Molecular Devices Customer Story

Without a comprehensive repository for service information, there were blind spots in Molecular Devices’ visibility into field service operations. “We had an idea of, but didn’t know exactly, how much time our technicians spent traveling compared to their ‘wrench time’,” says Sandra Lew, Business Systems Manager at Molecular Devices. “We wanted to maximize the time they spent fixing products, and minimize travel time.” Molecular Devices operates within the Danaher Life Sciences segment and provides high-performance bioanalytical measurement solutions for life science research and pharmaceutical sector. 

The company has products in more than 60,000 instruments worldwide and needed more visibility both to streamline service delivery, and to capture new service opportunities that would benefit customers. “We wanted our customers to understand that we were about more than instruments — we’re a full-service partner,” Lew says. Without a comprehensive service CRM solution, the activity of its 75 global technicians went largely unnoticed. As a result, sales teams didn’t have insights into what service customers might need. Additionally product development couldn’t tap into data that might be used to improve existing products or develop new ones.

As part of creating a more efficient service operation, Molecular Devices also wanted to do a better job of tracking parts to improve inventory control and hasten delivery. “We had no way to track the process from the time the technician submitted the parts request to when the part was received. It was a very disjointed process.” Lew says. “We could track what we were shipping out, but we had no information beyond that.”

To remedy the company’s gaps in service visibility, Molecular Devices chose ServiceMax. “We see this as a tool to evolve our service operations,” Lew says. “It allows our service and sales teams to share information they didn’t have at their fingertips in the past.”

For example, all service reports are part of customer records within ServiceMax, and any data points, including sales interactions, repairs, or warranty information, are all in the single repository that Molecular Devices lacked with its previous system.

Greater accessibility to customer service records also helps salespeople and technicians assist customers with compliance. Laboratories, for example, may need to show that they have tested or serviced their equipment in order to meet regulations. Technicians and service reps can also access product records in ServiceMax to answer compliance questions, or to proactively schedule equipment validations and certifications.

Since Molecular Devices began using ServiceMax in 2012, the company has seen consistent growth in its service operations year after year. “We can better serve our customers now that we have better insight into what we are doing well and where we can improve.” Lew says.  “This also allows us to make informed business decisions, and react quickly to product issues, thereby reduce instrument downtime”.

Using the data now available in ServiceMax, service and sales teams collaborate on sales opportunities. “This promotes a synergy between sales and service to ensure that the customer’s expectations are fulfilled.” Lew says.

With a comprehensive collection of product data, Molecular Devices manufacturing teams benefit from feedback about product performance, which is then incorporated into new products. “We’re not only making better products, we’re discovering ideas for new products,” Lew says.

Implementing inventory management has helped the company significantly reduce parts waste. Parts tracking also assists in getting the right part to the right customer on time. 

As Molecular Devices searches for ways to improve its service offering, the company now has a window into what customers are receiving in terms of services, and how these needs might change in the future. “We’re empowered to broaden our business, now that we have up-to-date insights to guide decisions about growth,” Lew says.