News
2020 Customer Survey Feedback
Date: 18 May 2021
Author: Hill Laboratories
Firstly, thank you to all who completed our customer survey last spring. Your feedback is much appreciated and helps us to continually improve our services. It was very gratifying to receive so much positive feedback and learn how many of our customers promote our services to others.
That said, we also value the honest feedback on areas for improvement and will be taking steps to fix areas where there have been challenges identified.
Common themes or frequently asked questions (FAQs) that came from the survey, and some answers are shown here:
FAQ – Delivery of supplied items and samples is often erratic or delayed. What can be done?
A – We rely heavily on the nationwide courier services available to us, and thank them for all of their hard work, especially amid Covid restrictions last year which was extremely impactful on their operations. We have very good working relationships with them and strive always to improve and fix problems when they occur. We are in the process of some exciting systems changes for dispatch of supplied items so anticipate this area will improve for you. You may also wish to try our OnLine Ordering platform for supplies. Please contact your account manager or our customer services team to work through any hiccups.
FAQ – Can I get my reports in other report formats?
A – Yes you can. We have several options of report file types available. We need to send the official Certificate of Analysis as a PDF file under our IANZ accreditation rules, but can also offer various file types and send these to multiple recipients. We have various layouts as csv and also xml formats as options. Additionally, some customers can utilize our API for pushing results into a system. Please contact your account manager or the customer services team to find out the best solution for you.
FAQ – Can our reports be in simpler language?
A – We are constrained in our reporting to use terminology in the Certificate of Analysis that aligns with our IANZ accreditation schedule. We do try to provide additional help by way of our technical notes housed in the Client Resources section of our website. Additionally, we recommend our customers utilise the services of trusted advisors who are more familiar with the scientific terms.
FAQ – Can I get more interpretation on my report?
A - In some cases we can provide some guidance on the Certificate of Analysis, such as the Agriculture Histogram Reports or the NZ Drinking Water Assessment Report. Any guideline levels in these reports are gleaned from published references (NZ) where available. Again, we strongly recommend the use of trusted advisors to help with interpretation, as they will have more knowledge of your local situation and objectives than a laboratory can. Our website does hold a lot of helpful information and there is a technical note that describes how the Agriculture Histogram Reporting are designed.
FAQ – It is frustrating to be waiting for expected results and not be informed of delays? What can be done?
A – We certainly empathise with this situation and aim to do a better job of communicating delays. As our business expands and diversifies, this proactive communication can present a challenge and we are looking at solutions right now. Some customers are eligible to use our Online Portal Mylab where you can see your job status. We are seeking to improve this interface over the next year, so any suggestions about how to improve this interface for our users would be welcomed.
FAQ – Where do I find out how to sample?
A – Our DIY sample kits have instructions on sampling, and many of the Services Offered or Technical Notes in the Client Resources section of our website hold this information also. The Agriculture Crop Guides hold specific sampling information for a wide range of crops for nutrient testing. However, we know that many people like to see video rather than reading detailed instructions. Note we already have a video tutorial to help with our online test ordering function - recently made available for customers who do not use our mobile sample submission app. Our aim this year is to generate some “how to sample” video content for some of the routine sample types.
This article should answer some of the questions raised, but please get in touch with us if more clarity is needed. Our customer services team are very willing and responsive – as many of you said in the survey!