Services providers such as human biospecimen collection networks, cell culture scale up and banking labs, sample storage facilities, and analytical laboratories for flow cytometry, protein analysis, and histology play important roles in advancing biomedical research. If you are considering working with a service provider, there are five basic issues that are important to consider.
Reliability: This is of course fundamental. Any product or service that you receive must work according to your requirements or it is useless. That is obvious. The difficult part is ascertaining if their work is actually reliable. Reliability does leave clues. Expertise and experience come with time. If an organization has delivered a service and grown over time, this is a good indication that they are doing something right.
Guarantees: Another important factor is guarantees. If a company does not guarantee their work, why should you trust them? Since our founding in 1990, ABS has stood by what we do for you, and we guarantee it. Please see our website for more information.
Speed: In our industry, speed is of the essence. Project timelines are often short and the race to more effective therapies and diagnostics can save lives. Company size is often not a good indicator. With a large organization, your request may be one of many and become lost in layers of bureaucracy. At ABS, we know how important timelines are and we take the time with each project to make sure that our capabilities are the best fit for your needs and deadlines. If they are not, we won’t waste your time.
Ease to Work With: We prefer to work with people and groups who understand our needs and who are easy to communicate with. We expect the same is true of our clients. From emails to calls to our online Client Portal, we first work to understand your needs and then keep you informed in a manner that you prefer. This includes being transparent in our communications, if something is not working as expected or if there are unforeseen delays, we don’t hide it. We keep you informed so there are no bad surprises.
Customization and Integration: The ideal service partner is one that you can trust and who understands your needs. Innovative research is not a commodity. It often requires customization and collaboration. This is a key reason that ABS continues to thrive. While competitors are trying to turn human biospecimens and cell culture services into catalog items, we understand that your needs are often unique and challenging. This is where we offer advantages that cannot be found in a catalog.
The ultimate in working with an effective service provider involves not only customization, but true collaboration. Integrating a trusted service provider into your operations frees your internal resources for discovery and provides much more than additive benefits. For example, at two of the top five pharma companies, ABS is integrated into their electronic data systems so that scientists’ requests flow seamlessly to ABS and data flow back to their systems without wasteful administrative overhead and time delays. This enables us to replenish cell banks in advance of project demands, eliminating project delays. For one of the companies, ABS is also storing samples and coordinating logistics with their other services providers. This removes a major constraint and time sink from our client’s operations.
To understand the benefits of working with the right services providers, please contact us for a consultation.
