Beckman Coulter Life Sciences has debuted a new interactive customer resource with the launch of its Digital Campus. The 3D platform provides greater access to the company’s resources regardless of physical location and allows users to control their experience including the chance to get close to products and experts from their own space.
The journey of discovery begins by entering a lobby of a two-storey building filled which includes messaging billboards with announcements to help guide the way. From there, users choose their own path through nearly a dozen virtual rooms to learn about the company’s instruments and solutions, which includes the opportunity to take part in live discussions and demonstrations.
Dr. Mario Koksch, vice president and general manager of the company’s Flow Cytometry Business Unit, said: “This cutting-edge tool allows us to uniquely reach our customers anywhere and at any time, including those who may not normally be able to access our portfolio. The pandemic has changed how the world does business and as virtual workspaces continue to be the norm, this positions us to lead the way and exceed the needs of our customers by delivering a world-class user experience.”
All of the company’s product lines are represented, housed in individual rooms for Particle Analysis, Centrifugation, Flow Cytometry, Genomics and Liquid Handling. The Digital Campus platform features more than 200 videos, posters, and resource documents. More than 30 instruments and workflow solutions are on display, including the popular CytoFLEX SRT Cell Sorter, Optima X-Series Preparative Ultracentrifuges, the BioLector XT Microbioreactor and the industry’s broadest clinical and clinical research antibody portfolio.
Dr. Markus Kaymer, senior manager of Europe field marketing, said: “We knew we needed a solution to engage with our customers during COVID-19 when they needed us most. Seeing the end result, I am truly convinced it was worth all the effort. We now have a unique tool which allows us to interact with our customers, and at a robust level that distinguishes us from the competition.”
The concept is inspired by a traditional in-person conference and includes break out rooms, a cinema for live presentations, webinars and real-time conversations using chat and video integration. The Digital Campus is an immersive and global-focused product with content available in five different languages: English, German, French, Italian and Spanish, and gives access to those who may not otherwise be able to travel to tradeshows or interact with the instruments.
A global debut event – Virtual Summit 2021 – is planned for November 9-10. The event will feature interactive presentations from several Beckman Coulter Life Sciences professionals, along with experts discussing a variety of topics and innovative workflow solutions to meet today’s laboratory needs. Topics will include cell therapy, gene therapy and synthetic biology.
The Digital Campus platform will also be used for educational sessions which includes preparing EU customers for In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR), currently set to take effect in May of 2022.
Since October of 2020, a team of nearly 60 of the company’s associates has worked to develop, design, and deploy content for the Digital Campus, alongside vendor partners at Neyroo and Ixpo.