We've introduced Publicly Sharable Reports so you can send clients a "live link" to any inspection report. 

This dashboard update allows any clients with a report link to view reports in real-time, follow your progress, and download the inspection report as a PDF file.

Sharing a report URL with clients is an alternative to creating reports as a PDF and sending the file by email. So, what are the advantages of sharing a report URL rather than printing the report?

Emailing reports as a PDF doesn't work when you reach file size limits.

Emailing PDF reports to clients is excellent, that is, until you run into dreaded file size limits - with most email providers capping file sizes at around 20-25MB. 

When you run up against your email provider's size limitations, many people turn to popular file transfer services like Dropbox to transfer large files to their clients. 

However, the disadvantage of using a file transfer service is that you rely on your client's technical proficiency to download and install this 3rd party software. And you're making your client do a fair bit of work which may be frustrating for them.

The answer to large files: Report links

To help you with this 'big file' problem, we've introduced the ability to link to a live report. 

So now, rather than sending your client a PDF report, you have the option to send them a URL link instead. The great thing about this is, you don't need to worry about how to transfer files to them.

With the report link, all your client needs to download the PDF report onto their computer is a modern web browser such as Google Chrome or Safari.

Why do asbestos reports grow large?

A combination of many inspection points and high-resolution photos make your reports grow in size. 

Generally speaking, you can expect each inspection point to have a couple of photos. And while we scale these down when generating the PDF report, the thumbnail images will quickly accumulate in size.

It's not uncommon for asbestos reports to run into hundreds of inspection items, especially when you're surveying large buildings, like a block of flats, a school, or a hospital.

Real-time working - a touch of magic for your clients and stakeholders

Publicly sharable reports offer another excellent advantage - they provide a touch of magic for your clients and stakeholders, who can view the information in real-time.

Imagine you're doing a multi-day asbestos survey on a large property. Suppose you've finished surveying a particular block or zone of the building. In that case, it may be advantageous to provide contractors with details of the surveyed areas before the report is fully complete - a neat use-case for live report links.

Flow Mobile Surveying users can access this feature by viewing a report and tapping the 'Copy URL' button at the top of the page.

Want to speed up your report writing?

It takes up to 2-hours to create an average-sized asbestos survey report. With Flow Mobile Surveying, the same report takes minutes to write and you can spend time doing what you do best, building your business.

Get in touch for a demo