The 4 C’s of Successful Lab Outreach

If you run an outreach lab, you are well acquainted with the fact that you need reliable courier services to deliver specimens, samples, and supplies. To be successful, your lab outreach courier program needs the four C’s: collection, communication, consistency, and competence.

Medical Courier Elite’s (CRE) comprehensive cloud-based specimen tracking and courier management solution addresses all four of these elements. Take a look at the details.

Collection

You need to know when your specimens have been collected and when they arrive at their destinations, and MCE’s cloud-based courier software provides that information. Using a rugged scanner like the Zebra TC56, the courier can scan the specimen’s barcode and enter information on count and sample identification.

Then, the software automatically records the pickup time and tracks the progress of the delivery. If the courier needs to hand off the specimen to another courier, they can simply scan barcodes from each other’s handheld Zebra devices, and the transfer gets noted immediately.

Communication

Effective and efficient communication with couriers and customers is key for a successful outreach lab. With MCE, it is easy to communicate specimen and courier information because it’s done automatically through the system. If you need to check the location of a specimen, you simply open the app on any internet-connected device and look at real-time specimen tracking updates. Whether you are in the lab or on the go, you can see what is happening with your couriers and communicate with them directly through MCE and Zebra’s TC56 mobile computer. The courier will receive alerts to ensure notifications are acknowledged. Customers can also receive automatic notifications of specimen pick-ups.

For dispatching, MCE has simplified the process for lab administrators, couriers, and the customer. When a customer has a STAT pick-up, the dispatcher enters the location in MCE, and the dispatch screen shows you which courier is the closest, so you can send them the collection and delivery instructions. If you like, you can even set up the application to allow customer-initiated dispatch so your clients can put in their own dispatch requests without calling you.

Consistency

Your clients need to know they can count on you for consistent service and deliveries, and MCE makes that possible. With an automated routing system, keeping courier pick-ups consistent is easy to manage. If customers cannot rely on your lab to be there when they need you or they cannot count on you to provide services in a consistent manner they will find someone who can.   

If there is ever a question about the reliability of a courier, MCE documents courier routes, specimen collection times, and even how often couriers stop. This degree of oversight helps you optimize your efforts and ensure consistent, timely deliveries.

Competence

Competence is critical in any industry, but it’s especially important for lab outreach courier services. Competencies are action-oriented demonstrations of knowledge, skills, and abilities of people to perform their job successfully. Competencies are used to set standards for effective performance, quality improvement, and workforce development.

In a market dominated by large players who utilize technology to enhance their competency in the marketplace, local and regional labs must remain competitive. MCE is an effective and affordable way for labs to provide the same type of dependable and professional services as national labs. This gives your customers confidence in doing business with you.

Ready to learn more about how our cloud-based solution can provide your outreach lab with the four C’s? Then it’s time to schedule a web demo with Medical Courier Elite; contact us today at 843-616-3774 or email us at contact@medicalcourier.com.