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Those of you who attended Pittcon probably noticed that every LIMS vendor you spoke with was "Number 1 in LIMS" and every consultant or consulting firm you contacted were "Experts" in whatever service you were talking to them about. Wow! This should make it really, really easy to select a LIMS and services, shouldn't it? You can just pick anyone!

I'm kidding, of course. You're probably wondering how we all get rated "Number 1," or "Expert" or "Certified." People, especially those new to LIMS, ask me over and over again just what this all means and how to tell who's who.

"We're Number 1"
There are quite a few publications around, and they rate vendors or service providers in a number of categories. So, in any particular year, a number of publications all hand out multiple "Number 1" stamps. For example, a particular vendor could be "Number 1 in Customer Service" for 1989 from Techies Are Us magazine, while the same magazine rates a different vendor as "Number 1 in New Product Features." Most vendors will not keep that "Number 1 in LIMS" sign up or continue to brag about their 1989 award in the year 2004, but it's not uncommon for recipients to list awards on their credentials for several years, especially if award was significant.

"I'm Certified"
"Yes, but what does certification really mean?" is usually the first question I'm asked by a potential client. Asking if a certification is "good" is subjective, so the answer will not tell you much. Besides, what vendor or service provider is going to tell a prospect that their certification is NOT "good?" Even the best certification systems test only particular knowledge from classes taken--and those results are not necessarily an indicator as to whether the vendor or service provider can perform efficiently at a customer site.

Here's something to think about: Is it legitimate for a certification test to be a take-home test, where the person can potentially ask for help from anyone? Certification systems that allow this practice claim that it's perfectly valid, but again, would you expect them to claim otherwise?

Another problem with certification is that it can still be difficult to evaluate even if you learned about all the positives and negatives about certification in order to ask intelligent questions about it.

When I ask people about their certifications, I find that some seem very knowledgeable about their certification while others are so vague that I wonder whether, in these cases, "certification" is just a marketing term used to make customers feel more comfortable. Even among those people who respond with knowledgeable answers, I have actually stumbled across a case where I knew what the person said wasn't true. But it sounded good. I don't know whether the person had simply been misinformed or was really lying. Only by chance did I happen to know that the person was wrong.

"I'm an Expert"
This doesn't mean a thing to me, either. Roughly translated, "I'm an expert," means, "I want to sell you my services." Just about everyone in the LIMS industry will tell you about the talks we've been invited to give and the articles we've written. That's a long way from having both the practical experience you need to get the job done plus the people skills so you can work well with the customer's staff.

Note: I hope this explains to you why I do little more than grunt when asked if I'm an expert in one thing or another.

Ways to Tell Who's Who
So, how can you tell who's going to provide you-the customer--with the "best" products and services?

Regarding software products, the only way to ascertain what's best for your needs is to go through the selection process. Even if you have a small laboratory with a limited budget, it's best to find several appropriate products in your price range to compare. Prioritize your needs and ask extra questions about the items at the top of the list (e.g., some people have their own service organization and don't need much outside support; so they would ask fewer questions about support.).

Evaluating software services is more difficult, because its' comparisons of people are less straightforward than comparisons of products. Here are some ideas to help you through this process:

1. How well can they perform the specific task I want them to perform?
2. How much experience do they have performing that task and with my particular situation? For example, if you are in the chemical industry, look for someone with experience in the chemical industry, and maybe with your specific niche of the chemical industry, if possible.
3. Are their presentations vague or specific? Vagueness makes it easier to cross them off my list.
4. Do some homework in deciding the questions to ask. And, if the vendor or service provider tells you that your questions aren't important issues and that they don't matter in your decision, well, again--that's another source you might quickly cross off your list of possible choices.

As you ask these questions, try to gain an understanding of how closely you can meet your requirements based on availability and the price you're willing to pay. Even though you know it's unlikely to find anyone that's a 100% fit, asking all these questions will narrow the field.

Of course, some people will try to "bluff" or "bully" you into forgetting your question. Some key phrases to watch out for from less than straightforward vendors and service providers:

1. "None of our other customers think that's important."
2. "Nobody in the LIMS industry will do what you're asking for."
3. "The person we sent it is our best person. You're asking for too much."
4. "The person we sent you might not be our best person, but we can't send you anyone else, so you have to keep them."
5. "Take it or leave it."

You get the idea. In the end, it's your money. If someone really can't provide you with what you think you're paying for, go somewhere else.

Several other possibilities to consider:

1. Think twice about whether you're being reasonable. Don't always rule in your own favor.
2. Before writing the vendor or service provider off, you may want to ask why they've answered the way they did. For example, you may say something like, "That answer seems vague. Could you expand on that? If not, why not?"
3. Keep in mind that in the LIMS industry, service providers take software that exists and write code to "support" it, rather than writing the code from scratch. The services you should expect will be slightly different than the service you receive you're your need is to have code written from scratch. However, the mindset should be significantly different when dealing with these types of exceptions-based projects that are common in our industry.

Final Tips
The best advice I've ever received is, "Don't ask questions you don't already know the answer to." Many of us get into situations where we need something we've never had to find before, especially those on our first projects. Although it may not be possible to know the answers to all the questions you ask, make sure you know the answer to a good number of them. That will help you separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

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