with.

Why This Change Matters:

• Reuse previous data - Allows the user to reuse a previous report for a better starting point
• Streamlined reporting - No longer do you need to open the report then copy and go back and paste - this

Specimen labels now include QR codes that allow rapid navigation to daily break records using a barcode scanner. From the daily breaks page, you can print out a "command" QR code to put on your break machine to start the process. Simply scan the command code and a window will display that will allow you search. Next, scan the specimen label to instantly jump to that record in the daily breaks with automatic date and lab selection. 

NOTE: You do not need to be on the daily breaks page to start this process - anywhere in the site this "command" code will work. QR codes now appear on all specimen labels. Requires a standard barcode scanner that scan QR codes. Labels are 3" x 1" vinyl format.

Use this new icon to display the "command" code. Print this out for quick reference.

After scanning the "command" code, you can scan any of the QR codes that are displayed on the labels. Below is an example of what you are looking for on the labels.

We are excited to announce an update to how documents stored in the system can now be edited directly in your browser without downloading to your local machine. This includes creating new versions, editing content, and managing document revisions all within the platform. NOTE: This feature is available immediately in Document Storage for all document types including SOPs and routine review documents.

You can access this from the navigation under the section "Document Storage". If you do not have this option, please reach out to your account representative to have this enabled. 

From the listing page - you will see any of the files you previously added to the system. You can either edit - by hovering over the row and clicking on the edit icon. If you need to add a new document, use the gear above the grid to the right and select "Add Document".

Once you are editing the document, you can use the controls at the top to allow format the document as needed. NOTE: This editing tool does not have all of the features you might expect from MS Word. If that is the case you can still download the document using the download icon in the upper right corner. From there you can edit the document in Word and re-upload into Omnant.

PRO TIP: You can drag / drop from your local machine to start uploading files into the Document Storage! No need to upload one file at a time.

PDF files generated from image attachments are now significantly smaller, improving upload speed and reducing storage requirements. *NOTE: No action required on your end. This optimization applies automatically to all new PDFs generated from image attachments.

What Changed:

• Image attachments are now converted to JPG format during PDF generation
• Reduced file sizes by approximately 80% compared to previous PNG format
• Maintains image quality while optimizing for performance

The Impact:

• A PDF with multiple images that previously generated at ~12MB now generates at ~1-2 MB range
• Faster PDF generation and download times
• Reduced storage usage across your account
• Improved performance when viewing and sharing reports with multiple images

Available on:

• Field Report attachments
• Break Report attachments
• Any report type that generates PDFs from image attachments

Why This Change Matters:

• Faster uploads – Smaller file sizes mean quicker report submissions, especially important in areas with limited connectivity
• Better performance – PDFs load and display faster for you and anyone you share reports with
• Reduced storage costs – Smaller files mean more efficient use of your storage allocation
• Mobile-friendly – Particularly beneficial for field teams uploading reports from mobile devices with data limitations

We've upgraded to the latest version of our PDF viewer and annotation tool throughout the system.

Where you'll see changes:

• Field Reports
• Attachments
• Any location where PDFs are viewed or annotated

New viewer features:

• Consolidated top toolbar
• Easy page navigation
• Zoom controls
• Download and print options

Enhanced Annotation Tool

When annotating PDFs or Word documents in attachments:

Updated styling controls:

1. Select an annotation element
   
2. Click Style to open the styling panel on the left
   
3. Adjust:
   • Color
   • Fill
   • Opacity
   • Other styling options

Additional features:

• Copy and delete annotations
• All annotation types support the new styling options
• Drag and position elements easily

These updates apply to all annotation functions throughout the system.

Watch a video about this enhancement >

Why This Change Matters

• Modern interface – Cleaner, more intuitive design for viewing and annotating PDFs
• Improved usability – Consolidated toolbar makes tools easier to find and use
• Enhanced styling options – More control over annotation appearance with updated styling panel
• Consistent experience – Updated viewer applies across all PDF functions system-wide