CHAPEL HILL, N.C., May 2, 2014 /Emag.co.uk/ — Call centers that serve the pharmaceutical sector are facing a changing customer landscape.
Customers are increasingly mobile, increasingly connected, and increasingly impatient with slow service. Consequently, contact centers are modernizing their technology and expanding connectivity options to support a growing variety of customer service channels and tools.
To help pharmaceutical companies better understand the changing needs of customer call centers, research and consulting leader Best Practices, LLC recently conducted a study around best practices for pharma call centers.
The research project generated a report – Creating a World-Class Call Center in North America’s Current Healthcare Environment: Performance Metrics, Operations, Structures and Trends – that identifies performance benchmarks for the size, cost, structure, leadership, technology, and operations of call center organizations within pharmaceutical and related industries.
Some of the insights uncovered in the study revolve around:
- INVESTMENT: Differing rates of technology adoption across call centers may be driven in part by the extent to which executive leadership values a call center’s rich pool of customer data. Those companies that leverage the data to feed other corporate functions are more likely to invest heavily in technology acquisition and upgrades.
- SELF-SERVICE: Call center leaders are exploring ways to increase self-service for customers with common call center queries. Knowledge bases and artificial intelligence will expedite this process, increasing consumer access and, potentially, reducing costs.
- GLOBALIZATION: Study participants anticipate increased globalization of call centers in the next few years – a trend that portends a push to provide standardized services to a global customer base. Those who have already begun globalization noted that a common technology platform and centralized leadership are basic requirements. Regional variations in regulations, however, will continue to create globalization challenges.
The study is based on a research project involving a benchmark class of 40 call center leaders from 35 pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, diagnostic, OTC (Over the Counter), and consumer packaged goods companies. Participation was limited to call centers operating in the United States or Canada.
The 84-page report provides industry metrics and trends insights that can serve as a reference point on pharma call center budget levels, budget allocations, program operations and services, complaint resolution processes, technology, and service levels.
To see how your call center stacks up, download a free summary of our call center report at: http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr1287.htm.
ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, LLC
Best Practices, LLC is a leading benchmarking, consulting and advisory services firm serving biopharmaceutical and medical device companies worldwide. Best Practices, LLC’s clients include all the top 10 and 48 of the top 50 global healthcare companies. The firm conducts primary research and consulting using its comprehensive proprietary benchmarking tools and analysis. The operational insights, findings and analysis form the basis for our Benchmarking Reports, databases and advisory services to support executives in commercial and R&D operations.
SOURCE Best Practices, LLC
http://www.best-in-class.com