Providing web and database services to the Austin metropolitan area.

Database Austin Case Study – Local Austin Laboratory (page 9)

Tangible Benefits Realized by the Customer

Business Flexibility

With the assistance of the new Wildcat database system, our customer can adjust services, prices, and complex lab configurations without requiring additional programming support.

Improved Integration

One coherent system now links all phases of the customer's business. The Wildcat system receives customer orders, aids in the laboratory layout, receives raw plate data corresponding to test results, normalizes and formats this information to produce customer results, logs all associated charges into the billing system, integrates the test results with the pet treatment set services, and ties all this information together for the staff members acting as customer service support.

Improved Customer Service

All customers' entire service and payment history now available to the bookkeeper (and to the customers) via a PDF document. Information about lab tests and treatment sets can be accessed directly from the database, without requiring a paper lookup, and without placing customers on hold.

Targeted Marketing

The new database lends itself to custom queries to identify very specific demographic groups. This allows targeted marketing and trend analysis.

Improved Reliability

Our customer's database is automatically backed up twice a day, with the backups stored on a separate computer. Certain critical operations automatically generate emails to further add to the redundancy. Virtually all database records are timestamped and linked to the user making the initial entry and most recent update.

No Need for Pre-Printed Forms

Our customer no longer uses pre-printed forms for billing, test results, labels, or order forms. All these forms are now created dynamically by php code. The forms are created in color with embedded logos as PDF files. The business invested in an HP color laserjet printer (under $1000) to produce high-speed, quality color printouts. This dynamic PDF system yields a cost savings since they no longer need to order preprinted forms. In addition, they now have the flexibility of changing forms at any time without having to discard an inventory of out-dated forms.

Time Savings

The Wildcat database system currently reduces staff time by approximately 12 person-hours a day for routine operations (4 hours for treatment set preparation, 4 hours for results preparation, and 4 hours for lab setup), and saves several days a month in improved billing process. The time savings comes from automating formerly manual tasks, reducing the need to perform paper look-ups, more consistent and coherent data (yielding fewer errors that require manual intervention).