Customerzone <i class="noprint fa fa-video-camera"></i>

The customer zone allows your clients to access all information regarding their commissioned analyses directly from your homepage.

Video

This onboarding video provides a compact introduction to the client zone of the LDB. The workshop is a live recording. It shows you how your customers use the client zone and how to set up access, templates, price items and query reports. Below you will find the workshop content summarized and supplemented with selected topics.

Navigation

Your customers log in via your laboratory's login page:
https://labordatenbank.com/demo/customers/login
You can provide this link on your website or intranet, for example.

To open the client zone from the customer's perspective, follow this path:
Navigation bar → Manage customers → Click on the desired customer → Show client zone

Note: The exact names of the menu items may vary depending on the configuration of your LDB.

The client zone is an optional add-on module of the LDB.

Overview

The start page of the client zone brings together all essential information in a clear layout. This allows your customers to check the processing status and results of their requested analyses independently at any time.

The client zone offers the following benefits:

Reports, results and raw data reach your customers faster. Released reports are available for download directly as PDFs.
Analyses are requested directly in the client zone (optional). The client zone is not a shop, but an ordering option for your existing customers.
The status of open online order requests can be checked independently at any time. This reduces inquiries to your laboratory.
Query reports add value, e.g. through trend charts instead of individual test reports.

Note: The online order request is optional. You can also use the client zone solely for viewing results and reports.

Setting up the client zone (laboratory view)

To enable your customers to use the client zone, set it up in your LDB in a few steps. Three building blocks are essential: access rights, templates and price items.

Check access rights: For the setup, you need, among other things, rights to create contacts, show the client zone, edit online order requests, and manage templates and prices. Access rights marked in red require login via SSO or multi-factor authentication.
Create a contact with login: Create a contact for the customer via + Create contact and activate the login for the client zone. The password is set via email (or assigned by you).
Enable templates (optional): In the sample template management, activate the desired templates for online order requests, either for all customers or selected ones. Here you define which master data fields must be filled in and which of them are mandatory.
Enable price items (optional): In the price item management, define which analyses and packages can be ordered online.
Adjust system settings: Define the heading, welcome text, report display and results table, among other things (see Client zone settings).
Provide files and query reports (optional): Release documents such as terms and conditions or SOPs for the client zone and provide query reports in the Dashboard or under Query reports.

Further information: Activating the Customer Zone

Our recommendation: Open the client zone via Show client zone before passing on access. This way, you can see exactly what content your customers will be shown. Start with a customer you have been working with for some time.

Logging in to the client zone

Your customers log in via your laboratory's login page:
https://labordatenbank.com/https://labordatenbank.com/demo//customers/login
You can provide this link on your website or intranet, for example.

Figure: Login screen of the client zone

E-Mail / Login: Customers log in with the email address of the contact you created for the customer in your LDB and enabled for the client zone.
Each email address can only be assigned to one contact. If a person needs access for several customers, use an email alias (e.g. name+customer2@domain.com).
Password: The password that was set via the invitation email or that you assigned when creating the contact.
It must comply with the password rules in the system settings.
Log in button: Opens the start page of the client zone after successful login.
Reset password: After entering the email address, an email with a link to set a new password is sent. The link is valid for one day.

Our recommendation: Create personal accounts rather than shared accounts wherever possible, and recommend that your customers activate two-factor authentication under Edit my account.

Structure of the start page

The figure shows the start page as your customers see it after logging in.

Figure: Start page of the client zone from the customer's perspective

Note: All text highlighted in blue consists of clickable links to the respective data types. Some areas and functions are always available, others depend on the configuration of your LDB. The naming may also depend on the configuration.

Header

This area shows your laboratory logo and the title of the client zone. The title contains the name of the logged-in company or organization. You define it in the customer management.

Navigation bar

Menu item	Description
Dashboard	Shows the query reports you have enabled for the dashboard, e.g. individually configured charts or trend charts. Only appears if at least one such query report exists.
Reports	Returns to the start page with the overview of samples or orders and reports.
Query reports	Dropdown with the enabled query reports.

Note: Depending on the configuration, additional menu items appear, e.g. Files with documents you have released, such as terms and conditions or SOPs. When logged in via a contact, Edit my account and Logout also appear on the right.

Function bar

Below the navigation bar, the following buttons are available to your customers:

Button	Description
*Search*	Opens the search across the customer's own samples, orders and reports.
*Results Table*	Shows the analysis results of the samples in table form.
*Pending online order request*	Lists confirmed requests that have been submitted to your laboratory but not yet accepted, e.g. because the samples have not yet arrived.
*Unconfirmed online order request*	Lists requests that have been created in the client zone but not yet confirmed and therefore not yet submitted to your laboratory.

Welcome area

Welcome text: A welcome text defined by you, e.g. with information about the contact person in your laboratory.
Number of samples or orders found: Shows how many samples or orders are assigned in total.
To online order request button (optional): Dropdown with the sample or order templates you have enabled for online order requests. The button only appears if at least one template is enabled.

Side panel

This area shows the customer master data as stored in your LDB.

Note: Keep the master data up to date. Personal contact details can, where applicable, be changed directly in the client zone under Edit my account.

Overview of samples or orders and reports

The central area lists all assigned samples or orders in a table. What is displayed depends on the setting:

Sample-based: The overview lists the individual samples (see figure).
Order-based: The overview lists the orders.

Column	Description
Sample no. or order no.	The sample or order number assigned by your laboratory.
Date	Date of the sample or order.
Description	Description of the sample or order.
Report	The associated reports as PDF links highlighted in blue.

Note: If no released report is available yet, a message such as Report not yet available appears. You define which reports are displayed (e.g. signed reports only) in the system settings. The overview shows all assigned samples or orders, including older ones and those that were not requested via the client zone.

How your customers use the start page

Downloading a report

The desired sample or order is located in the overview, using the Search button if needed.
Clicking the report number highlighted in blue in the Report column opens the report as a PDF.

Creating an online order request (optional)

With an online order request, your customers request analyses directly in the client zone and enter the associated sample data themselves. This information is then available to your laboratory in a structured form, without manually typing up accompanying forms.

Via To online order request, one of the templates you have enabled is selected.
The form is then filled in and the desired analyses are selected.
As long as the request has not been confirmed, it appears under Unconfirmed online order request.
After confirmation, the request is submitted to your laboratory. It appears in the client zone under Pending online order request and in your LDB under Orders → Online order requests. As soon as you have accepted the request, the samples are created, depending on the setting in an existing or new order, and appear in your sample list.

Note: Depending on the setting (Grouping of the client zone view, see Client zone settings), requests are processed in one of two ways. The setting also determines whether the overview on the start page lists samples or orders.

Sample-based: When the request is accepted, the samples are created in an existing order. The overview lists samples.
Order-based: When the request is accepted, a new order with the associated samples is created from the online order request. The overview lists orders.

Further information: Create Online Analysis Order

Tracking the status of an online order request

Unconfirmed online order request

Unconfirmed online order request shows requests that have been created in the client zone but not yet confirmed and therefore not yet submitted to your laboratory. If your laboratory has rejected a request, it also appears here, together with the Reason for rejection by laboratory (e.g. missing information).

Figure: Unconfirmed online order request

For each request, the request number, date and time, and the entered samples with their details are displayed. The following buttons are available:

confirm (green): Confirms the request and submits it to your laboratory.
Pencil icon (yellow): Opens the request for editing, e.g. to add missing information after a rejection.
Copy icon (gray): Creates a copy of the request as a template for a new request.
Trash icon (red): Deletes the request.

Pending online order request

Pending online order request shows confirmed requests that have been submitted to your laboratory but not yet accepted by it.

Figure: Pending online order request

For each request, the request number, date and time, and the samples with the entered details are displayed, e.g. description, sampling date or person who took the sample. Using the delete button, a request can be withdrawn as long as your laboratory has not yet accepted it.

After acceptance by your laboratory

As soon as you have accepted the request, the samples or the new order appear in the overview on the start page, depending on the setting. Released reports are available for download there.

Viewing results and query reports

Via Results Table, the results of the samples are displayed in table form.
Via Dashboard or the Query reports dropdown, the query reports you have provided open. Depending on the query report, filters (e.g. time period) and exports are available, e.g. as Excel or CSV.

Note: If a query report is enabled for all customers, restrict the query via the customer ID so that each customer can only see their own data. Otherwise, all customers will see the data of the entire query report.

Our recommendation: Provide query reports with trend charts. This allows results to be tracked over a longer period without manually compiling values from individual reports.

Further information: Create / Edit query reports

Client zone settings

The client zone can be adapted to the requirements of your laboratory. You make some of the settings yourself, while others are configured for you by LDB Support.

Settings made by your laboratory

Under Navigation bar → Settings → System settings → Client zone, you can adjust the most important content yourself (access rights required):

Texts and display: Heading, welcome text and text below the results table, each in German and English and with variables such as _CUSTOMER_NAME_ or _CONTACT_FULL_NAME_.
Access and contacts: Password rules for the client zone and the option for your customers to create additional contacts themselves.
Reports and results: Which reports are displayed (e.g. signed reports only), whether the results table is available and how parameters are named in the CSV export.
Online order requests: Analysis selection via price list or sample template, number of price items per sample, introductory text in the form, and email confirmation including its text.

Client zone language

The client zone is displayed in the language stored in the master data of the respective customer. For example, a customer from France sees the client zone in French, while a customer from a German-speaking country sees it in German.

The following languages are currently available: German, English, French, Dutch, Polish, Spanish, Hungarian, Italian, Chinese (Simplified), Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian (Bokmål), Danish and Romanian.

Set the language: In the customer management, select the desired language for the respective customer. The setting applies to all contacts of this customer.
Texts in multiple languages: In the system settings, you store the heading, welcome text, text below the results table, introductory text and email confirmation in the respective languages (see Client zone settings). The version in the language selected for the customer is displayed.
Emails: System emails, such as the password reset email, are also sent in the customer's language.

Settings made by LDB Support

LDB Support makes further settings for you on request:

Naming and prices: Name of the online order requests (e.g. Online order) and hiding prices in the client zone.
Grouping of the client zone view: Sample-based or order-based display of the overview on the start page.
Start page and overview: Replacing the overview table with a custom query report, hiding archived samples, and displaying assets.
Results table: Parameter name in the header row and selection of the displayed parameter columns.
Documents: Page break in the order confirmation and a PDF template that your customers can use to print labels for confirmed online order requests.
Order evaluation: Your customers can evaluate orders in the client zone. This requires order-based grouping. Only orders that have not yet been finalized can be evaluated.

Our recommendation: Contact your customer support if you would like to change settings from the support area, e.g. a custom overview table.