In this special study, we explore a few of customers' experiences with solving non-technical and technical problems, and their preferences when contacting life science suppliers' support departments. This report is based on the responses of 278 life science researchers from around the globe who have had a customer service and/or technical support related problem in the last 6 months, completed this survey between March 8 and March 15, 2013. Customer Service and Technical Support were defined in this study the following ways: 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 Readers of this report are encouraged to contact us with any questions or requests to explore this issue further and its implications for your current customer service and technical support offerings in 2013.

1. Mini Survey: Customer Service and Technical Support for
Life Science Products
Courtesy of BioInformatics, LLC
June 2013
BioInformatics, LLC
2111 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 250
Arlington, VA 22201
703.778.3080
703.778.3081 fax
www.gene2drug.com
Market Insights From Gene to Drug

2. BioInformatics, LLC • Confidential • Page 2 of 20
Study Overview
In Customer Service and Technical Support for Life Science Products, we explore
a few of the customers’ experiences with solving non-technical and technical problems
and their preferences when contacting life science suppliers’ support departments.
278 scientists from around the globe who have had a customer service and/or technical
support related problem in the last 6 months completed this survey between March 8
and March 15, 2013.
Customer Service and Technical Support were defined in this study the following ways:
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 and
performance of a product/instrument and identifying the correct product for a particular
application/experiment based on your technical needs.

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Customer Service
Customer Service

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Frequently
22%
Rarely
35%
Constantly
4%
Never
3%
Occasionally
36%
Customer Service
Answer choice definitions:
Constantly: several time a week
Frequently: more than once a month
Occasionally: once a month
Rarely: once or twice a year
*Customer Service and Technical Support for Life Science Products:
Customer Preferences, Report #11-002, April 2011, BioInformatics, LLC
Overall, compared to 2011
results*, respondents report an
increase in the frequency with
which they contact customer
service. Specifically, there was a
20% increase from 2011 to 2013
in the number of respondents
who contacted customer service
“frequently” or “occasionally”.
Question 1 — Customer Service
In the last 6 months, approximately how often have you contacted customer service for
your research products and/or instrumentation? (choose only one)
Respondents=278

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43%
36%
36%
33%
24%
24%
23%
18%
17%
12%
1%
Biologicals
Accessories/replacement
parts
Equipment/instrumentation
costing >$5,000 USD
Chemicals
Research/specialty kits
Equipment/instrumentation
costing !$5,000 USD
Custom products
Data analysis software
Apparatus
Glassware/plastics
Other
Customer Service
Respondents more often cite
needing customer service for
their equipment/instrumentation
over $5,000 USD (+11%), and
$5,000 USD or less (+8%) and
their data analysis software
(+9%) than they did in 2011.
Question 2
For which type(s) of products have you most often needed to contact/obtain customer
service for a non-technical problem in the last 6 months? (check all that apply)
Respondents=269

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Customer Service
Respondents overwhelmingly
prefer contacting customer
service via email and phone for
their non-technical problems.
Question 3
Assuming all of the following channels were available from each life science supplier,
which THREE would you most prefer to use when interacting with the customer service
department about a non-technical problem? (check up to THREE)
Respondents=268
84%
80%
37%
16%
10%
6%
6%
3%
2%
1%
Email
Phone
"Live"/"Real-time" chat
w/ representative
Web self-service
Website FAQ section
Phone/voice self-service
Website complaint form
Supplier-sponsored customer/
peer community
Social media/Public platform
Other

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48%
21%
30%
27%
28%
18%
37%
6%
34%
32%
16%
39%
12%
28%
23%
31%
28%
26%
22%
29%
8%
26%
30%
20%
31%
22%
18%
19%
16%
16%
9%
17%
20%
17%
5%
16%
9%
14%
11%
19%
8%
18%
14%
11%
14%
6%
10%
5%
9%
10%
7%
5%
6%
8%
14%
10%
6%
18%
15%
19%
26%
18%
13%
8%
9%
5%
5%
6%
6%
7%
6%
6% 12%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
24/7 availability
Ability to help fix a problem quickly
Access to troubleshooting help
Customer-focused attitude
Diagnosing order-related
problems efficiently
Immediate access to "live" help
Immediate access to "live" help
Managing customer complaints
promptly and efficiently
Mobile customer service
solutions
On-time delivery
Patience and politeness
when dealing with customers
"Personal" service
Responding to customer
requests promptly
10. Extremely Important 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0. Not At All Important
Customer Service
*Highly important is defined as the percentage
of respondents who selected 8, 9 and 10 on
the 11-point scale.
Respondents
consider the
customer service
department’s
ability to help fix
a problem quickly
(91%), prompt
response to
customer
requests (87%)
and prompt and
efficient
management of
customer
complaints (82%)
to be highly
important*.
Question 4
How IMPORTANT are the following qualities of a life science supplier’s customer
service department to you? (choose only one for each)
Respondents=269

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49%
26%
14%
9%
2%
Completeness in
solving my problem
Speed of solving my
problem
Solving my problem
with one channel
Online tools that allow
me to solve a problem
myself
Linking me with other
customers for advice
and problem solving
tips
Customer Service
Slightly more respondents (+3%)
than in 2011 believe that online
tools that allow them to solve
problems themselves should be a
priority of a supplier’s customer
service department.
Question 5
What do you believe should be the MOST important priority of a life science supplier’s
customer service department to address your non-technical problems? (choose only
one)
Respondents=268

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32%
20%
19%
19%
3%
3%
2%
1%
<1%
<1%
Competent/capable personnel
Ability to understand my problem quickly
Ability to access to a "live"
representative quickly
Accurate problem recognition
Follow-up after an incident to
ensure issue(s) are resolved
Fast response to my inquiry
Multiple sources of assistance available
Social media responsiveness
Comprehensive FAQ section
on the website
User-friendly, helpful website
Customer Service
One-third of respondents indicate
that competent and capable
personnel are the key to a
responsive customer service
department. This is different than
the 2011 results where the ability
to access a rep quickly defined
“responsive” customer service.
Question 6
What do you believe makes the most responsive customer service? (choose only one)
Respondents=269

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Technical Support
Technical Support

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Constantly
4%
Frequently
23%
Rarely
32%
Never
3%
Occasionally
38%
Technical Support
Overall, compared to 2011
results*, respondents report an
increase in the frequency with
which they contact technical
support. Specifically, from 2011 to
2013, there was a 22% increase
in the number of respondents
who contacted technical support
“frequently” or “occasionally”.
Question 1 — Technical Support
In the last 6 months, approximately how often have you contacted technical support for
your research products and/or instrumentation? (choose only one)
Respondents=278
Answer choice definitions:
Constantly: several time a week
Frequently: more than once a month
Occasionally: once a month
Rarely: once or twice a year
*Customer Service and Technical Support for Life Science Products:
Customer Preferences, Report #11-002, April 2011, BioInformatics, LLC

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Technical Support
Respondents more often cite
needing technical support for
their equipment/instrumentation
costing $5,000 USD or less
(+10%) and their accessories/
replacement parts (+5%) but less
often cite needing technical
support for their equipment/
instrumentation costing more
than $5,000 USD (-7%) and their
research/specialty kits (-7%) than
they did in 2011.
Question 7
For which type(s) of products have you most often required technical support for a
technical problem in the last 6 months? (check all that apply)
Respondents=271
41%
33%
27%
25%
18%
17%
17%
16%
14%
5%
<1%
Equipment/instrumentation
costing >$5,000 USD
Biologicals
Equipment/instrumentation
costing !$5,000 USD
Accessories/replacement
parts
Custom products
Research/specialty kits
Data analysis software
Chemicals
Apparatus
Glassware/plastics
Other

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Technical Service
Respondents overwhelmingly
prefer contacting technical
support via phone and email for
their technical problems.
Question 8
Assuming all of the following methods were available from each life science supplier,
which THREE would you most prefer to use when interacting with the technical service
department about a technical problem? (check up to THREE)
Respondents=270
79%
77%
43%
10%
10%
9%
7%
6%
6%
3%
1%
1%
1%
Phone
Email
"Live"/"Real-time" chat
w/ representative
Web self-service
Support documentation
Phone/voice self-service
Software downloads
Training
courses/webinars/tutorial
Website FAQ section
Website complaint form
Social media/Public
platform
Supplier-sponsored
customer/
Other

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Technical Support
*Highly important is defined as the percentage
of respondents who selected 8, 9 and 10 on
the 11-point scale.
Question 9
How IMPORTANT are the following qualities of life science supplier’s technical
support department to you? (choose only one for each)
Respondents=271
47%
23%
34%
38%
29%
18%
34%
11%
31%
18%
22%
18%
41%
14%
31%
22%
28%
34%
30%
26%
35%
10%
30%
25%
25%
21%
35%
22%
17%
17%
21%
16%
11%
20%
21%
18%
14%
13%
9%
6%
10%
13%
8%
14%
9%
13%
11%
15%
6%
9%
10%
8%
5%
5%
15%
23%
14%
23%
22%
20%
12%
11%
7%
9%
5%
7%
8%
10%
8%
8%
5% 5% 11%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
24/7 availability
Ability to help fix a problem quickly
Access to troubleshooting help
Customer-focused attitude
Diagnosing product-related
problems efficiently
Immediate access to "live" help
Immediate access to "live" help
Managing customer complaints
promptly and efficiently
Mobile technical support solutions
Patience and politeness
when dealing with customers
"Personal" service
Personnel with 2+ years
of laboratory experience
Personnel with advanced
scientific degrees
Responding to customer
requests promptly
10. Extremely Important 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0. Not At All Important
Respondents
consider the
technical support
department’s
ability to help fix
a problem quickly
(92%), prompt
response to
customer
requests (90%)
and efficient
diagnosis of
product-related
problems (89%)
to be highly
important*.

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Technical Support
Question 10
What do you believe should be the MOST important priority of life science
supplier’s technical support department to address your technical problems?
(choose only one)
Respondents=269
56%
19%
14%
5%
4%
2%
Completeness in
solving my problem
Personnel with "hands-
on" knowledge of the
product line
Speed of solving my
problem
Solving my problem
with one channel
Online tools that allow
me to solve a problem
myself
Linking me with other
customers for advice
and problem solving
tips
Completeness in solving their
problems was the highest priority
for respondents in 2011 and even
more so in 2013 (+8%).

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Technical Support
As they did in 2011, respondents
indicate that competent or
capable personnel make the most
responsive technical support and
they believe this even more so
today (+4%).
Question 11
What do you believe makes the most responsive technical support? (choose only
one)
Respondents=268
27%
20%
20%
19%
4%
3%
3%
2%
1%
<1%
<1%
Competent/capable personnel
Ability to access to a "live"
representative quickly
Accurate problem recognition
Ability to understand my problem quickly
Technically qualified
Follow-up after an incident to
ensure issue(s) are resolved
Fast response to my inquiry
Multiple sources of assistance available
Comprehensive FAQ section
on the website
Social media responsiveness
User-friendly, helpful website

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Demographics
Demographics

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Demographics
Geographic Region
Respondents=278
North America
39%
Europe
30%
Rest of World
4%
Asia/Pacific
27%

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Demographics
Market Segment
Respondents=278
Academic
68%
Industrial
32%
44%
8%
6%
5%
3%
1%
1%
13%
11%
2%
2%
2%
1%
<1%
<1%
Academic/University
Research Institute
(non-profit)
Government
Hospital
University Medical
Center
Healthcare
Network/Facility
Research Foundation
Biopharmaceutical
Company
Pharmaceutical
Company
Agriculture/Agricultural
Biotechnology
Contract Research
Organization
Research Institute
(for profit)
Medical Devices
Commercial Testing
Lab
Diagnostics
Academic
(n=188)
Industrial
(n=90)

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own text here
BioInformatics LLC is the premier research and advisory firm
serving the life science tools industry. By leveraging our online
professional network of tens of thousands of biomedical
researchers, we have supported more than 400 companies and
provided insights that lead to better business decisions. Our
expertise includes assessing the size and attractiveness of
markets, optimizing product configurations and pricing, validating
corporate acquisitions, measuring customers’ brand loyalty, and
evaluating brand strength and positioning.
Since 1994, BioInformatics LLC has been providing off-the-shelf
reports, custom-designed studies and market analysis that enable
companies to understand their market and competitors through the
eyes of the most important information source of all—the people
who buy their products.
BioInformatics, LLC
CONTACT:
Bill Kelly
President
703.778.3080 x15
b.kelly@gene2drug.com
Greg Thompson
Director, Business Development
703.778.3080 x22
g.thompson@gene2drug.com
Mary Follin
Marketing Manager
703.778.3080 x13
m.follin@gene2drug.com