Customer Service and Technical Support for Life Science Products

Customers in any market often contact customer service and technical support departments when issues with products arise. Customers in the life science space are no different and rely on prompt and effective customer service and technical support from life science suppliers.

Good support from life science suppliers is particularly important as customers rely on the quick resolution of problems so that their workflow is only minimally interrupted when a problem arises. Interactions with customer service and technical support are also particularly important as these interactions can influence the likelihood customers will repurchase from a particular supplier or recommend that supplier to a colleague. Even a single bad experience can cause some customers from ever buying from a particular supplier again.

• Customer Service: assistance provided after a purchase decision has been made related to order fulfillment, delivery, and billing of products (e.g., a non-technical problem)
• Technical Support: advice and assistance provided related to the use of a product/instrument and identifying the correct product for a particular application/experiment based on your technical needs

This report measures the performance of major life science suppliers across several key metrics of customer service and technical support, ultimately calculating a Supplier Strength Scorecard comparing each. These results are analyzed by age and region identifying differences that permit suppliers to address their unique issues accordingly. Additionally, product categories, types of products, service channels, pre- and post-purchase experiences with customer service and technical support departments are further explored to uncover areas for improvement and competitive opportunities.

The major objectives of this report are to:

• Understand the importance of customer service and technical support in purchase decisions and recommending a life science supplier
• Determine the relative usage and preference for different service/support channels, and the preferred channel usage order when a problem arises
• Identify the most and least important qualities of a customer service department in the decision to repurchase from a life science supplier
• Identify the most and least important qualities of a technical support department in the decision to purchase a product/instrument that may require technical assistance from a life science supplier
• Identify attributes of “good” customer service and technical support, and where there is an opportunity for improvement
• Benchmark satisfaction with customer service and technical support departments of key life science suppliers
• Explore the researcher’s most recent service/support experience to understand how service is sought after and problems are resolved
• Understand the usage of public/social media channels to receive and comment on customer service and technical support