In our daily life we interact with many different people who help us by applying their expertise to deliver things we would otherwise struggle with. Often the differentiator for us, as consumers, is how we feel we’ve been treated by the people who are working on our behalf. The first favorable impression helps ensure we come back for repeat visits and further business. Equally, a negative experience probably means that next time we’re more likely to try another provider in the hope they’ll give a happier outcome.
Bioanalysis using liquid chromatography in conjunction with mass spectrometry has long been the gold standard for the quantitation of small molecules to support pharmacokinetic studies. The technological improvements in extraction techniques, chromatography and mass spectrometric instrumentation has made the process robust and relatively predictable. As pharma companies have reviewed their business strategies, the opportunities for bioanalysis providers has increased significantly as has the number of companies providing those services.
KCAS’ main driver is making our customers’ lives easier by removing the issues that can delay their projects and impact their decision making.
We are proud of the level of our scientific expertise within our LC/MS teams and recognize that other companies will say the same about their groups. We emphasize that putting customer service & responsiveness at the forefront with scientific knowledge is a perfect way to differentiate ourselves. Flexibility to our clients’ needs and focus on customer service drives every step of our processes. Our consultative approach to method feasibility and development is the perfect way to kick this off.
Forecasting is a close collaboration between our business development and operational teams and is fundamental to our resource planning at KCAS. Close monitoring of our pipeline drives recruitment to ensure that capacity is in place for high demand periods. This also allows us to schedule work for rapid initiation of method development after a contract is signed. Additionally, cross-training our teams amongst the bioanalysis disciplines give an additional mechanism to meet high demand.
It’s important to KCAS that our customers view us as an extension to their own business. We assign a project-focused team for the life of a drug’s development so communication is consistent. Although our method development is led by our in-house experts, we assign principal investigators from Day 1 to be the single point of control for each project. They take over full responsibility for the project as it moves through validation and onto sample analysis.
As a bioanalytical CRO, focus on the science is crucial. Equally important is meeting our commitments to timelines. Another crucial part of the KCAS team are our Program Managers who focus on the client deliverables such as coordinating action plans to ensure projects are completed in a timely manner, monitoring client satisfaction and dealing with any customer complaints. Their role is complimentary to that of the PI so no aspect of project management is overlooked.
An example where focusing on the customer’s needs led to a strong outcome…
One of our ongoing programs is an oncology drug where instability of the analyte and metabolites is a major concern. Samples undergo a two-step process at the clinic & KCAS to preserve the analytes before analysis and the time window to complete that is limited. Recruitment is difficult so patient samples are a very precious commodity. We received notice that samples would arrive the day after Thanksgiving so our team gave up their holiday weekend to complete processing and ensure analysis could be performed and no clinical data was lost. The Sponsor was extremely happy with our level of support because this allowed the project to move forward smoothly.