Frequently asked questions

• How can I log in?

  • You can log into the system at the following web address: https://labservant.vu.nl. You will need a valid VUnet ID, as issued by VU Amsterdam. Lab Servant can be accessed from all types of workstations on campus. Lab Servant can also be accessed on a BYOD basis using Campusnet and/or Eduroam Wifi, for example.
  • Unable to log in using your VUnet ID? You may have made a mistake when entering your username and password. Enter the correct details. You might not have the required rights within the application. Contact your lab manager.
  • If you use EduVPN, it is possible to use Lab Servant from home (through your own workstation). You can also use VU Amsterdam’s Citrix solution. For more info, go to the Service Portal and click on Digital Workplace.

• I don’t know how to use Lab Servant. Where can I find the right manual?

  Each module has its own manual, click the button on the right of your screen ('Open manual').

• I can’t print labels.

  • Make sure that a printer has been assigned to your profile. 
  • Contact Operational Management by email at labservant@vu.nl.

• There is no label with my order.

  • Check if the item has been ordered using Lab Servant.
  • If the item has been ordered using Lab Servant, check that a location has been assigned (for supplies, no location is needed). 
  • Contact Central Goods Delivery if the labels are missing, and send a report to labservant@vu.nl.
  • The labels or printer ink have run out. Send an email to labservant@vu.nl, stating your location and contact details.

• I can’t see an ‘order’ button in Lab Servant.

  Check with your group’s lab manager that you have been authorized to place orders, whether your authorization covers internal and external orders, and whether a financial code has been added.

• My internal order request has been partially rejected.

  If an order is partially rejected and remains open for a long time, you should contact SAP Finance.
  

• I want to check with Purchasing or the supplier why my order hasn’t arrived yet. Where can I find the necessary information?

  • Click on the heading ‘order’.
  • Open the tab ‘orders’ or ‘order lines’.
  • Click on the order in question: at the top of the screen you will see the status of the order, the internal reference number and the PO number that has been created and sent to the supplier.

• For lab managers: to place orders, you have to be assigned the role of inventory user. This also applies to the lab manager. How does someone become an inventory user?

  • Go to the ‘inventory’ tab.
  • Go to ‘inventory users’.
  • Click on ‘new’.
  • Right click on the blue square with three dots beside the heading ‘new inventory user’.
  • A pop-up window will appear: enter all or part of the user’s name.
  • Click ‘enter’.
  • Click the person you want to select.
  • Tick the relevant box to give that person ‘orderer’ status.
  • Tick internal and/or external as appropriate.
  • For a student or PhD student, ALWAYS select an approver (an approver must also be registered in SAP). You can link one student to more than one approver.
  • Assign the correct finance code for the orders placed by that person. If this is not known,  contact your departmental manager.

• For lab managers: how do I find the right finance code?

  The codes can be found in a list that is available in Lab Servant. Lab managers can assign one or more codes to inventory users. 

• For lab managers: I can’t find the finance code for my group.

  A large number of codes were changed when the corporate landscape system was launched. Check with the departmental manager to find out the new number.

• For lab managers: how can I find out where my group’s chemicals are stored?

  To do this, you must be ticked as an ‘inventory user’ for the group to which the chemicals belong. The lab manager of the relevant group can do this for you. 

• For lab managers: I did not select a storage location when ordering or I selected the wrong storage location.

  • No location: as soon as the order comes in, click on ‘containers’, then ‘new’ and enter the full details. Click on ‘save and new’ and pick up a sticker from the label printer.  
  • Wrong location: As soon as the order comes in, you can change the storage location on the ‘container maintenance’ tab -> relocate container: scan or type the barcode of the new location and then scan or type the barcode of the compound you have ordered. Click save and pick up the new sticker from the printer.
    

• Administration: I do not have access to a scanner.

  Unfortunately, due to a shortage of chips, only a limited number of scanners are available. We are working hard to ensure that all scanners will be delivered by the end of July, so that hazardous substances can also be registered using the scanner. As a work-around, you can register this manually in Lab Servant by entering the barcode.

• Administration: where can I print my own labels?

  • At present, all Central Goods Delivery have label printers. With all orders of products (hazardous substances), Central Goods Delivery will provide labels.
  • At present, IT is busy ensuring that label printers are available at a location near you. You can find a label printer at the following locations:
    

  PR-056850	W&N	T-036
  PR-056853	W&N	F-353a
  PR-056854	W&N	A-019
  PR-056856	W&N	A-459
  PR-056855	W&N	G-252b
  PR-056859	O|2	1W (coffee corner)
  PR-056860	O|2	13W25
  PR-056862	O|2	4W (coffee corner)
  PR-056864	W&N	C-430
  PR-056869	W&N	G-146
  PR-057035	W&N	Central Goods Delivery
  PR-057036	W&N	Central Goods Delivery
  PR-057034	ACTA	Central Goods Delivery
  PR-056861	Transitorium	Gassen TR-0C42B

• How do I have my orders delivered to the Research Building?

  When ordering via LabServant, select a storage location in the Research Building. The location “VO Research Building, Chemicals & Lab Supplies” will then be selected automatically. Goods that arrive at the Central Goods Receipt in Transitorium but are destined for the Research Building will be transported to the Research Building by FCO Logistics. A special team within FCO Logistics has been set up for the transport of hazardous substances by road. Transport takes place in accordance with ADR legislation.