Benefits of iLab for Administrative Efficiency
iLab is a web-based core facility management system designed to streamline administrative operations, reduce manual effort, and improve accuracy.
Core facility leaders are responsible for managing billing, service requests, equipment scheduling, and usage reporting. These essential functions can be time-consuming and prone to inefficiencies or audit risk when handled through manual or fragmented processes.
iLab centralizes and standardizes these activities, enabling more efficient and reliable core operations.
The iLab facility management software package is a web-based solution designed to streamline and simplify these duties. The system’s functionality includes, but is not limited to:
- Equipment reservation management
- Billing
- Reporting
- Invoicing
- Service requests
- Milestone management
- Equipment and service usage tracking
Adopting iLab saves core directors and administrators time, and allows them to devote that time to their other responsibilities.
The Benefits of Membership in the UW-Madison iLab Community
Reservation Management
Usage of the instrument and/or service within a facility is tracked through easily accessible, web-based signup calendars
Billing
Calendars and service records are used to create monthly billing events in iLab, decreasing time spent on billing.
Reporting
The iLab software system integrates usage records to provide easy and reproducible reports with compliant granularity.
Service Management
Customers can view the services your core offers, and make requests can all in one place.
Other Benefits of using iLab
Strategic decision making
Data obtained from iLab allows for core administrators to make strategic decisions about investments in equipment and services.
Easier grant applications
The ease of data collection saves time and effort when applying for instrument grants.
Strong biosafety practices
To ensure the safety and compliance of laboratories, the UW-Madison Office of Biosafety has requested that all customers using facilities complete a sample description form for every individual service and instrument usage. The iLab software package can easily accommodate this regulation by mandating customers complete a custom form prior to booking time on any system or service within a facility.
IT support and the iLab community
Through contributions from Biochemistry, the SMPH and the UWCCC, an information systems support specialist is dedicated full-time to supporting iLab. IT support for members of the iLab business community includes implementation assistance to cores entering iLab, help resolving problems with iLab software, user group meetings and a point of contact and expertise when a core is updating instrument settings, service requests and calendars.
Customer experience
Benefits accrue not only to the core, but also to the core’s customers. Customers experience the convenience of finding all relevant cores, have great access to the cores of interest, and log into just one unified software system, even when working with multiple cores.