The wrong bottle, and a wasted sampling trip
A client emails asking for bottles for their monthly water sampling. The dispatch person checks which suites they usually run, packs what they think is right, adds a request form and posts it. The client samples into the bottles they received. When the samples arrive, one test needed a bottle with a preservative that was not in the kit. The client has to go back to site.
Meanwhile, the stock of one type of vial has run out, because nobody noticed it was low until the shelf was empty.
Why kit dispatch is error-prone
- Container requirements depend on the tests, and the rules are known by a few people.
- Requests are vague: 'the usual bottles'.
- Packing is done from memory.
- Stock of containers and preservatives is not tracked.
- Dispatched kits are not linked to the samples that come back.
Suites make it harder. A single suite may need three or four container types with different preservatives and volumes, and two suites ordered together may be able to share some containers but not others. The person packing has to hold all of those rules in their head, and new staff on dispatch take a long time to learn them.
What it costs
Wrong containers lead to rejected samples and repeat sampling, which clients remember. Stock-outs delay kits. Staff spend time answering 'what bottles do I need?' questions. The lab cannot see how many kits are out with clients.
| Step | From memory | Kit ordering |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 'The usual bottles' | Client chooses the tests planned |
| Containers | Packer decides | Worked out from container rules per test |
| Packing | From memory | Packing list and labels printed |
| Stock | Noticed when empty | Tracked, with reorder alerts |
| Return | Not linked | Kit ID links to samples on arrival |
Kits that go out and never come back are a hidden cost too. Containers, preservatives, cool boxes and postage are spent, and without tracking, nobody notices which clients hoard kits or which ones were lost in the post.
How we build it
- Your technical team records the container, volume and preservative rules for each test and suite, including which tests can share a container.
- Clients order kits online by choosing the suites and number of sampling points, or reorder their usual kit.
- The system works out the containers needed, produces a packing list and prints pre-filled labels and request forms.
- Stock is deducted as kits are packed, with alerts when levels reach your reorder point.
- Each kit has an ID. When samples return, reception scans it and the expected tests are proposed for registration.
- A view shows kits out with each client and how long they have been out.
Container rules come from your methods and your technical staff. The system applies them consistently.
What changes
Clients receive kits that match the tests they plan, with labels and forms ready. Rejected samples for wrong containers fall away. Dispatch staff work from packing lists. Stock is reordered before it runs out. Returning kits speed up registration.
Technical staff answer fewer container questions because the kit and its instructions explain themselves. Managers can see how many kits are out with clients and for how long, which helps spot clients who have stopped sampling, and helps plan container orders ahead of busy periods.
Is kit dispatch causing you problems?
- Clients sample into the wrong containers.
- Kits are packed from memory.
- Container stock runs out without warning.
- Staff answer frequent questions about which bottles to use.
- Dispatched kits are not linked to returning samples.