The Customer Service Center (CSC) is a channel in companies for communicating with their consumers, allowing them to report their experiences as users, ask questions and register compliments, suggestions or complaints. The CSC in pharmaceutical companies is mandatory and regulated by specific legislation.
In this article, you will learn about the importance of the Customer Service Channel and get tips on how to improve this sector in pharmaceutical laboratories.
What is the role of the CSC in the pharmaceutical sector?
Just like in other companies, this channel is an opportunity to better understand the user’s experience with your product or service and promote improvements. The CSC in pharmaceutical companies also has the role of contributing to the pharmacovigilance of drugs.
What is pharmacovigilance?
Pharmacovigilance plays a fundamental role in patient safety and the quality of drugs. Moreover, it is required in every pharmaceutical company, since patient reports makes it possible to monitor and analyze the effects and potential risks related to the use of the drug.
Also, check out: 7 methods and tools for risk identification
Complement your reading: 5 Secrets to master the Risk Assessment Matrix
Although supervisory bodies have their own channels for communicating events related to the use of medications, it is the duty of each company to be responsible for this contact and to ensure the effective management of reports to orient patients and resolve any problems.
What are the benefits of a Costumer Service Center for companies?
A well-structured channel can be a competitive edge in a pharmaceutical company as it reinforces the company’s commitment to reliability and patient safety, allowing for a more agile response to adverse events and contributing to the continuous improvement of drugs.
But how can I implement an efficient, quality CSC in a pharmaceutical company?Here are some tips:
1. Invest in training and your team
You’ve probably already had some experience with bad service provided by a poorly trained employee, haven’t you?!
Well, then you know how important it is to have well-trained people capable of answering any questions that arise, ensuring credibility and security during their contact with the company.
At this stage, it is essential that the employees in this area know the importance of their work and have the necessary guidelines at their fingertips so they can pass them on during their customer service call.
2. Establish the triage criteria
We know that every service call is unique. However, some information is essential and has to be collected, registered and evaluated. For this reason, you have to ask specific questions during customer service calls.
3. Determine a routine for customer service
After gathering the triage information that is important to the company, use it in your customer service routine, as it is important to ensure that all relevant information is recorded accurately.
4. Define the flow of information
The communication between the information collector – the customer service attendant – and those responsible for the other steps should be quick and efficient, ensuring an agile and adequate response for the consumer. Thus, all information gathered during the service call must be clear to facilitate its transmission among the sectors involved.
5. Develop a standard procedure
Use the items above to create a specific procedure so that the desired standard of customer service is ensured and replicated in team training. Make this document easily available to customer service attendants.
6. Offer other communication channels
Provide consumers with easy-to-access and varied communication channels, such as online chat services or self-help apps. Remember to clearly publicize them to increase the reach of your service. This can make the consumer feel more comfortable when reporting their case.
7. Ensure effective document management
All information received must be traceable to ensure its reliability and security. In short, you need a good document management system that allows you to adequately use, store, monitor and search your data.
8. Automate the process
Once the process flow has been defined, technology can help you. Model your process so that information automatically reaches the people responsible and deadlines are met.
9. Monitor and create reports
Implement a system to regularly monitor event reports received through your channels. An ongoing analysis will allow for the identification of trends and patterns, facilitating the detection problems. Also, ensure regular reports are produced and shared with relevant stakeholders.
10. Be ready for audits
Like other industrial sectors, this sector is also frequently audited and has to comply with legislation. Ensure control of the system and use the previous tips to be successful in audits.
Finally, remember that, in an industry so crucial for people’s health, good customer service is an essential part of the mission of a pharmaceutical company committed to quality and the well-being of patients.
We hope that this article helps you to better understand the importance of customer service and the steps for creating a well-structured and efficient customer service channel.
