Why Clients Rely on LabLynx Consulting Services

By Chris Casper

LabLynx’s success comes down to the expertise we bring to every customer engagement. Our team combines decades of in-laboratory experience with the cross-cutting perspectives we’ve gained deploying LabLynx laboratory information management system (LIMS) solutions in labs of every size, type, and industry.

This expertise lets us go beyond mere software sales. LabLynx consulting services can help make your lab more efficient and productive, even when you don’t buy a LabLynx LIMS.

Going beyond sales: Helping a client without selling software

A large agriculture laboratory retained LabLynx consulting services to evaluate its laboratory processes. The client had evolved a complex operation spread across seven locations, each with its unique combination of instruments and systems.

Complicating matters further, the independent development of each lab’s information resources meant the client ran several different LIMS software packages. These poorly-integrated systems had become a problem. Growing error rates were beginning to threaten the laboratory’s compliance status.

The client knew they needed to reach a point where every lab location operated within a unified LIMS environment. They also knew they had the IT and development resources to get them there.

What the client needed was the informatics experience to design a best-in-class LIMS.

Getting to a solution

LabLynx’s consulting services team bridged that gap by developing a “concept of operations” proposal. We sent a three-person team comprising:

• LabLynx’s Chief Operating Officer — an industry veteran with two decades of operations experience.
• Implementation Project Manager — a Ph.D. with over 15 years of experience integrating LIMS solutions.
• Subject Matter Expert — A long-term LabLynx project manager with experience in the agricultural testing industry.

Over three days, we examined every aspect of the client’s laboratory operations, from sample handling to instrument management to report distribution. Our team brought a fresh perspective based on experience with similar agricultural laboratory clients and with labs that perform similar analyses in other industries.

Our final concept of operations proposal identified inefficiencies and opportunities for workflow improvements within and between each location. A comprehensive risk assessment let the client prioritize improvements to reduce compliance risk.

The concept of operations report also included a detailed description of how the new system would work within a LabLynx LIMS solution. We knew the client’s preference was to build a LIMS in-house. Illustrating a real-world solution provided a reference to guide their development. (And it never hurts to ask for the sale!)

The client went on to develop a homegrown LIMS that unified its seven laboratory locations under our consulting team’s concept of operations.

Listening and experience are the cornerstones of LabLynx consulting

Only relatively large organizations have the internal resources to develop a proprietary LIMS. Small and mid-sized labs can manage a LIMS once in place, but writing custom software is beyond their reach. Even labs operating within a large enterprise will choose a third-party solution rather than commit their IT department to support custom code.

Whatever their situation, every LabLynx client understands that consolidating their workflows and data in a modern LIMS is the only way to improve performance and grow their lab’s operations. LabLynx consulting services contribute to their complete LIMS solution.

We listen and understand

Every client engagement starts with conversations. Our teams meet with stakeholders throughout your organization to understand the information flows in your lab, what works, and what doesn’t. You may have outgrown your existing off-the-shelf software and need a more configurable alternative. Or you may struggle to find data scattered across a patchwork of spreadsheets and paper documents.

The LabLynx team hears your issues and understands because they’ve walked a mile in your shoes. They are laboratory professionals who worked as chemists, clinical diagnostics managers, commercial laboratory managers, and many other roles.

Proposing changes that make a difference

Implementing a LIMS can be as simple as copying an existing process into the new system. However, what drives improvements in productivity and efficiency are the ways your new LIMS can do things much better. Taking a consultative approach helps us design a solution that meets needs you never realized you had.

We will recommend changes that will reduce analytical errors, make sample management more efficient, streamline turnaround times, lower inventory costs, improve customer communications, and much more.

For example, your LabLynx LIMS will consolidate data sources that were once isolated in spreadsheets, file cabinets, and other silos. Now centrally accessible, these once-separate sources can combine to generate insights into your lab’s operations. We can recommend ways to drive continuous quality improvement throughout your laboratory.

Dashboard reports could help you monitor order turnaround times by test type or customer. Running detailed queries lets you drill down to identify delays from misdirected samples to the overbooking of instruments.

Other reports could monitor reagent consumption by instrument or employee. You can determine whether an aging instrument is increasing your inventory costs or whether a bit of coaching could bring things in line.

Aligning recommendations with your lab’s goals

However, recommending changes is not enough. Simply listing all the possible improvements you could make through your LIMS would not be very useful. Nobody has the time or resources to do everything.

Because our consulting teams listen to what you have to say, we come to understand your long-term goals. Generating accurate reports faster matters the most for some clients. Others want to improve compliance so they can expand their business. LabLynx consulting teams will prioritize their recommendations based on what drives your lab’s future.

Consult with LabLynx about your lab’s potential

Consulting services provide the foundation for building the right solution for each client. The article Rounding Out Your LIMS with LabLynx Services discusses all the ways a LabLynx LIMS solution goes beyond the software. Listening to your priorities, relating to every stakeholder, and applying the LabLynx team’s deep, cross-cutting expertise lets us create an affordable, effective LIMS solution that will dramatically improve your lab’s performance.

Download the full article or contact LabLynx to learn how our ELab LIMS solutions can transform your lab.

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