Advice You - Business

When you give better service, your customers will appreciate you more. But when you give lousy service, your customers can be a pain in the neck.

The flip side is also true. If you are an appreciative and considerate customer, servic

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

e providers will tend to serve you better. If you rant and rave and pound the table, people serve you grudgingly, if at all.

Great training programs (like ‘UP Your Service College’®) can help create better customer service providers.

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

But there’s little training on how you can be a better customer!

Here’s a list of tips I use to be a better customer and to enjoy receiving better service:

1. Always be appreciative and polite. Remember, there is a fellow human bei

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

g on the other end of your telephone call, e-mail message or just across the counter. I begin the service interaction with a quick comment: ‘Hi. Thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it.’ (This takes about two seconds.)

2. Ge

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

t the service provider’s name, and then use it. I make it short and friendly by asking, ‘Who am I speaking with please?’ or if we are face-to-face, simply ‘May I know your name?’ Once they tell me, I repeat it with a smile on my face

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

and in my voice. ‘Hello (name here). My name is Ron.’ This creates a personal connection. (It takes about four seconds.)

3. Be ‘UP’ in your own energy (if you can). Many service providers face customer after customer...all day long.

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

he routine can be a drag. When one customer appears with a genuine smile and positive energy to spare, he or she stands out for special care and treatment. You can be that special customer. Let your enthusiasm be contagious.

4. Give

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

your details the way your service provider asks for them. Every service professional has a preferred way of gathering data that fits their forms, computer screen or procedures. Have all your information ready to go, but give it in the

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

order he or she prefers.

Simply say, ‘I have my name, customer number, invoice number, telephone, address and product details ready. Which would you like first?’ This lets the service provider know you are prepared and efficient to

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

ork with. They appreciate that and can show their appreciation through better service rendered to you. (The time you take getting everything in order will save you even more time once you are in the service conversation.)

5. Check ea

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

ch step along the way. Simply repeat or paraphrase what the service provider states or promises to do. This allows you to progress together step-by-step through the service process and catch any questions or misunderstandings early on

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

. Small changes can be made quickly and more easily as you go along, than if you wait until everything has been concluded.

6. Confirm next steps. Be sure you understand what will happen next: what they will do, what you should do and

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

what you can both expect from each other. Confirm dates, times, amounts, promises, responsibilities and obligations. Write down whatever you agree on, and ask that a confirmation be sent to you by e-mail, hard copy or fax. When the co

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

nfirmation arrives, check it carefully to ensure everything is written as agreed.

7. If appropriate, commiserate with the service provider. Some people can’t help letting their frustration show. They may be upset by a previous custom

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

er or by some aspect of their work: a slow computer, high call volume, overwhelming response, pressure from managers or even personal events at home.

When you hear a word or tone of upset from your service provider, be the one to soo

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

he them. I simply say, ‘Sorry to hear things are a bit frustrating for you’, and then I repeat, ‘I really appreciate your help.’ This is so powerful! After empathizing with their frustration, I’ve had service providers go an extra hun

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

dred miles to ensure my service experience had no frustration at all.

8. Finally, show real appreciation. A warm ‘thank you’ over the phone or in person is always appropriate. If your service provider deserves more, give more. A nice

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

ly written compliment to the organization can make a huge difference in someone’s day, or in their career.

And who knows? The one you praise may serve you again another day with the same pleasure, efficiency and delight.

Key Learnin

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

Point

Service is a two-way street. The traffic of goodwill flows equally between customers and service providers. Don’t wait for someone else to make your day. Be the customer who shines with preparation and appreciation. The servic

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

e you receive will be the reward you deserve.

Action Steps

The next time you need service, bring the best of yourself to the interaction. If you want good things to come to you, start the ball rolling by extending goodwill to others

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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As attractive as it may seem – even glamorous, perhaps – being a Consultant takes work. It’s a job. It can also be a business, a career, even a profession, depending on the attitude with which you approach the effort. And, yes, becoming a Consultant does take effort. Make no mistake about that.

The amount of sun light that you may receive throughout the year is a variable linked to seasonal development. If you start to observe this seasonal cycle at the beginning of the winter season, than the days -– that part of the day with daylight -- will increase every day, but only with a differential of seconds or minutes. Than, before the summer is even started the lengths of days start to shrink again. How do we confront these changes that are not to discern on a daily basis?

The only way to know what your customers want is to ask them. Both qualitative and quantitative research is helpful. Build a customer satisfaction model. Ask managers and employees what customers want, and then determine what employee behaviors will deliver it. The next step is to ask customers to review the model and make changes.

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