Advice You - Business

This week I present 26 little ideas to help you respond to complaints and difficult customers with much more ease….the ABC’s of Customer Recovery.

A

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

ct as if every lost customer’s sales come out of your paycheck.

Believe the best of customers. Don’t make the mistake of assuming most customers are out t

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

Examples of combination products may in

o simply get something for nothing. The truth is, less than 1% of customers contact companies with ulterior motives in mind.

C ommunicate with diplomacy an

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

tact when you final answer is “no” and when explaining company policy.

D on’t tell a customer she is wrong. Telling a customer they are wrong never makes

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

them want to agree with you. It only pushes them more forcefully into their original position.

E mpathize with unhappy customers and allow this empathy to

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

Combination pro

eason your responses.

F ind a way to say “yes” to customers. Instead of saying “no” or telling the customer what you can’t do, think critically about what

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

you actually can do.

G ive a token item such a coupon as a concrete form of apology.

H ave a sense of urgency. Demonstrate with your words and spee

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

d of response that getting to the bottom of the problem is just as important to you as it is to your customer.

I nvolve customers in the problem resolution

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

process. Sometimes it’s very helpful to simply ask, “How do you see us resolving this?”

Jot down the customer’s name and details of the problem they are de

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

scribing so you don’t have to ask the customer to repeat information.

K eep customers apprised of your timetable and progress toward resolving their proble

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

s.

L isten with the intent to truly understand your customer, not with the intent to interrupt, reply, or correct.

M onitor your customer service c

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

Following aspects would a

alls to ensure your tone is friendly, helpful and willing.

N egotiate resolutions that balance both the interests of your company and your customer.

O<

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

/b>pen the door with unhappy customers with open-ended questions. Make your questions demonstrate a sincere interest in better understanding the customer’s proble

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

or experience.

P ut yourself in the customer’s shoes. How would you feel if the exact same problem happened to you?

Q uickly apologize. Apologize

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

both when the company is at fault and even when the customer is responsible for the error. An apology goes a long way in creating calm, diffusing anger and regaini

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

g goodwill.

R ecognize that the issue is not the issue. The way the issue is handled becomes the real issue.

S ay “no” diplomatically and without c

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ausing resentment. The best way to do this is to start out by telling the customer what you can do.

T hank customers for their feedback.

U p-Servic

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

e your customers by suggesting products or services that enhance the value of their current purchase.

View the customer as the reason for your work---not

.

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

s an interruption to your work.

W OW customers.

Ex amine the root cause of problems and work to eliminating problems at the root.

Y ou are

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

the company to each customer. Never underestimate your power to influence the customer’s future buying decisions.

Zero in on the customer’s needs and wants

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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Advice You - The ABCs of Customer Recovery

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