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Industry Intelligence > Case Study
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A prominent pharmaceutical company -- having launched a new product -- partnered with Telerx in 1998 to handle a tremendous volume of unsolicited consumer calls. What began as a temporary fix to address an unexpected peak in call volumes for one product is now a program celebrating its fifth year.
With its extensive healthcare experience, Telerx demonstrated an advanced level of competency for handling the complexities and sensitivities associated with healthcare issues. As such, the program grew to Telerx handling 100% of the client's product calls from consumers and healthcare professionals -- including calls relating to adverse events, legal issues and product quality complaints.
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A Change to the Client's Initial Plan
When the client made the decision to outsource to Telerx five years ago, it steadfastly held to a preconceived notion that certain calls -- particularly those received from physicians and pharmacists -- could only be handled by an in-house team. As Telerx demonstrated skillful, efficient handling of sensitive issues within FDA guidelines, the client's confidence continued to build. Within six months, the program went from handling one specific product to taking consumer calls for an entire suite of products. With that success, Telerx hired and trained a group of pharmacists and began taking product calls from healthcare professionals -- assuming responsibility for 97% of all call types.
Because the remaining 3% involved legal concerns that could pose a risk, the client initially opted to keep those calls in-house. By year-end, however, the client was confident Telerx could appropriately handle those calls as well -- and the additional 3% was assigned to Telerx.
The Keys to Success
Developing a program-specific employee profile with defined competencies has been critical to building a team capable of handling complex and sensitive issues. Temperament and approach to work has served as a better predictor of a representative's propensity for excellent contact handling than the level of education or experience he or she brings to the position. Successful candidates illustrate how they've dealt with complex communications and resolved issues in the past.
Establishing a close working relationship with frequent communication has also been key to the program's success. With this level of complexity, the client remains closely involved in developing the team -- making program decisions and coordinating efforts to ensure quality. Telerx keeps the client apprised of important program issues with:
- Weekly team meetings
- Formal quarterly status meetings and reports -- including objective setting for the coming quarter
- Annual budget and program review
- Regular client monitoring sessions conducted on-site or from remote locations
The Partnership Continues to Flourish
This successful partnership continues to strengthen because the client recognizes Telerx as the right outsource partner -- excelling at handling routine and complex issues with equal competence and working with a variety of audiences including healthcare professionals. Telerx quickly adapts to changing business needs and priorities and solicits client involvement and input -- allowing the client to maintain an appropriate level of control and comfort.
Freed from day-to-day call handling responsibilities, the client is now able to focus on more strategic initiatives knowing its customers are in good hands. Customers agree and share their positive feedback through ongoing third party-conducted customer satisfaction research.
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