SAB NewsMembers insights on characteristic traits of customer servicePosted 7/30/2007 Each member of The Science Advisory Board who participated in this study was invited to comment on the following: Please think of an animal that would characterize the traits of the customer service or technical support personnel from their top brand. Please explain your selection! The following are a sample of the qualitative insights included in the report. The responses, which have been edited for grammar and clarity, appear below along with each respondent's job position and geographic location. •Applied BiosystemsAustralian Parrot. Nice guy, always busy, and always chatting. Roland, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Bull. I am making it a general comment and not particularly for Applied Biosystems. Any technical support personnel shakes his head in affirmation for anything you ask, but the solution for the problem is not always there. Pawan, Professor/Teacher, Asia Cat. For rapidity. Catherine, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Cat. It is so widespread in many houses that we never ask ourselves why we need one, but we have one! It is identical for AB products. All the labs have AB products because it became a standard for some applications and we do not ask ourselves if we can avoid using AB products. Jerome, Staff Scientist, Europe Cat. Persian Cat- Proud and attractive but doesn't care how the owner feels. Sepehr, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Australasia/Pacific Cat. Siamese Cat. Doesn't think they are special but knows they are special and you should be grateful for the time they give you. John, Professor/Teacher, Europe Chameleon. Can change its color according to environment. Isabelle, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Cow. The only good producer of certain products (e.g. milk, leather, beef) across the field, but if you asked how it made it, or how to use it, it would have no idea. Phil, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Dog. A Doberman Pinscher: completely devoted and dedicated; fearless yet compliant; smart; reliable, loyal. Gail, Principal Investigator, North America Dog. Bloodhound. Very methodical, thorough, well trained and with specific traits/capabilities for their niche jobs/roles. Ri-Chee, Staff Scientist, North America Dog. My doggie Florence. She is always there and eager to please. She is obedient, grateful and she never talks back. She knows her place and does her job to the best of her ability. Helene, Professor/Teacher, North America Dog. Poodle. They are intelligent, sharp and give good service. Vivek, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dog. Small terrier. Also keen and bright eyed, they seem enthused at all times to try and deal with the problems at hand. Ross, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Dolphin. An honest, fast and helpful animal. Carlos, Staff Scientist, Europe Dolphin. Pretty smart, knowledgeable and can well swim around the problem if they do not know the precise answer. Jan, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dolphin. They should be friendly and attentive to customers and at the same time they should be knowledgeable / Intelligent and should respond swiftly to customer queries and complaints. A.K., Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Asia Elephant. Big and lumpy, can be cumbersome. But has been in the field a long time so has a certain level of wisdom over other companies. Also the size, gives an advantage over the competition - they have a vast width of products, pre-designed assays etc. Amanda, Staff Scientist, North America Elephant. They always seem to remember everything about my special needs. Giotis, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Elephant. They are wise and remember everything. Christopher, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Fox. Herman, Professor/Teacher, Europe Fox. These guys that you don't see but when you come back in the morning they've done the job that they were supposed to do. Clever, they don't let the prey go away but don't make promise they can't honor. Gael, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Guerilla. A guerilla reminds me of that company because a guerilla demonstrates alpha characteristics and tries to be dominant but then after it gets what it wants might share its kill with you. Steffney, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Honeybee. Because they are so disciplined, hard working, expert in their work and time punctual. Dinesh, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Asia I can't remember the name, but it's the dinosaur from Jurassic Park that looks cute and endearing, until the moment that it turns round and spits poison in your face. Jeremy, Professor/Teacher, North America Lion. Fast but a little sneaky. King of the jungle, so not as responsive to every customer. JoEllen, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Lion. Proud, powerful and usually not respecting the other small animals. Ryszard, Professor/Teacher, Europe Ostrich. Thomas, Staff Scientist, North America Owl. Mauricio, Principal Investigator, North America Owl. George, Professor/Teacher, North America Owl. Wise and proactive. Pamela, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Panther. Because they are potent, rapid and expert, but sometimes they have a rest on a tree looking at things passing. Pamela, Staff Scientist, Europe •BD BiosciencesCheetah. Fast and cunning. John, Principal Investigator, North America Dog. Pritam, Staff Scientist, Asia Dog. A dog is always going to try and please his/her owner hence a dog would best characterize the traits of a customer service or technical support personnel. Carolyn, Staff Scientist, North America Dog. A good dog, like the BD rep, is attentive, intelligent and someone you know will resolve a problem situation promptly. Like a dog, the BD rep is a friendly individual who you enjoy interacting with. Renee, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dog. Dependable and reliable like the products! Amanda, Principal Investigator, Europe Dog. My animal will be a German shepherd dog. It will be faithful, responsive, guides you in forests, brings whatever you target and guards you. Krishnachaitanya, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Dog. My dog. Even surprising me! Pedro, Staff Scientist, Central/South America Dog. Reliable, smart, learn new things and apply them, ready to share experiences with the owner/customer. Ana, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Frog. Patient and fast to react. P_terszegi, Principal Investigator, Europe Galapagos tortoise. Reliable and old as dirt! Tim, Principal Investigator, North America Giraffe. A high-standing 360 degree vision of customer content. Michel, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Honeybee. They work together, diligently to provide a top-notch product with sweet rewards for their customers. John, Staff Scientist, North America Human being. Someone who cares that you are satisfied with the product, knows the limitations and informs you before you buy, works with you after you buy and will refund your money if you are not satisfied. Jennifer, Principal Investigator, North America Lion. Tenacious. Rhona, Laboratory Technician, North America Millipede. While talking with me on the phone, they check some company websites to give me the latest info on a product, write down my comments and at the same time send me a sample of a product that might do what I am looking for. David, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Mouse. Toshifumi, Professor/Teacher, Asia Sloth. It moves enough to survive and not much more! Jerome, Professor/Teacher, North America Sloth. Three-toed Sloth. They've a good name in the business so don't need to do anything. Unfortunately this also means they don't feel the need to be competitive on price or support. Richard, Post Doctoral Fellow, Australasia/Pacific Teddy Bear. Cuddly and cute but not all to bright. Johan, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Tiger. Black and orange. Jim, Staff Scientist, North America •Bio-RadCat. I would characterize them as cats. Most sales reps are like dogs, eager to talk to you and just about begging you to buy their products. I guess Bio-Rad knows that their products are superior to most others available and so they just wait and let you contact them. They will help out when they are needed, but they are not going to beg for your attention. Philip, Staff Scientist, North America Cat: because a Cat is always around you especially when you need something, treats you nice and never leaves without taking something from you. Amal, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Dog (Hound). Doggedly pursuing the information that I need for my application. William, Professor/Teacher, North America Dog. A bunch of little dogs: trying to please while always busy exploring other opportunities in the neighborhood. Mike, Professor/Teacher, North America Dog. A dog who is always willing to please and extremely enthusiastic about everything. They also run around a lot. A pat on the head means the world to them. Caroline, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Dog. They are so loyal and always friendly, just willing to help. Paul, Principal Investigator, North America Elephant. Alan, Staff Scientist, Europe Fox. It's a hunter that could be a little coward when something is not going right. It could be also hypocrite to obtain what it wants. You never know when it comes in your garden, hardly ever gives a phone call. It has to be a killer to survive in the jungle, constantly roaming around to find an easy prey. But the customer service is not an ugly beast. Remember, the fox is in fact a beautiful cunning animal that haunts our dreams in the lab, and in our private life! Jean-Luc, Principal Investigator, Europe Fox. Looks straight forward but cunning to convince. Laly, Principal Investigator, Australasia/Pacific Goat. Seung-Hyo, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Goat. 1. Eats almost anything = Bio-Rad has an array of products. 2. Is an animal that is less likely to transmit [as compared to other animals] animal-specific diseases to humans = Bio-Rad doesn't create new problems. 3. Can be self-sufficient = Bio-Rad provides solutions rapidly [and easily], creating an almost self-sufficient scientific atmosphere/lab. Richard, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Gopher. Gopher tunnels are all interconnected, so when rep types in the customer call info, others can see what issues were called and how it is handled. Ignatius, Professor/Teacher, North America Hare or rabbit. It is considered in some folklore as a step ahead (fast), clever (intelligent). Which is how I view some of Bio-Rad's customer and technical support personnel. Willias, Professor/Teacher, Asia Horse. Umesh K., Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Horse. Seyed Mehdi, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Jaguar. The epitome of stealth, not often seen but quick to respond and act when needed. Kim, Staff Scientist, North America Kangaroo. Without a doubt, They are always hopping from one customer to the next, trying to pull whatever their customers need out of their pouch. Some are definitely much better at stocking their pouches, planning their hopping travels, and foraging for what their customers need than others. Many have learned to plan ahead for the winter, but some have not. The more helpful ones are much more familiar with their terrain than others. Sherie, Staff Scientist, North America Lion. Always thinking that their products are little better than the others. Francoise, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Lion. King of the Jungle but lazy as heck. Unwilling to do more than the minimum when it comes to customer service. Prime example is the web site - which is the sloooooooowest in the business. They seem to be too lazy to fix this. Simon, Professor/Teacher, North America Meerkat. These mongoose-like animals from the dry regions of southern Africa will postpone eating to help with the babysitting, and will stay home so their family and friends can go out to supper! From talking with the tech support people at Bio-Rad, I get the impression that they are also hard working and often delay meals to finish up with a customer! Gregory, Principal Investigator, North America Octopus. They're smart and they can handle more than one thing at a time. Gina, Staff Scientist, North America Owl. As owls are characterized to be full of information. Moreover, owls are predators so Bio-Rad hunts out a problem and diligently seeks to resolve it. Jennifer, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Owl. Because this animal is a symbol of knowledge. Akinori, Professor/Teacher, Asia Owl. Wise, patient, and always right! Patrick, Professor/Teacher, North America Red Lobster. First of all its Red in color. Looks like complex animal difficult to handle but if you know how to tackle you can do it easily as Bio-Rad products. It's all about what's inside. Pranay. Pranay, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Sloth. It took them forever to address a very simple problem with a product shipment. Joseph, Professor/Teacher, North America Snail. Always non-accessible when one prods or goes near and takes lots of time to get things moving. Jay, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Squirrel. I would not like to be mean or anything... but I assume that, because we are in a site away from our main building, our Biological Supplies room, supplied by Bio-Rad among others, tend to be a little forgotten sometimes. I do see, however, the Bio-Rad sales reps quite often in the main site, where their cabinets are plenty of supplies. Let's say the reps are Squirrels. They are quite efficient stocking their supplies shelves, which are undoubtfully kept neat, organized and with enough to last for a long winter. They know where is the nearest bird feeder and they will keep each favorite food coming for their hungry little squirrels. And they will go for a stretch run if one the baby squirrels makes a request for some specific 'menu item'. But even the best squirrel forgets where some of the nuts are hidden sometimes. Luciana, Principal Investigator, North America •EppendorfBat. you don't see them in the day. Daniel, Principal Investigator, North America Bull. Pratik, Professor/Teacher, Asia Chameleon. Comparatively small, and changes its appearance according to the environment, like a Chameleon. Anne, Principal Investigator, Europe Cheetah. Quick, responsive, decisive. Andrew, Laboratory Technician, North America Cicada. You can go for years without seeing them, but when they do turn up they drive you mad. Maxine, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Difficult to answer. The local Eppendorf rep is a great guy to have around. Tomal, Staff Scientist, Asia Dog. Close, intimate, trustworthy, and friendly. Bilge, Professor/Teacher, Europe Dog. Has to be a dog (St Bernard). Trustworthy, reliable and mans best friend! Karl, Staff Scientist, North America Dog. Loyal, smart, and dependable. Gregory, Staff Scientist, North America Elephant. Peter, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Elephant. A funny and neutral creature and sometimes leaves footsteps in a refrigerator. Minoru, Principal Investigator, Asia Elephant. Big company but not very flexible. Wolfgang, Principal Investigator, Europe Elephant. They never forget a customer. They're gentle, while tame and mature, they are most helpful with completely challenging tasks however big or small. Bernard, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Elephant. Very dependable, though not really that glamorous. Also, more expensive than, say, a dog. Sameer, Principal Investigator, North America Homo Sapiens. The only animal with such love for money is Homo Sapiens. Marta, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Kangaroo. Julius, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Meerkat. They come out when they want to and immediately hide when any sort of trouble arises underground, especially when technical issues pop up. Steve, Staff Scientist, North America Owl. They are wise. Alexander, Principal Investigator, North America Peacock. A male peacock, who tries to hide his legs by spreading his tail. Goleeta, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Rabbit. For the speed and sensitivity and serenity. Ramars, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Raccoon. MareK, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Rat. Actually, this will apply to Invitrogen since I have never had reason to contact Eppendorf. I would say like a rat: friendly, usually intelligent and sometimes clever, habit-driven and may be tenacious in solving a problem. Thomas, Laboratory Technician, North America Roadrunner. Quick and pleasant - always with a smile on their face Jennifer, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Sog. St. Bernard dogs. They are there when you need them most, they are calm, professional, smart and integer. Alexander, Pharmacist, Europe •Fisher ScientificA camouflaged animal in the bushes. Most often we don't even know that it is there, almost forget that it is there. But they seem to be always comfortable staying there and prefer not to be disturbed. Shankar, Staff Scientist, North America Bee. Never give up, even if it is hard. Peter, Principal Investigator, Europe Chameleon. Always adapting to new circumstances. Len, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Dog. Friendly to humans, good smell, devoted. Dan, Staff Scientist, Europe Dog. I don't mean this as an insult at all, but I would have to say a dog. Service personnel should be helpful, responsive and pleasant to be around and the animal that most embodies those traits are dogs. Michael, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Dog. Pitbull. Claire, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dog. Specifically, a Golden Retriever. They are helpful, trustworthy, and devoted companions. Dominick, Staff Scientist, North America Dung Beetle. Customer service of Fisher Scientific shares traits with the dung beetle. They both don't have the most pleasant of jobs, and usually have to contend with managing tasks, which are much greater in size than they are. While their progress may not be the fastest of all the animals, they usually arrive with the goods and then have to start over again. Philip, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Eagle. Eagle eyes able to see into the future and anticipate customers' needs. Esra, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Fox. Gianluigi, Professor/Teacher, Europe Ghost. I conduct research at the University of Miami Medical School, which has a contract with VWR as the preferred vendor. It appears that Fisher is not even trying to compete for business, since I have never seen their reps in the 3+ years I've been here. Anthony, Staff Scientist, North America Groundhog. I view it as cheery, fast, fat-pocketed, efficient and friendly. Yuriy, Staff Scientist, North America Kangaroo. Fisher ends up 'babying' so many small companies and their representatives always have some other small company person with them for introduction etc. Alfica, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Kangaroo. Jumps to the rescue and carries lots of information and products. Christine, Professor/Teacher, North America Leprechaun. Our tech support from Fisher reminds me of a leprechaun. We hear he exists but have no actual evidence to support that opinion. Anne, Laboratory Technician, North America Lolrus. Maitreya, Principal Investigator, North America Monkey. Because that is the best animal there is. Richard, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Monkey. It would be a fast learner from its environment. Gentle in its approach. Not predatorial. A smart little monkey. Patrick, Department Head, North America Octopus. Can reach many departments simultaneously and do several things at the same time. Sergei, Staff Scientist, North America Pangolin. Very good at breaking into new areas of commercial opportunity by negotiating deals for standard supplies but quite able to role up and ignore the more irritating individual complaints. Jonathan, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Sheep. I'm afraid it might well be a sheep, they act as an indirect supplier for so many other companies that they don't know enough about their products, and they do no take responsibility for the orders, but instead flock together. Sarah, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Snow Leopard. In Seattle it would be the Snow Leopard because right now they are hard to find. William, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Tiger. Chenya, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Unicorn. I have not had to deal with a customer service rep from Fisher in a very long time, so they could be nonexistent for me right now. Michelle, Professor/Teacher, North America Whale. Like a whale, coming up out of the water very seldom for breathtaking. Gertraud, Laboratory Technician, Europe Wombat. Keep hidden most of the time but when you need them they are friendly and cuddly. Bruce, Staff Scientist, Europe •GE HealthcareAnt. They work all time and in any thing and everywhere. Rafael, Principal Investigator, Europe Bear. Big, but quite friendly (rather not hungry :) Krzysztof, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Bear. White Bear. Nobukazu, Professor/Teacher, Asia Bee. An ideal animal would be a bee. Provide us with the honey. Help our flowers grow. Just don't come near us unless we want you to. And if you show up in numbers (Too many unsolicited phone calls, emails, etc) we will flee. Don't get in our bonnet. And go sting whoever in your company screwed up the order. We like you to be busy when we do see you. And produce products that create a lot of Buzz! Rob, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Cat. Loyal to the house. Branka, Professor/Teacher, Europe Chameleon. With the constant takeovers, the company seems to change focus as often as a chameleon changes color! John, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dog (Greyhound). Fast in responding to service needs or requests for more information. Anthony, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dog. Dogs are man's best friends, and they bring your newspapers and kits! Gabriel, Principal Investigator, Europe Dog. Golden Retriever: Trustable, good nose. Camillo, Principal Investigator, Europe Dog. The Collie for the GE TV ads, whips the competition (the bear in the ads). Beverly, Professor/Teacher, North America Dog. Very smart and kind. Daniel Tavares, Principal Investigator, Europe Dolphin. Andres, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Dolphin. I love animals, so, I'll try to find one that compile what characterize technical support or customer service people. I think that the animal could be a dolphin, which is one of the smartest mammalians, people oriented, friendly, even rescuing people from dangerous situations in the sea. Dolphins never sleep because they have two brains and one of them is always alert. Sounds familiar? This is the kind of job that tech people or customer service give, since when they are not on line for live support, you can leave a message to them. Laura, Staff Scientist, North America Elephant. Very solid with a long memory. Andrew, Principal Investigator, Australasia/Pacific Fox. Because to compete with other companies, they will quote for the item hiding some important components of the item. Once their product is selected & when you receive the same, you will find that some component are missing. This makes you to purchase them from GE again. Very smart but of very low level. Brijmohan Singh, Principal Investigator, Asia Gepard. Fast service and delivery. Pierre, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Gepard. Fast. Janne, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Horse. A top fit riding horse. Jan, Staff Scientist, Europe Mouse. They must move quickly, cover a lot of ground, adapt to new surroundings, be flexible, etc. Mark, Staff Scientist, North America Panther. Gracious and smooth on outside, calculating and ready to jump inside. David, Principal Investigator, North America Pig. Lei, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Turtle. Because the last time I ordered sth, the order -process took around 20 minutes because the person on the other end was from a foreign country and had problems to understand my order (which costs ME TIME and MONEY!). Barbara, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe What ever the equipment or material buy from the company that should work according to norms and specifications and if it shows any problem the people who supplied should more concern about it. The company or the person who supplied should be more reliable, based on the reliability and function of the material people will prefer to go to that or not Adi, Staff Scientist, Asia •InvitrogenA cross between a spider, it's web, in touch with and pulling all the strings of customer satisfaction, and a peacock, flaunting all the colors to draw the customers to the products. Marcel, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Barn Owl. Wise, always on the lookout and having good eyesight as well as the ability to listen well and to pick out the real point and not the confusion that might surround it. It is also quick, accurate and doesn't make a lot of noise about achieving its goal, it doesn't appear rushed and flustered, always professional and goes about its business with minimum of fuss. Kevin, Staff Scientist, Europe Bird (Humming). Quick, efficient and in a moments notice manifests the request. Padmaja, Staff Scientist, North America Cat. Intelligent, independent but loyal. Laurent, Principal Investigator, Europe Cat. Sometimes you can rely on them; sometimes you don't know what they are thinking. Belen, Professor/Teacher, Europe Dog (Guide). He delivers an essential service, but when not needed, curls quietly up in a corner. Gayle, Principal Investigator, North America Dog. Jack Russell Terrier: intelligent, feisty and difficult to control! Allan, Professor/Teacher, North America Dog. Our Invitrogen sales rep is whom I have had contact with. She is extremely friendly, easy to talk to and responds to our requests always. I would have to say man's best friend the dog. But probably a stylish French poodle as she always looks good. In addition, the French poodle is supposed to be one of the smartest dog breeds. Rosalind, Principal Investigator, North America Dolphin. Friendly, helpful, and strong of porpoise. (Sorry - couldn't resist). Karen, Principal Investigator, North America Elephant. As the saying goes, Elephants never forget and are highly competent and intelligent and are big enough to take command of the jungle. However, they are gentle animals that don't use their power to harm. Sarah, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Elephant. There might be a large department and it might have deep knowledge however it requires a lot of food (information) from the customer about the problem and it then takes long time for an unhurried and imprecise answer. Thorsten, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Elephant. They are loyal, service-oriented, and helpful - and they do what they want! Independent! Just as Invitrogen service is. Pradip, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Firefly. It's not really an animal, but an insect. This is because sometimes they're on, sometimes they're off, but most of the time they are elusive and hard to find. Gale, Principal Investigator, North America Gaboon Viper (Africa). Sometimes they are difficult to locate, silent, and generally quite placid until threatened and they end up biting you on the butt. A-Lan, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Giraffe. Beautiful, well designed for the job, and QUIET (I can't stand it when company reps call the lab by phone). Barbara, Principal Investigator, North America Lion. 1. Brave enough to face the difficulties. 2. Never attack from back, so always come in front and discuss about the problems then takes conclusion. 3. The king of forest cares for all the kingdom, similarly Invitrogen cares its customers. 4. The king of the world in life science- Invitrogen. Gulrej, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Lion. This animal represents strength, intelligence, leadership, support and reliability. Marianna, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Mole. Invitrogen has good info on their website but it is often hard to find. Thomas, Professor/Teacher, North America Monkey. Chee How, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Octopus. I want my customer service person to have his or hands in everything; billing issues, technical data, usage information, etc. There is nothing worse than having to be transferred from person to person when you need an answer fast. Ernest, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Owl. Patient and knowledgeable. Wolfram, Principal Investigator, North America Panda. Cute and friendly but slow moving. V, Professor/Teacher, North America Panda. Cute, polite, works hard, friendly. Ray, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Platypus. Sometimes it seems that Invitrogen has taken a variety of parts from different groups, pieced them together and made them work, if in a somewhat odd looking fashion. Todd, Laboratory Technician, North America Polar bear. Coca cola used polar bears to sell their products. The cute images and familiarity of polar bears may help you to sell more media and reagents. Just think about a little white bear holding a bottle of Gibco reagent, You may have to warn some dumb scientists not to drink it. Renshiang, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Rabbit. M, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Snake. Slow but precise and beautiful! Zebo, Professor/Teacher, Asia •MilliporeAnt. They help each other. Fernando, Professor/Teacher, Europe Badger. They badger you with their sales reps. Wanda, Staff Scientist, North America Big Foot. Evidence points to their existence, they have been spotted by a lucky few, but contact with them is rare, but memorable when they do get seen in the area! Catherine, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Cat. Friendly, independent, clever, but not needy. Karen, Principal Investigator, North America Cheetah. They have been very quick to respond to initial request for information for equipment (Synthesis water system), and sales/technical rep. provided excellent training and support. At about the time disposables needed to be replaced sales rep provided me with a promotion, then stopped by to see if I needed any assistance with the equipment. It is like they are watching and waiting for something to happen. I have been very pleased and suggested their equipment/supplies to other faculty. Robert, Professor/Teacher, North America Coral Reef. I associate Millipore products that support a lot of other biological products by helping me filter the production of other products. As such, coral reefs provide strong support for a large number of sea life. Bernardo, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Cow. It will always supply milk and try to be thoughtful, but sometimes can only with a moo. Suzanne, Professor/Teacher, North America Crocodile. Because of its razor sharp precision and sleek movement. Meera, Staff Scientist, Asia Dog. Stavrovskaya, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Dog. Loyal, friendly, willing and sharp. Tim, Department Head, Europe Dog. Loyal, obedient and smart. John, Staff Scientist, North America Earthworm. You don't see them around but you know where to look for them if you need to. William, Principal Investigator, Asia Elephant. Older company - large but doesn't forget how to deliver quality, relevant products. Hilton, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Elephant. The one I spend whole career with. Jan, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Fish. Red-bellied stickle back. Janice, Principal Investigator, North America Human being. I think this is the best animal which can think & take decision on its own. They can make friends and enemies. Customer service personnel should b a good human being who listens to the problem and help to rectify the problem. The 'hope' itself can make a customer happy. Soorej, Staff Scientist, Asia Kangaroo. Rapid response. Suresh, Production/Manufacturing, Asia Lion. Strong (in knowledge and way to handle problems). Yvonne, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Meerkat. Stand around in groups, get things done efficiently and make it look like a lads night out! Macdara, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Mole. Millipore service like a mole, I never saw it but I know that they exist. Iryna, Principal Investigator, Europe Monkey. Lourdes, Staff Scientist, Europe Monkey. I saw a funny movie, at which monkey beats a tiger, it was not of course because it was stronger, but it was lighter in movement, twisting and jumping. I think tiger is Qiagen, and Millipore as Monkey should beat or will be caught by tiger. Ahmed, Staff Scientist, Africa Octopus. Enough hands and brains to handle things fast efficiently and satisfactory. Wilco, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Octopus. They try to grab everything but sometimes only can reach the water. Rui, Professor/Teacher, Europe Racoon. Millipore service reps are like raccoons- hard to pin down, but nice when you do! Jackie, Laboratory Technician, North America Squid (Giant). Found in the depths of the Bay of Mexico. Extremely elusive. man-eater. Sociable and responsive to some. Has some ESP traits. Raul, Professor/Teacher, Asia Squid. The giant squid since I never see my rep. Wendy, Principal Investigator, North America Tortoise. Steady and long-lived provider of life science services. Jean, Professor/Teacher, North America •New England BiolabsA group of smiling bacteria in front of a computer. Many products (enzymes) from New England Biolabs are recombinant product using bacteria. Jacques, Principal Investigator, North America Ant. Because ants are organized and accurate. Veronique, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Butterfly. Could it be a butterfly... effortlessly flies through the day, not a worry to be had, pollinating the minds of young through wonderful engagement with scientists and students (they are great at helping me in my curriculum). Julie, Professor/Teacher, North America Butterfly. It is because the image of this company to me is originally a butterfly. Akio, Professor/Teacher, Asia Dog. An old good friend. Masumi, Professor/Teacher, North America Donkey. Functional, untiring and always patient but never getting the deserved appreciation. Paul, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Eagle. An experienced support animal, ready to respond to challenges, inquiries, and others needs. Always ready and proactive. Joao, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Elephant. (I think of the famous Dr. Seuss quote I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, 100 percent. This indicates to me a company that stands behind its products and cares about customer satisfaction. Gail, Principal Investigator, North America Elephant. Smart and consistent. Jason, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Giraffe. When you go to the zoo, everyone wants to see all the fancy flashy animals, but the good old reliable giraffe is always a crowd-pleaser. You may forget about him, but when you see him, you are never disappointed and always re-amazed at how cool he is. That is what NEB is like. You forget how great they are until you open that catalog again and remember how wonderful and reliable NEB is. Plus with its long neck, the giraffe is far-reaching, just like NEB is in their product development! Caroline, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Horse. I would not say butterfly as is usually perceived as beautiful but not very reliable. I would choose a horse, a long time friend of humans, a useful animal helping them in their endeavors picking up the load when needed and enjoying the free time as well. Rosalind, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America I guess it would have to be two animals. The turtle and the hare. The ideal technical support would have the wisdom of a wise old turtle and have patience to figure out how to get me an answer, and carefully follow through on finishing the job with little pressure from me. But the ideal rep would also have the speed and tenacity of a rabbit in finding the answer and getting it to me quickly! Joanne, Principal Investigator, North America Monkey. Smart and active, quick to learn from their mistakes. Ching, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Octopus. This is a rather quirky answer, but NEB works hard to keep you satisfied; the company tries to hold on to its customers in the same way that an octopus tries to hold on to you if you grab it. Daniel, Principal Investigator, North America Owl. It is associated in popular culture with scholarship, wisdom and learning. These traits distinguish New England Biolabs from the myriad companies whose main interest appears to be achieving the most aggressive marketing strategies. Timothy, Principal Investigator, North America Peacock. We are proud to proclaim that we have the best restriction enzymes and most useful paper catalog on the planet! Debra, Staff Scientist, North America Sheep. Wondering in the field, because I never see them! Alex, Staff Scientist, North America Squirrel. A typical New England animal. In addition it is well known all over the world, it is fast and knows how to store supplies. Christoph, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Tiger. They are ferocious and tenacious, and if there is a problem, they pounce right on it! Scott, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Yeti. In my opinion, it would be the mysterious yeti. I've heard that they're out there and, indeed, a few of my colleagues have made contact but, to date, I've never actually come across one myself - only some unusual footprints! Perhaps this is because I've never had any problems with a NEB product but I may require help in the future, even if just to establish if they have any unusual feeding habits or interesting social behavior! Jane, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe •PromegaCamel. Reliable. Jindrich, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Cat. I received some images that is not big, or large. Hidenori, Staff Scientist, Asia Cheetah. Fast and efficient. Tom, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Chimpanzee. It is a fun animal (the kits they sell are cute looking), but also very smart and easy to play with. Deborah, Principal Investigator, North America Deer. Mohamme Ahmed Mohd, Laboratory Technician, Asia Dog (Guide). Because this animal has been trained to understand and to know the needs of the owner. Sam, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Dog. A St. Bernard--carrying a cask full of precious enzymes! Jocelyn, Principal Investigator, North America Dog. For reliability. Terrance, Principal Investigator, Australasia/Pacific Dolphin. A clever animal with internal sense of the environment (radar). Herve, Principal Investigator, Europe Dolphin. Smart, loyal, and cute. Ganesh, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Eagle. Because the personnel from Promega are authoritative and accurate in their products. Masahiro, Professor/Teacher, Asia Eagle. Freedom to explore new fields. Dragan, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Earthworm. They are necessary, always there, but you rarely see them. Eric, Staff Scientist, North America Elephant. This is the product and I can't do anything if it doesn't work. Carlos, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Central/South America Elephant. Elephant is very smart, and very strong. I think that Promega's technical support personnel looks like. Shuichi, Professor/Teacher, Asia Giraffe. Tall, detached from the ground. Andrei, Professor/Teacher, Europe Horse. Sometimes performs but often goes in the wrong direction. Neil, Principal Investigator, Europe I guess a human being would be the first choice, for obvious reasons! Dhananjay, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Lion. I tend to think of a lion, My initial impression with sales, customer service and tech support has been that the folks at Promega are laid back, relaxed. My conversations with Promega have always been pleasant, easy and insightful. Typical of a lion however, when the situation warrants, a lion reacts quickly and decisively to solve the problem, acquire resources and protect the group. Promega has always struck me as a great company and I've even considered applying for a job! A cool group of people. James, Professor/Teacher, North America Lion. They are aggressive and eager to help and solve technical problems. Richard, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Meerkat: They live in underground burrows, just like you won't see customer service or technical support personal if you don't need them. However, they are very social animals and demonstrate altruistic behavior, illustrating the helpful attitude of Promega's people. Interestingly, the meerkat teaches their young - something that is not very common in the animal kingdom! This exemplifies the willingness of customer support to transfer their knowledge to the researcher at the bench who is stuck. And finally, most importantly: they are very cute! Maaike, Principal Investigator, North America Mouse deer. It is supposedly a wise & diligent animal according to Malay folklore. Soon Guan, Professor/Teacher, Asia Octopus. Ability to problem solve and multitask. Jennifer, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Octopus. The engineer should have his arms everywhere. He should answer quickly on my phone calls, be polite and helpful, be extremely expert, and handle several issues at the same time (to help other customers as well as he helps me). Marcel, Staff Scientist, Europe Owl. Promega tech support is most like an owl. They are knowledgeable (i.e., wise like an owl) of their products and support them well. They also listen well but can pounce on the technical problem with talons unfolded. They can help whooo ever needs it! Jayne, Professor/Teacher, North America Penguin. Most of the things I order arrive on dry ice! Sarah, Principal Investigator, North America Tiger. My first reaction is a tiger. I think it has to do with the name: aggressive, powerful, and large, stemming from Pro and Mega. However, I also associate color with Promega as a company. Their brochures had beautiful pictures and were not white. So, yes, Promega can be characterized by an orange tiger. Rebecca, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Trusty c.elegans. You know what you've got, and on the whole, what you're going to get! Jason, Staff Scientist, Europe •QiagenAnteater. Tanya, Principal Investigator, Europe Bee. Hard worker to get a good quality product (honey). Jose-Luis, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Big Foot, I'm aware they have customer services in this country (Canada), but I've not seen them with my own eyes therefore they may be mythical. In the UK they were much more proactive in contacting me. Dave, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Cat. Like a cat, sometimes it is really helpful (catches mouse for human), but sometimes it is just lazy to serve customers certain extra information (cats sometimes just sleep a lot and don't do anything). Xiao-Lu, Staff Scientist, North America Chimpanzee. A chimp that is genetically engineered with Super Qualities such as highly knowledgeable, super efficient, with lots patience to deal with wide variety of customers and get the job done on a timely fashion. That's the only way probably one can expect all these super human sales reps characters. Madaiah, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Cow. She produces good quality of milk. She is not aggressive and is nice when being touched. Lei, Staff Scientist, North America Dog. Bulldog. They have been uniformly dedicated to trying to find answers to our issues with reagent kits and how to use them for non-standard applications. However, sometimes they fail to let go of the issue when it becomes apparent that the kit will not be suitable for our task. Bruce, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dog. I consider it to a trained dog, for their patience in hearing and try to solve the problem and giving suggestions the way a dog take you when you loose your way. Sreekumar, Staff Scientist, North America Dog. Intelligent, reliable, can be fun. Oltea, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Dog. Puppy because they are always friendly and willing to help you out with any of your problems and they are always there for you. Sherri, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Dog. They are polite. Kazuhito, Post Doctoral Fellow, Asia Elephant. Because I want my customer service / technical service to not forget what they have learned from previous customer issues. However, the political implications would not be my first choice, but then again a Donkey doesn't represent customer service / technical service very well. Tony, Staff Scientist, North America Falcon It should stay above and focus on any incoming problem, focusing on it and solving it immediately. Stefan, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Hippopotamus. Typically slow and ponderous service, however become enthusiastic and generally achieve an acceptable solution when under duress. Attempts to interact in two zones (water and land; equipment and reagents) with differing success rates. Amy Jayne, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Horse. Xiang, Staff Scientist, North America Horse. High speed but not too intelligent. Andreas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Horse. It is hardworking, dependable, reliable, and familiar! Plus, not intimidating! Lindsey, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Horse. Reliable worker. Michael, Staff Scientist, North America Horse. Shire horse. It is large and powerful and usually gets the job completed although sometimes it may take a little time to do it.. Adam, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Kangaroo. Odd far away creature that hops around finding things and may surprise you at what it pulls out of its pocket. dav, Staff Scientist, North America Lion or owl. Lion: symbolizes the king of life science products Owl: symbolizes knowledge and competence Stefan, Principal Investigator, Europe Mastadon. Qiagen's products are of such a high quality, customer service or technical service are not used by my lab in reference to their products. The animal that would remind me of them, therefore, would be a mastodon - large and obvious, but never to be found. Robert, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Meerkat. Pushy and overeager. Sandra, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Australasia/Pacific Monkey. Ying, Staff Scientist, North America Monkey. Qiagen is well known for its RNA and DNA isolation kits that work consistently well. Thus, I would have to say the animal that would best fit Qiagen's description is a thoroughbred horse. They are trained to perform consistently well! In terms of customer support, I would pick a monkey. I am not 100% sure why but it came into my mind as the best choice. Monkeys are nimble and flexible and I know that whenever I talk to the Qiagen Reps they always encourage me to try new products from Qiagen and show me how old products work in way I did not know about. Charles, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Asia Mouse. Fast, precise. Miriam, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Octopus. Able to solve any problem. Austin, Principal Investigator, North America Owl. It gives the notion of wisdom and knowledge expected from a technical support professional. Ivan, Staff Scientist, North America Peacock. Because they are good products and the sales reps know it. Therefore they do not make concessions and give discounts. Isabel, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Piggy! Lovely but not always reliable. Yi-Hong, Principal Investigator, North America Platypus. Ancient species, mix up between mammal and bird. Patrick, Principal Investigator, Europe Squirrel. A gray squirrel, nnice fluffy tail, always able to find the answer, no matter where it is stored. Plus, I like gray squirrels. Justin, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Turtle. It's reliable. Virginie, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America •Roche Applied ScienceAny live animal is preferable over an automated phone answering system that leaves you on hold for long periods of time. Edward, Principal Investigator, North America Archispirostreptus gigas (giant African millipede). Michael, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Baboon. Playful yet responsive, and thankfully they never turned their back to me! Sean, Staff Scientist, Australasia/Pacific Bat. You never see them during the day! Alice, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Bear. Roche bears it out! T. Shantha, Principal Investigator, North America Cheetah. Swift, good vision to spot a goal and very focused at achieving that goal. Suchita, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Dodo bird. Because good customer service traits are pretty much extinct, accept for this company. Beverly, Principal Investigator, North America Dog. A very faithful animal. Similarly, Roche is faithful to their customers, they are reliable and please their customers. All the qualities found in a dog and a dog is man's best friend. Similarly, Roche is a Scientist's best friend. I can go on comparing the two but I'm sure I've explained the most necessary traits that a good life science company should have and how those traits are similar to a dog. Meenakshi, Professor/Teacher, North America Dog. Friendly. Baby, Principal Investigator, North America Dog. It would be a Saint Bernard dog. Perhaps is not the fastest but at the end he can save your life. Jose, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Dog. Reliable and consistent, as are the products of Roche. Zoya, Principal Investigator, North America Dog. Tends to your needs like a dog. Betty, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Elephant. Strong & steady & has intelligence with a good memory. Anjilene, Laboratory Technician, North America Fox. Since the guy managed to sell us a light cycler at the time, although we wanted a TaqMan device from Applied Biosystems. Thomas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Horse. I think of a well-trained horse because it is fast, reliable and friendly. I think that is what we all scientists need from the customer service or tech support. Patrick, Professor/Teacher, North America I never had to deal with one of them! Deborah, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Rabbit. Its look gives a serene appeal. It is active and ever enthusiastic. It is friendly and straightforward. It is clean and neat in its presentation. It is sharp! Girija, Professor/Teacher, Asia Raccoon. Curious, determined and adaptive! Constance, Staff Scientist, North America Rhinoceros. thick skinned. Frances, Principal Investigator, North America Roach. Matthew, Principal Investigator, North America Roach. Do I have to say any more? A Roach is always a roach! It goes everywhere and it survives under almost any situation! Guy, Staff Scientist, North America Turtle. Pull your head in and wait behind a impervious shell for the complaining customer to stop bothering you. Horst, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Asia Turtle. Technical support can be closed and oblivious to the world most of the time, but comes out its shell when need be (i.e. getting technical questions). Tony, Staff Scientist, North America •Sigma-AldrichAn animal from outer space designed like a Cyborg (something from Shrek). The reason being the thinking behind the word Sigma. Sigma is usually associated with space ship sort of thing. Even the present symbol is like planets in their orbits. Mohammad, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Anteater. Big and slow, but tries to pick the best possible. In case it is necessary, it is faster than you would believe. Holger, Professor/Teacher, Europe Bee. Galia, Staff Scientist, Europe Cat. Friendly but wary at first. Defensive if one moves (or complains) too fast. Later on, much more relaxed. But still you don't quite trust them because they have their own way of doing things. Mark, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Cheetah. Fast to respond and efficient. Gillian, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Dodo bird: They have been around during recorded history but now have become extinct. Gary, Staff Scientist, North America Dog. Raghu, Staff Scientist, North America Dog. Bull dog. Because of their dogged tenacity to sell their products to you. Herman, Principal Investigator, Europe Dolphin. Skill- never completely sleeping, reliable, highly adapted, high performance and friendly. Lucantonio, Principal Investigator, Europe Elephant. Which is docile (willing to understand) and also strong (technical support of Sigma-Aldrich). Krishna, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Horse. As Sigma Aldrich progressing like the fast speed of a Horse. Shveta, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Horse. Strong, big reliable, gets things done without costing too much hay. James, Staff Scientist, North America Iguana. Adapts and survives. Athanasia, Professor/Teacher, Europe Leech. Livy, Staff Scientist, Asia Less products for plant based research. Reps have less knowledge in plant based research. Ramamirthum, Principal Investigator, Asia Lion. The king of the suppliers. Stefano, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Ostrich. Sometimes you need the ability to look into or around a problem or concern and sometimes your customers just make you want to bury your head in the sand. Colette, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Ostrich. That would be a well-trained Ostrich, coming up quickly upon a call, leaving large eggs and then usually quickly running away, but who immediately hides his head in the sand when asked a sudden difficult question. Alexander A., Principal Investigator, Europe Owl. Not necessarily particular to Sigma, but contacting customer/technical service is like talking to the Owl from the Tootsie Pop commercials from the 80s? How many licks does it take to get to the center? Owl: Let's find out, 1-2-crunch-3!” In my experiences interacting with technical support staff, they may not always have the answer right away, but are more than willing to test the product themselves and get the answer you are looking for. Mark, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Owl. Very wise and thoughtful; they don't get emotional when there is a problem, and they don't stop until they reach a solution! Jeff, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Rat. Always active in work. Pradip, Professor/Teacher, North America Tortoise. Maybe a little slow and quite conservative, but always reliable. Mara, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Use the telephone instead of e-mail. Much better to discuss science/problems... Peter, Professor/Teacher, Europe Wild Ass. Because once their bills are cleared they never turn back even how many times you show grass to them, i.e., they come only to delver the goods. Vinod, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia •Thermo ScientificAardvark. I base this choice on one specific incident regarding a defective LCQ Deca XP. The choice relates to the size of the nose to be specific. On the instrument in question, each and every part was replaced at least once and yet the instrument didn't work. I needed to choose an Aardvark because Pinocchio isn't an animal and after great consternation, the instrument was replaced but not until I heard every possible excuse as to why it didn't work. Even brought the issue to the attention of my sales rep and we did have a nice discussion about it. This is essentially, why I'm still a customer. Thanks. Todd, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Ant or bee. They are not on the spotlight, but working diligently together all the time with responsibility and devotion for other members of the community. Dohun, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Badger. Tenacious and determined. Auriol, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Bear. Lihua, Professor/Teacher, North America Cow. Very reliable and accountable. Bharat, Professor/Teacher, Asia Dog (St. Bernard). I am describing my experience with the Thermo company that I deal with here in Australia, I get a bit confused about what they are called now as there have been so many take overs lately (they used to be Thermo Trace, then Thermo Electron and now I think Thermo Fischer!). I would describe them as a St Bernard dog, the one that goes out into the adverse conditions and rescues people! They know we have a very limited budget and they will do anything to help us, especially when a heavily used piece of equipment breaks down. I can call the rep and even if he doesn't sell what I'm looking for he will often point me in the direction of another company that does. Fantastic customer service. Jane, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Australasia/Pacific Dog. Vikas, Staff Scientist, North America Dog. Terrier to be specific. Faithful, generally happy and very enthusiastic, energetic. Brian, Principal Investigator, North America Dolphin. Because he feels natural in his habitat. Guido, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Eagle. Edouard (Ed), Principal Investigator, Australasia/Pacific Elephant, Large but gentle if need be. Johan, Laboratory Technician, Europe Elephant. Strong, dependable, stable, with a good memory of the customers needs. Large enough to have variety but having the ability to find the peanut (small details) in the hay. Diane, Laboratory Technician, North America Fox. Fast and smart. Renate, Principal Investigator, Europe I couldn't think about animal that would characterize the traits of the customer service or technical support personnel from Thermo Scientific. But, what I can say is the quality of Thermo Scientifics’ product currently is really not as good as 10 years ago. Pu, Staff Scientist, North America Lioness. They have a can do attitude and get the work done then they stand behind you in case there are problems that creep up but generally remain inconspicuous. Deborah, Laboratory Technician, North America Meerkat. Because they're always on the look out and hyper-efficient at teamwork. Alison, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Monkey. Because a Monkey is very near to the Human species and have a High IQ to solve the customer's problem and Reliable and honest to his work. Nawneet, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Asia Owl. A technical support person is like an owl. Invisible most of the time when unneeded, but there. Unheard unless you listen carefully. An important resident of the technical support forest and the science food chain. And wise, if you take the time to listen carefully and learn. Ramunas, Staff Scientist, North America Packrat. Thermo Scientific is pack rat because they have one of everything you can imagine and all science needs rats! Anne, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Pandaphant. (A cross between a panda and an elephant): Outward friendliness. Wants to be cuddly but can be a bit too big at times to be delicate or graceful or helpful. Has the potential to be really helpful. Jani, Professor/Teacher, North America Penguin. Byron, Principal Investigator, North America Sloth. Meri, Laboratory Technician, North America Sloth. Recently, I called thermo for a freezer malfunction and it took over a month to get a response after repeated messages. We don't have a spare -80 so this was a truly critical need for our lab. We lost quite a few reagents as a result. I guess as a result of this experience, I'd have to characterize them as a sloth, slow moving, nonchalant, and lackadaisical. Juanita, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Vulture. Always looking for easy pickings from funded laboratories. Robert, Professor/Teacher, North America •VWR InternationalBat. Silently flying through the night, doing its job without disturbing the neighborhood. Fast as a flash. Caring for its children. Will stand (hang upside down) on its head to get the job done. Joannes, Staff Scientist, Europe Chicken. Running around and clucking without purpose. Easily intimidated and not very smart. Enal, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dodo bird. Must be extinct. Still have not met the sales rep and it has been over 6 months since she took over the territory. Daniel, Laboratory Technician, North America Dog. Frank, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America Dog. A really good, well-trained, friendly dog; along the lines of a Golden Retriever. They always have the attitude of What do you need? What do you want? Can I do it? Can I? Please? Ross, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Dog. It is a reliable and polite animal. It satisfies our needs and responds in a proper way. Dinesh Diraviam, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Dog. Loyal and friendly. Daniel, Department Head, North America Dog. Pitbull. They work hard to please the customer. James, Principal Investigator, North America Elephant. Elephants are determined and methodical, they think things through. They have a great sense for their surroundings and also work as a team to accomplish great tasks. Sheri, Staff Scientist, North America Horse. VWR is very much like a loyal hard-working horse, who is always ready to help you accomplish the job you've got to do and always by your side (because no lab could survive without their pipette tips, PCR plates, and gloves.) And they deliver right to your lab! Millie, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Mole. You never see them burrowing away and working underground, but their molehills always reliably appear! I'm thinking of the molehill as one of my orders - in my experience, VWR always make accurate and on-time deliveries and we even get a customer discount - great! This thought probably means I have been inhaling too much 70% ethanol vapor again. James, Post Doctoral Fellow, Europe Ostrich. Never see them. They must have their heads in the sand. Thomas, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, Europe Owl. I think an owl would be appropriate (with glasses of course, and perhaps a lab coat). Synonymous with being very sharp-sighted, studious and wise. It would be a great mascot! Terence, Staff Scientist, North America Owl. Needs to be patient and wise. Yali, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, North America Owl. Wise. Jan, Principal Investigator, North America Squirrel. All the time in action gathering more and more customers. Lorelei, Post Doctoral Fellow, North America Tiger. VWR can deliver my order fast as a Tiger. Vidar, Graduate Student/Research Assistant, Europe Turtle. reza, Principal Investigator, Europe Turtle. Happy to be in the safe shell away from people but when forced out to help, slowly help comes (technical advice). Annmarie, Professor/Teacher, North America •OtherDog. It should be definitely a dog: always there when you need him, you can always trust him. Sorin, Lab Director/Supervisor/Coordinator, North America |
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