LONDON, May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its
recent analysis of the calibration services market, Frost &
Sullivan recognises Agilent Technologies Inc. (Agilent) with the
2012 Europe Frost & Sullivan Customer Service Leadership
Award.
"With a highly integrated team of professionals and an
unswerving focus on resolving customer queries and meeting their
changing requirements, Agilent has performed exceedingly well in
terms of delivering the highest quality of calibration services,"
notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Prathima Bommakanti. "A high degree of
responsiveness to customer feedback and steady customer interaction
has helped the company develop better services, while gaining a
reputation for utmost reliability and trustworthiness."
Persistent focus on maintaining calibration service quality (in
relation to equipment that has very stringent measurement
uncertainties) gives Agilent an edge over other providers of
calibration services. Moreover, the accredited calibrations of
Agilent allow for a wide number of measurement parameters, unlike
its competitors whose focus is comparatively limited.
The other factor that distinguishes the company's service
quality is its strong emphasis on delivery metrics such as internal
turn-around time (TAT) and ship-on time (SOT). For instance, in
fiscal 2011, the calibration SOT for the company was as high as 95
per cent.
In addition to providing such a high level of service quality,
Agilent also has an exceptional feature to electronically store all
its calibration certificates in a website – Infoline. Infoline
enables customers to save time by helping them efficiently manage
their assets online. In addition to allowing customers to download
the calibration certificates without any extra charge, the website
also helps customers set up service requests and notifications
24/7.
"Delivering the right service support at the right time is
embedded in Agilent's DNA," remarks Bommakanti. "To continue this
legacy of continual customer engagement and maintaining a satisfied
customer base, Agilent conducts customer satisfaction surveys on a
weekly basis, but, incredibly, does not survey the same customer
more than twice in a year."
On a weekly average, Agilent collects approximately 25 customer
responses, which are reviewed by the services management team
weekly. Taking all the customer feedback and responses into
account, the company interacts directly with a customer who has
given the company a score of less than 6 out of 10 and handles the
improvement suggestions subsequently.
Apart from this, the company also makes an effort to understand
its perceived value among customers who have given the company a
full score of 10. In 2011, the average customer feedback score on
service timeliness for its repair and calibration services across
Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) was 8.3 out of 10 (based on
1,055 customer responses), which demonstrates its excellence in
this arena. On calibration services alone, the score was even
higher (8.6).
"In an effort to augment its service portfolio to meet changing
customer needs, the company has recently introduced the first-ever
service in a box solution for products that are sold through its
network of distributors," adds Bommakanti. "This solution – Agilent
Advantage Service Pack – is available for customers with a premium
warranty of three years and includes the fastest TAT in the
industry, prompt repair service (three to five days) along with an
entire calibration service (including a certificate and a
measurement report)."
Being involved with more than 35 standard groups and associated
with calibration standards committees that support ISO/IEC
17025:2005, ILAC-G8, ISO Guide for Expression of Uncertainty and
ANSI/NCSLI Z540.3, gives an added leverage to the company to test
any kind of measurement specifications, improving the utility of
the instruments. This provides added value to end customers without
any additional cost.
Agilent also offers accredited calibrations (with accreditations
from European bodies such as UKAS, COFRAC, ENAC, ISRAC), standard
lab calibrations offered by its UK Centre of Expertise in
collaboration with the UK National Physical Laboratory and,
country-specific calibration services such as Poverka service for
its Russian customers. With such comprehensive service offerings,
Agilent has provided calibration services in the EMEA region to
more than 3,000 customers across 27 different countries in its 2011
fiscal year.
This Frost & Sullivan Award is presented to the company that
has demonstrated excellence in quality, timeliness and cost of
service as well as the impact of service on customer value.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognise companies
in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating
outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as
leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and
strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market
participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews,
analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best
practices in the industry.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier
measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis,
life sciences, electronics and communications. The company's 18,700
employees serve customers in more than 100 countries. Agilent had
net revenues of $6.6 billion in
fiscal 2011. Information about Agilent is available at
www.agilent.com.
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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan