Tag Archive for: Sample Submission

Dos and Don’ts of Sample Submission

sample-submission

In a hurry to receive your sample results? The method you use to submit your sample for analysis has a significant impact on the speed in which your samples are received and processed by our team. At POLARIS Laboratories® we are working continuously to simplify the sample submission process, introducing a simple to use label and making sample submission available online via HORIZON®.

While these new methods have helped improve the overall process, there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your samples arrive at the laboratory ready for processing!

Following these dos and don’ts will help you improve how you send your samples:

Do:

  1. Choose the correct sample bottle for your sample
  2. Make sure the cap on the bottle is tightly secured
  3. Follow these steps to fill out your EZ label
  4. Write clearly
  5. Fill out as much information about your sample as possible
  6. Send samples via UPS or FedEx for quicker turnaround time
  7. Take advantage of your carrier’s package tracking feature
  8. Take advantage of HORIZON

Don’t:

  1. Hurry! Speeding through the sample process could lead to mistakes
  2. Use a bottle not made for sampling
  3. Leave blanks in your sample information
  4. Forget to include the EZ label with your bottle (if you did not submit online)
  5. Send via USPS if you’re on deadline

Spending a few extra minutes correctly packaging and sending your sample will help ensure you receive your results in a timely manner as well as improve the maintenance recommendations you receive from our data analysts.

If you have any questions about your sampling methods or your order, please feel free to reach out to us at custserv@eoilreports.com.

michelle-desjardins

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you. 

New HORIZON® App Feature Eliminates Paperwork

Sample submission makes sampling quicker, easier, more accurate

INDIANAPOLIS – The latest feature offered on the new app for HORIZON – online sample submission – will improve how users collect and submit oil, coolant and diesel fuel samples. Now sample data can be entered into the app and linked to the barcode on the sample jar, eliminating the need for sample paperwork to be filled out and shipped.

“Giving customers the ability to submit samples from a phone or tablet means they can stand next to the equipment while they enter the numbers,” POLARIS Laboratories® Chief Executive Officer Bryan Debshaw said. “Going digital greatly improves accuracy and speeds up the process, too. It’s a positive change for everyone.”

The process is simple. Customers use the app to select a component from their equipment list, enter required information and link the data to the barcode on the sample. Common paperwork mistakes can prevent a sample from being tested, so a data validation process immediately tells users if information is missing or incorrect.

The app uses the mobile device’s camera to automatically scan barcodes, eliminating the need to type in long strings of numbers and characters. In addition, customers can create QR codes of their equipment’s ID numbers and use the camera to find the component in the app.

Since August 2015, the initial version of the HORIZON app has been downloaded on more than 1,300 mobile devices. Users employ the app’s customizable alerts to notify them when testing is complete. A few taps can bring up a testing result summary and recommendations, and another tap will download the full report as a PDF. With the addition of the sample submission feature, users can perform oil analysis from start to finish without using a computer, email account or written paperwork.

The HORIZON app places the power of the web data management application in the palm of your hand. The app allows users to quickly submit sample data and read reports from mobile devices. Available now on iOS devices, the app will expand to Android platforms in the near future.

New EZ Label is Available


We’ve been listening.

“This form is too complicated.”
“Do I really need to provide all this info?”
“There has to be an easier way to submit samples.”

Based on the customer feedback we’ve received over the years, we have improved our sample labels to make it quicker, easier and simpler to submit sample information, which reduces the likelihood of errors. You can request the new label be sent with your next sample jar order.

During the process of redesigning our sample information forms, much research was conducted internally and externally to thoroughly understand:

  • how customers complete the sample forms
  • how samples are packaged and shipped to us
  • how samples and paperwork are cleaned when fluid leaks during transit
  • how sample details are entered into our systems

We also tapped into our customers to serve as beta testers and confirmed the new label really does make it quicker and easier to submit samples.

The new label includes detailed HORIZON® instructions to simplify adding or updating equipment and submitting sample information online. This allowed us to simplify the required information on the form and reduce the paper size. In addition, the sample jar label features a coating to improve its resistance to absorbing oil.

Customers may or may not have access to the Internet all the time, so we left a very simple component and sample information form on the label. If a paper copy needs to be sent in with the sample, the form can be detached from the label and easily wrapped around the sample jar.

The label’s new features could benefit all our customers, so I encourage everyone to make the switch and reap the benefits. You can view the new label and how to fill it out by downloading our instructions. When you’re ready to try the EZ Label at one or more of your locations, contact our Customer Service team at custserv@eoilreports.com or 877.808.3750.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.