A leaking bottle and a phone call two days later
A cool box arrives with a cracked bottle. Another sample has no label. A third is well past its holding time. Reception puts them aside and writes a note. Someone from customer services is meant to phone the client. It happens the next day, or the day after. By then, resampling is harder, and the client is irritated they did not know sooner.
Other samples are accepted with a deviation, such as a temperature on arrival outside the expected range, and the deviation needs to appear on the report. Sometimes it does not.
Why this is handled inconsistently
- There are no standard reason codes, so each person describes problems differently.
- Notifying the client depends on someone remembering.
- Deviations accepted with a comment do not reliably reach the report.
- Photos, if taken, are on a phone.
- Nobody sees which clients repeatedly send unsuitable samples.
Couriers and collection routes are part of the picture. If samples from one route regularly arrive warm, or one courier's boxes are often damaged, that is a pattern worth knowing. With problems recorded as free-text notes, nobody can see it.
What it costs
Clients learn about problems late, when it is hardest to resample. Reports may omit deviations they should state. The same clients keep making the same mistakes because nobody tells them the pattern. Reception spends time on phone calls.
| Step | Ad hoc | Rejection and deviation log |
|---|---|---|
| Record | Note on paper | Reason code, photo and details at reception |
| Notify | Phone call when possible | Automatic message with details |
| Client decision | By phone | Client chooses from options your procedures allow |
| Report | Comment sometimes added | Deviation carried to the report |
| Trends | Not tracked | Reports by client and reason |
There is a commercial side as well. A client who resamples because of a problem found at reception pays again for sampling and delivery, and may blame the lab if the reason was not explained clearly. Prompt, specific notice with a photo turns an annoyance into something the client can act on.
How we build it
- Reception logs any problem with a reason code, a note and a photo on a tablet, against the sample ID.
- The client receives a message immediately, with the reason and, where your procedures allow, options such as proceed with a deviation noted, cancel or arrange resampling.
- The client's choice is recorded and the sample is released or cancelled in the LIMS accordingly.
- Accepted deviations are written to the LIMS so they appear on the report.
- Trend reports show reasons by client, collection route and sample type, which can be shared with clients to help them improve.
Your procedures decide which problems mean rejection and which can proceed with a deviation. The log makes sure it is recorded and communicated.
The message to the client is written by your team in plain language, with a photo where useful, so the client understands the problem straight away. Many clients prefer knowing early, even when the news is bad, because it gives them a chance to resample on the same day.
After the change
Clients know about problems soon after receipt. Deviations appear on reports consistently. Reception spends less time on the phone. Repeated problems are raised with clients using evidence.
Reception staff also get clearer guidance. Reason codes and your procedures sit on the same screen, so a new member of staff can handle a damaged sample consistently without asking a colleague.
Is this happening in your lab?
- Clients hear about rejected samples late.
- Reason descriptions vary between staff.
- Deviations sometimes do not reach the report.
- Photos of damaged samples are on staff phones.
- The same clients repeatedly send unsuitable samples.