Signs It’s Time To Switch Your LIMS
There comes a point in every lab where your current systems hold you back more than they enable you to get things done.
Whether it’s because it takes too much effort to adjust processes as your lab grows, onboarding new staff is difficult, or you aren’t getting the quality of support you hoped - there are many reasons to upgrade your LIMS.
In this article, we’ll break down when to consider upgrading your LIMS and why it may be a good idea.
Why Upgrade Your LIMS?
Whether you use a homegrown LIMS built on spreadsheets or a cloud-based LIMS, upgrading your LIMS isn’t an easy or quick decision to make. If you’re on the fence or concerned about the switching costs, here are three benefits you’ll get by upgrading your LIMS.
- Improved efficiency and productivity: A LIMS can provide a major efficiency boost to any lab. Armed with the right LIMS, it could be a night and day difference for your lab’s productivity. Upgrading your LIMS could give you more advanced automation features, better integration capabilities, or an improved experience for your lab staff.
- Improved & faster compliance: A LIMS plays a major role in helping your lab meet various compliance standards. Selecting the right LIMS can help improve your data management, security, and lab processes. Additionally, the right LIMS will make managing compliance easier and audits a breeze.
- Scalability for future growth: Your lab has likely changed quite a bit over the years. As you evolve your processes, hire new staff, and face new challenges, you’ll need a LIMS that is flexible enough to scale with you. This scalability ensures that the LIMS can support the lab’s long-term growth and evolving needs without requiring frequent replacements. Tired of it taking several weeks and thousands of dollars to get a small change made to your reports or COAs? You need a LIMS that you can easily modify!
If you’re sold on the benefits of upgrading your LIMS, read on for six signs it may be time for your lab to make a switch.
6 Signs It’s Time To Change Your LIMS
If your lab experiences the following, it’s probably time to swap your LIMS.
- You’ve outgrown your current solution
- You spend more time finding workarounds
- You find it difficult to integrate new tools
- It takes too long to onboard new team members
- Too difficult to make changes
- Spreading out across other software platforms
Let’s explore each of these in depth.
You’ve Outgrown Your Current Solution
As your lab grows, things will change: your needs become more complex; you process more data; you may encounter new compliance requirements.
If you find that your LIMS isn’t scaling with you and adapting to these changing needs, then it’s time to make a switch to a LIMS that is more flexible and feature-rich.
This is especially common with labs relying on manual data entry methods like spreadsheets or pen and paper. Upgrading to a new LIMS can provide enhanced capabilities and unlock a path to growth for your lab.
You Spend More Time Finding Workarounds
If your staff spends more time finding workarounds than actually using your LIMS, it’s a clear indicator that your current LIMS no longer fits your lab's needs.
Workarounds can be inefficient, prone to errors, and potentially compromise data integrity. While it may seem like you’re making progress in the moment, you’re actually putting your lab at risk of falling behind in the long run. Selecting a new LIMS can streamline processes, reduce the need for manual interventions, and decrease the likelihood of errors, making your lab more efficient and reliable.
You Find it Difficult to Integrate New Tools
If you find yourself running into issues integrating lab tools, instruments, or software with your LIMS, then it’s time to match a switch.
A lack of ability to integrate with your systems can lead to disjointed workflows and data silos in your lab. This leads to inaccurate data that can throw off results or lead to confusion for your team. A modern LIMS typically offers a larger number of integrations and more robust integration capabilities, ensuring that all systems work together efficiently and that data flows smoothly across the lab's entire ecosystem.
It Takes Too Long to Onboard New Team Members
An overly complicated or unintuitive LIMS significantly extends the time required to train new staff. This not only slows down productivity but also increases training costs for your lab. A LIMS that is easier to use, however, can reduce the learning curve for new staff and cut down on their training saving your lab valuable time and money.
Too Difficult to Make Changes
Flexibility is critical when selecting a LIMS. Many LIMS platforms speak to their customizability and configurability, but if customizing your workflows and processes requires custom code, then it runs the risk of slowing your lab down and increasing costs over time.
If you find yourself going back and forth between a development team on even the simplest changes, it’s time to switch your LIMS and opt for one that provides an interface for your team to make updates.
Spreading out Across Other Software Platforms
When a LIMS fails to meet all of a lab's needs, staff may begin using additional software solutions to fill the gaps.
Things like:
- A separate eQMS or compliance management software tool
- Seamless integrations with your billing and invoicing software
- Customer communication and management
The more software you need to purchase to fill the gaps or write custom integrations, the higher the risk of fragmented data, errors, and inefficiencies due to switching between multiple systems. If you find that your LIMS serves a narrow set of use cases, it’s time to select a more feature-rich one.
Why Second-Time LIMS Buyers Love QBench
If you’re looking to upgrade your LIMS, we’d recommend QBench LIMS.
QBench LIMS is robust enough to power your lab while user-friendly enough that it won’t slow you down as you scale. Second-time LIMS buyers love QBench for the following reasons:
- Configurable automations: One of QBench’s greatest strengths lies in its highly configurable no-code automatons.
- Built-in QMS: With QBench LIMS, you get a built-in, tightly integrated QMS experience as opposed to having to purchase and integrate a separate compliance management platform.
- Integrates with dozens of popular software platforms: QBench LIMS integrates with dozens of popular software platforms, including CRMs, accounting platforms, business intelligence platforms, and more. And if QBench doesn’t have a native connection, the robust API allows you to connect anything you want.
- Stellar support and onboarding: QBench offers US-based implementers, account managers, and support, as well as a full-service (and fast) implementation to help your lab hit the ground running.
And that just scratches the surface with our most popular features:
Interested in seeing QBench LIMS in action? Click the button below to schedule a demo and see how your lab could upgrade its LIMS.