(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Quintiles most consistently meets or exceeds customer expectations and is the No. 1 preferred provider and perceived industry leader across all phases of clinical research, according to 150 biopharmaceutical industry decision-makers surveyed by the independent firm Industry Standard Research (ISR).

Respondents to the survey – biopharma industry professionals in the United States and Europe with recent experience in clinical outsourcing – rated Quintiles No. 1 among 25 contract research organizations in consistently meeting or exceeding customer service expectations across the board, according to ISR’s “2010 CRO Quality Benchmarking Report.”

In each of the three categories of clinical research – Phases I, II/III and IIIb/IV – respondents rated Quintiles the No. 1 preferred provider, the No. 1 leader in its field, and No. 1 in doing the best job of differentiating itself in terms of service delivery.

“This survey validates our efforts to improve service delivery consistency and lead the industry in transforming clinical research for the better,” said Quintiles Chief Operating Officer John Ratliff. “We’re also intensely focused on demonstrating the value Quintiles delivers. Value delivery is essential to helping biopharma customers successfully navigate the New Health. Never has there been a greater need to clearly define and quantify the value of new medicines to patients, and the value Quintiles delivers for customers.”

Quintiles had the lowest variability in performance as gauged by ISR’s “Service Variability Index,” with almost 60% of respondents saying that Quintiles “meets expectations” and more than 20% saying that it “exceeds expectations.” That distribution – a majority of “meets expectations” and more “exceeds” than “misses” – is the ideal distribution, the report said.