CSS
Laboratories Provides Integration for Digital Voice Inc.
By
Leonard Wong, Regional Sales, CSS Laboratories
A
start-up software development company partnered with CSS
Laboratories to create customized digital dictation and
transcription solutions for the healthcare industry. CSS
Laboratories serves as a strategic partner, continuing to
provide a national dealership network with seamless service,
including product deployments and updates, regular systems
maintenance and ongoing customer education.
CREATING
A SOLUTION
CSS
Laboratories is a privately held global
manufacturer and supplier of OEM workstations, server and
rack mount computing solutions, plus custom system design,
development and integration services.
In
1995, a digital voice dictation and transcription software
company serving the medical industry, incorporated CSS
Laboratories’ series of passive backplane servers to
accommodate multiple voice cards that need to run
simultaneously for their applications. In order to maximize
the usage capabilities of their software applications, the
software company chose a series of voice cards that required
higher than commonly available amperage from the ‘-5vdc’
line, which is used normally only as a reference voltage.
Before finalizing the server configurations, CSS
Laboratories went back to the power supply manufacturer and
worked with them to remedy the situation. This pre-order,
pre-production problem solving was executed at no cost to
the software company, and underscored CSS Laboratories’
commitment to clients even before they are customers.
Since
then, CSS Laboratories and the software company, along with
their network of dealers, continuously adapt the servers to
ensure quality non-stop dictation and transcription services
to hospitals and clinics – an industry that is 24-7
mission critical. CSS Laboratories underscored its
commitment to providing personalized service and
establishing partnerships with customers by:
- Understanding
the software company’s long-range software update
plans, and thereby accommodating the attendant hardware
needs well in advance of need and avoiding
downtime.
- Engineering
a ‘Quiet Bus’ technology that was superior to any on
the market and minimizing phone-line static in the
dictation/transcription analog-to-digital conversion
processes.
- Maximizing
the number of card ports each server could accommodate
(as many as 144 versus the industry standard 72), which
kept costs down with the need for less total servers.
- Engineering
a customized cooling system allowing for the
considerable port power.
CONTINUING
CUSTOMER EDUCATION
In
2003, the network of dealers increased their market exposure
by adding another company’s software application into
their product offerings. CSS Laboratories, being a strategic
partner, continues a strong relationship by working with
them directly, employing effective solution based, product
deployment strategies to keep costs low:
- In
stark contrast to the large companies that provide only
their newest product line, CSS Laboratories maintains an
inventory of legacy products and parts. This allows
customers to avoid obsolescence and expensive
upgrades.
- With
an ongoing dialogue with suppliers and an intimate
knowledge of each customer’s equipment and future
needs, CSS provides proactive plans for updates and
service, resulting in minimal or no system downtime or
failure – less than 1 percent – for clients. The
industry requires 12- to 24-month advance planning. With
this vigorous monitoring of clients’ systems and needs
by CSS Laboratories, customers need to purchase
expensive new servers less often.
- CSS
Laboratories maintains strong, long-term relationships
with their own suppliers, which translates to both
unparalleled knowledge about the pipeline and accurate
forecast of new developments and future product
trends.
- As
a group, the customers and CSS Laboratories have
established a set configuration of servers, which allows
the customers to take advantage of volume purchases and
the convenience of planning ahead and accurately
predicting expenditures from year to year.
- The
depth of CSS Laboratories’ testing standards – from
interior interface to environmental stress testing –
is reflected in the product’s low industry failure
rate of less than one percent. The industry average is
27 percent. In addition to a higher than usual industry
mean time between failures, this comprehensive quality
control has resulted in longer product life cycles
(between three to five years versus an industry standard
of one to two years), which is especially critical in
the medical environment.
- As
number of voice cards per server continues to be reduced
with higher densities per card, the number of ports that
can be accommodated has increased, and CSS
Laboratories’ passive backplanes continue to expand to
accommodate these advancements with a standard 18 to 19
card slots. The industry standard provides five to six
slots.
- In
order to ship product within days of an order receipt,
CSS Laboratories maintains a ready inventory of tested,
approved and certified systems and has the capacity to
ship an order of any size on short notice – a prime
example of CSS Laboratories’ flexibility and
willingness to accommodate each customers’ needs.
- CSS
Laboratories conducts a comprehensive customer-education
program that informs customers with unbiased future
trend analyses, product updates, legacy product
availability information, supply-chain developments and
more. CSS Laboratories has found that by letting the
customers know what the future holds, they are better
able to plan ahead, avoid unnecessary upgrades and,
therefore, understand CSS Laboratories’ value as not
only a manufacturer and a service company, but also a
partner with the customers’ best interests in
mind.
- In
turn, CSS Laboratories has also demonstrated that
providing regular, unbiased product information (whether
about their own products or others), which save their
customers’ money, results in strong, long-term
customer relationships and is well-worth the effort.
ACCOMODATING
CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS
Each
of CSS Laboratories customer’s needs is different, and
that is where CSS Laboratories excels: in providing the
adaptability and one-on-one service which translates into
both a hassle-free experience and cost-savings for the
customer. For CSS Laboratories, it creates strong, long-term
customer relationships and recognized leadership in the
industry.
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