Q&A Part 7: Incorporating Customer Feedback

Customer feedback on antibody performance is both tracked and trended at Rockland. We investigate all performance issues. We have found that in many cases, they can be traced to experimental optimization. We realize that end users often have access to unique controls (for instance, a knockout cell line) that can reveal unknown problems with an antibody. If the customer data demonstrates a performance problem, we will consider design changes, modifications to technical datasheets to reflect the expected performance, and even the removal of a lot from inventory if the reagent is unsuitable for distribution.

In early stages, customer feedback is crucial to determining what antibodies we develop. During development, we utilize customer feedback in beta testing to review our development data and to test pre-market antibodies for biological accuracy in different applications. Post-market, we gather customer feedback via sales and customer service teams, which provides important information about our product performance.

We employ expert scientists to assist customers with trouble-shooting and experimental design. Providing direct access to these scientists is a key part of helping our clients achieve success.

Incorporating customer feedback to continually improve is an ongoing process. We routinely have discussions with colleagues and collaborators from academic institutions around the world and our scientists have active attendance at scientific conferences.

Through feedback submitted via our website, we gather suggestions on what antibodies to make in the future. In addition, we have a third-party product review tool on our website where people can provide reviews on how our products worked in their hands. These customer-written reviews appear unedited on our product pages throughout www.cellsignal.com.

Product consistency is of paramount importance therefore, feedback from scientists like you allows us to ensure that our products will provide repeatable results. We take our customers and product quality seriously.

• Feedback from customers is channeled through our sales employees or technical support right to the respective managers in R&D, Production, or QC. The responsible product managers take the lead for incorporating changes into the product pipeline. A good example for that is the recent adaptation of our antibody concentration. Nowadays, many customers need more concentrated flow cytometry antibodies as customers use multicolor panels with more than 8-10 colors. Therefore, we started reformatting our antibodies so that customers can use a total of 2 µL (titer 1:50) instead of 10 µL (titer 1:10) per test.
• I can also encourage users to watch the testimonials we got from several researchers, describing the advantages of recombinant antibody technology and their experiences with our REAfinity Antibodies.

As a supplier, we are responsible for the quality and performance of our antibody in any specific application, and we are highly responsive to feedback on performance from customers. We place very high value on our customer comments and feedbacks. We offer live technical services in different time zones throughout the world to provide immediate support to resolve any issues that may arise. Our technical service team is highly trained and experienced. They keep accurate records of all performance-related issues, so trends can be identified and resolved quickly. Our sales team is also in contact with customers and seeks their input. Some of our new products are introduced based on recommendations by our customers and their needs. We work closely with researchers to improve immunogen design and antibody performance. We have a growing network of beta testers to continue validation. And each one of our antibodies is backed by our 100% Antibody Performance Guarantee.