Better Communications

Better Communications

How can LPS compete against the likes of Thermo Fisher and Avantor/VWR?  Many of our long-term clients know the answer:  We communicate better.

What is the optimal level of customer care?

  1. The seller must know and understand his buyer’s needs intimately.

  2. Buyers expect the seller to respond to their needs promptly (goal:  immediately.)

  3. Buyers expect someone on the selling end to be personally responsible.

  4. The buyer/seller relationship, where possible should be on a first-name basis.

  5. The seller should be looking out for the customer’s interests proactively.

Achieving the optimum level of customer care in the digital age

 We now have more ways to communicate with each other than ever before: 

  1. Face-to-face

  2. Smoke signals (being phased out due to EPA regulations.)

  3. Mail

  4. Telephone

  5. Fax (does anyone still fax?)

  6. Text Messaging

  7. E-mail

  8. Instant messaging / live chat online

  9. Any / all of the above

What method do you prefer?  It really depends on the subject.  If you want to place an order, you may prefer to do this over the phone (admittedly rare, but sometimes required if you are concerned about your credit card security), but most likely you will send the order to the vendor electronically.  You may send a PDF copy of your P.O., or order online using a tool like Quartzy.com or www.labproservices.com/store. If you forgot to order, and you are in jeopardy of shutting down your lab because you don’t have the products you need to do the analysis, then you probably want to speak to someone by phone.  And if you were on a first name basis with that someone, you would probably feel a lot more comfortable knowing that your problem would then be their #1 priority.  And if you could get the SAME person on the phone if you had to call back, wouldn’t that be great? 

Why does LPS prefer to use Quartzy.com?

  1. Quartzy.com has over 100,000 users and has been the preferred ordering tool for nearly every major university in the country.  It works and it’s proven.

  2. It provides a single ordering platform regardless of the vendor or product.

  3. It’s free!

  4. It is reliable – two-way email notifications mean no order will slip through the cracks.

  5. It communicates to us all of your requirements including:

    a)  When you need the product

    b) Your P.O. number

    c)  Any quotes or special offers you may have received from the vendor

    d) Any special instructions you may have for us

    e) It provides us both with a complete record of all of your transactions.  In other words, METRICS.

 

Major advantages of using Quartzy.com

  1. One web site, one login, one user interface, for all everything or anything in your lab.

  2. Only the items you buy are displayed.  No clutter from products you don’t buy.

  3. All the items you buy or ask for quotes on are here are organized in one place.

  4. No searching for order acknowledgements, quotes, MSDS sheets or web links – it’s all here!

  5. YOU have control of your data, not your supplier!  Download your order history any time.

  6. 100% reliable and widely used by over 100,000 laboratory personnel every day.

  7. Simple and easy to learn and use because it is DESIGNED for purchasing, not selling.

  8. It’s fully integrated with LPS systems eliminating transcription errors.

  9. Never a question of price.  The price you see on Quartzy is the price you pay.

  10. It’s free!

  11. It lowers your cost of processing a purchase order.

Is Quartzy.com right for you?

 

Quartzy is designed for LPS clients who routinely purchase a variety of products and who do so on Net 30 terms.  This allows us to keep our prices low and to reduce your cost of issuing a purchase order. Do you prefer a more tradtional web site?  Then (www.labproservices.com/store) is designed for customers who prefer to pay by credit card and are looking for low prices on over 2,000 high-use lab items.  And for the highest level of service for clients with approved credit and have registred, you can shop from a custom catalog of just your items with your special pricing complete with photos and descriptions of each item! And we have some clients who ask us to provide them a quote on an item they specify.  If an item is going to be used routinely, we will encourage you to use Quartzy. 

Other ways to communicate with LPS

 Here are some options that you may not have considered:

  1. Do you use Instant Messaging?  Whether you are a fan of Trillian, Yahoo, Google or AOL, we are there for you!  Send Lisa Greene an email which includes your system and user name, and we will send you an invitation.  This way, you will know when we are in the office and you can instantly communicate with us!

  2. Want to chat with us without instant messaging?  Go to www.pipettipfinder.com or www.labproservices.com and look for the “Ask an Expert” section on the home page.  If you see the “Online” green button lit, you will be able to chat with us!  (We can’t afford to hire someone in India to do this for us…yet.)

  3. Call us on the phone!  Lisa can be reached at 865-622-5322 and my number is 865-622-5321.  Got a question regarding your bill?  Call Brenda at 865-622-5323.  We are available from 9 – 5pm, Eastern time.

Summary

 Our goal is to be the easiest place for you to buy supplies for your business.  This starts with knowledgeable people who speak the language of the lab.  It is enhanced by those people responding to your requests promptly.  And it is fulfilled by the relationship and trust you will develop with us.  How can we serve you?