The phone that never stops
Customer services at a testing lab spend much of the day answering variations of the same question. Did our samples arrive? Have you started? When will the results be ready? The answer is in the LIMS, so the person looks it up, reads it out, and moves to the next call. Sometimes they need to walk to a section to ask, because the LIMS status is not clear.
Emails are the same. A consultant forwards a question from their own client, asking for a status on six samples across two submissions.
Why clients have to ask
- Clients get no confirmation when samples are received and registered.
- Due dates are not shared with the client.
- The LIMS may have a portal, but it is hard to use or shows internal codes.
- Problems such as damaged samples are communicated late, by phone.
- Clients' own customers are asking them, so they pass the pressure on.
Most of these calls are not complaints. They are clients doing their own job, which is reporting to someone else, and they have no information to do it with.
Consultancies and larger clients feel it most. They submit samples on behalf of many of their own customers and projects, and need to report status upward several times a week. If your lab cannot give them a view across all their work, they build their own spreadsheet from your emails, and they call you whenever it is out of date.
What status calls cost
Customer services staff spend their time on lookups rather than on problems that need a person. Lab staff are interrupted when the LIMS status is unclear. Clients who wait on hold, or wait for an email reply, feel the lab is slow even when the work is on time.
| Client question | Today | With a status portal |
|---|---|---|
| Did my samples arrive? | Phone or email | Receipt confirmation sent on registration |
| Where are they now? | Staff look it up | Stage shown per sample |
| When will I get results? | Estimated by staff | Expected report time shown |
| Was there a problem? | Phone call, sometimes late | Alert with detail as soon as it is logged |
| Can I get the report? | Emailed on request | Download when released |
What we build
- Receipt confirmations are sent to the client when samples are registered, listing the samples received, their condition and the expected report date.
- A client portal shows each submission and sample, with plain-English stages instead of internal LIMS codes.
- Expected report times come from your turnaround rules and are updated when something changes.
- Alerts go out for events the client needs to know about, such as a sample received damaged, a test delayed or a report released.
- Released reports are available to download, with the history of any amended versions.
- Customer services see the same view, plus internal notes, and handle the exceptions.
The portal only shows information your staff have released for clients. Internal comments and unreviewed results stay internal.
After it goes live
Clients check progress themselves and receive alerts when something matters. Customer services answer fewer routine calls and spend more time on clients with genuine problems. Lab staff are interrupted less. Consultants and larger clients can see all their submissions in one place, which is often what wins repeat work.
Recognise the constant calls?
- Most customer service calls are status lookups.
- Clients are not told when samples arrive.
- Expected report dates are not shared.
- Problems with samples are communicated late.
- Your LIMS portal exists but clients do not use it.