Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter Services

Our technical services, field engineering, and training teams are fully committed to ensure your success using the Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter for your research. Instrument service plans, remote support, and training programs are designed to help ensure instrument performance, team readiness, and optimal overall research outcomes using the system. In the field or on the phone, our team has the professional know-how to support your research and the personal dedication to your satisfaction with our instruments.

After purchase, our concierge service ensures that your Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter installation is straightforward, from site preparation to delivery and installation.

Once installed, in-depth information is collected by six cameras, eight temperature sensors in the electronics subsystem, and hundreds of embedded sensors and registers that collect and report instrument status. System health information is sent to the Thermo Fisher Scientific support team daily via Cloud Services, where it is evaluated by software that monitors performance trends and flags issues for further evaluation by expert technical support. The purpose of tracking system data is solely to monitor product performance and to provide rapid service response when problems arise. No personal or scientific data is accessed or stored.

Support personnel are quickly available via email, video call, or telephone, and can access the instrument remotely if you prefer. This enables the team to quickly evaluate the situation and, if necessary, test, calibrate, and remedy more than 85% of issues without a service visit. In the rare instance when a service engineer must travel to the laboratory, it is likely that system health information and remote diagnostics have already helped the engineer identify the problem. If parts must be replaced, they can be ordered and shipped overnight while the engineer travels to the site, reducing downtime.

Cloud Services allow our service and support team of field service engineers and other experienced professionals to securely provide responsive, high-quality assistance.

Data flow between a Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter and Cloud Services makes use of two modes of communication.

• A one-way protocol is used for all system health communication.
• A two-way protocol not only includes status communication but also allows control of the hardware via remote application. Accessing this second type of communication is controlled by the user; no experiments, protocols, or sample data are retained by Cloud Services.

For maximum protection, Cloud Services include multiple firewalls, data encryption, and high-level security provided by Microsoft™ Azure™ servers and support. An in-depth white paper on cloud security and consultation with Bigfoot software engineers are available on request. 

Many customers choose to purchase an AB Assurance on-site service plan, which extends the standard 1-year warranty for an additional year. A service plan can:

• Maximize system uptime with fast repair turnaround time from manufacturer-trained and certified field service engineers
• Reduce overall repair costs with remote instrument diagnosis and resolution
• Extend the life of your system and keep it running at peak performance with annual service maintenance

AB Assurance is our most popular instrument service plan because it takes the guesswork out of ensuring instrument uptime, from issue prevention to quick resolution. With the AB Assurance plan, if something goes wrong that can’t be diagnosed and repaired remotely, we come to your site to correct it. The plan includes guaranteed response times in most regions, scheduled planned maintenance, and automatic software updates. Parts, labor, travel, and shipping are included.

Planned Maintenance Services for the Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter include:

• Checks on performance and factors that can lead to sub-optimal performance, including inspection and replacement of critical parts as needed and cleaning of both interior and exterior of the instrument. 
• Safety checks including check-ups on component functionality and inspections in accordance with applicable regulations.
• Application of relevant service bulletins and software updates. 

Virtual and in-person classroom instruction and hands-on learning is available for your lab through our training programs. A variety of offerings are designed to match your schedule, budget, and learning objectives.

Course offerings are designed to fit the needs of users at different experience levels. This includes, for example, courses that cover the basic workflow from experiment setup to data analysis, tailored to those new to flow cytometry. Whichever course plan you choose, you’ll learn from one of our over 300 highly skilled application scientists who will recommend a plan that best meets your needs. Training sessions can be held at one of our training centers located worldwide, at your location, or online.

An on-site training course comes standard with the product and is designed to introduce new users to the operation and maintenance of the Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter. The course is designed for up to two people. Attendees are guided through an overview of the system, experiment setup, data acquisition, compensation, post-acquisition analysis, system maintenance, data management, and basic troubleshooting. Attendees benefit from working on their own instrument in their lab environment with Application Scientist instructors. Hands-on lab exercises include multicolor experiments.

The Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter comes with a standard 1-year warranty. During the warranty period, all costs for travel or shipping, labor, and parts for repairs are covered. Many customers also choose to purchase an instrument service plan (described above), which extends the warranty for an additional year and includes additional services.

Extended warranties, covering an extra year, are also available. When you purchase your instrument, check with your sales representative to see if an extended warranty package (including both instrument and warranty extension) is available.*

For a system that’s already in your lab, request a service quote tailored to your lab’s budget and needs.

Educational resources for the Bigfoot Spectral Cell Sorter can be found in our Cell Analysis Learning Center, which explains many flow cytometry topics. Of particular interest are the article on Spectral Flow Cytometry Fundamentals and the Molecular Probes School of Fluorescence, which includes everything we wish we had known when we first started working with fluorescent reagents.

For more educational resources, see the Resources page.