24/7 The New Norm: HCPs Require Instant Access to Reps and Information

Read a new article in PharmaVOICE magazine about how call centers provide a vital link for HCPs and life science companies

The February 2012 issue of PharmaVOICE magazine is available on-line. In the Showcase Feature section they discuss outsourcing R&D, manufacturing, and sales functions to 3rd-parties to reduce in-house costs and accelerate timelines. I contributed a brief article on how pharmaceutical call centers build relationships with healthcare providers and patients. The primary benefit of a call center is to provide on-demand and as-needed access to information and company representatives on a 24/7 basis.

Pharmaceutical call centers can support the life science industry to…
• Provide on-demand support to answer questions from healthcare providers and patients
• Increase patient adherence to treatments and clinical trials
• Supplement field-based promotional activities
• Boost patient recruitment and referral for clinical trials
• Process sample requests
• Set appointments between sales representatives and healthcare providers

Download the PharmaVOICE article. After you read it, I’d like to hear your thoughts on it. Also, are you currently using partners to outsource your information and sales activities? If so, in what areas are you doing this? What challenges and hurdles have you run into? Are you happy with the results you’ve seen?

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View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences 

Valuable Insights into Selecting the “Right” Pharmaceutical Call Center Partner

Lou Shapiro

In my last blog post titled” The Secret to Successful Brand Planning”, I shared two recurring questions that are on many pharmaceutical marketer’s minds as they plan for 2012. The first question on every marketer’s mind is how to “get more impact with fewer budget dollars?” My advice is to engage service providers that have expertise and systems to support your marketing and clinical programs effectively and efficiently.


As a service provider focused on providing call center services to support physicians’ practices, hospitals, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology/medical device companies, we are experts in building relationships with healthcare providers and patients. We can efficiently provide information and materials healthcare providers and patients need, and answer their questions. Engaging service providers adds value and streamlines your initiatives.

A major concern pharmaceutical marketers and communications professionals have is how to select the “right” pharmaceutical call center partner. This is a great question, and there is no easy answer to it. I recently recorded a Podcast through PharmaVoice on how pharmaceutical call centers can support pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies. Also, we recently published a White Paper on selecting the “right” pharmaceutical call center partner. The White Paper offers 9 areas to be evaluated when you are looking to identifying the “right” potential partners. When used together, these two resources will help you identify the “right” partner for your program and company.

To listen to the podcast, please click here. Additionally, if you are interested in a copy of the White Paper, please click here to request it. Please let us know what you think of these two resources—are they helpful or not? Also, would you like to have additional resources in other areas? If so, please let us know what areas interest you.

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Pharmaceutical Call Centers: Their Value and 9 Ways to Select a Partner

Lou Shapiro

My experiences with healthcare communication companies have focused on utilizing call centers to support physicians’ practices, hospitals, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology/medical device companies.

There are many services call centers can provide. In particular, call centers provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with additional resources to reach healthcare providers and patients, as well as answer questions from these important audiences.

Some of the newer applications for pharmaceutical call centers are…
• Boosting patient recruitment and referral for clinical trials
• Providing tele-detailing support to healthcare providers
• Increasing patient adherence to treatments and clinical trials

My Top 9 recommendations for a selecting a call center partner for your clinical trial recruitment, physician tele-detailing, and patient adherence program needs…

1. Identify companies with an established track record in providing call-center support to the pharmaceutical/biotech/medical device and healthcare industries. Research the services they provide, and ensure they match with your needs

2. Understand staff backgrounds and experiences. What is the educational background and training of a typical operator? Do they have nurses, pharmacists, and physicians on staff to handle calls? If so, typically when do these individuals interact with callers? Based on your program specifications and goals what are their staffing recommendations?

3. Evaluate processes and work flow. Each service provider will have a workflow for how their calls are managed, as well as how their interactive voice response (IVR) system operates. Ask to see these documents and for an explanation on how these documents would be established and used in your program

4. Ask about metrics for measuring service levels and abandonment. Service levels measure the percentage of calls answered in a certain amount of time. Abandonment refers to the number of callers exiting the call queue before speaking with a live operator. Which metrics are most relevant to you depend on your program design and goals

5. Understand the quality assurance programs the service provider has in place. Successful service providers will have clearly defined programs that include formal documented call monitoring, peer-to-peer call monitoring, self-audits, and mock audits. Additionally, understand how this information is provided back to the operators and what on-going training is provided

6. Understand the technology the service provider uses, whether it is validated or not, and whether the system can be integrated with your customer relationship management or adverse reporting systems

7. Ask about compliance with FDA regulations and codes. The applicable FDA regulations are highly dependent upon your program goals and needs. Take the time to understand which regulations apply to your program. Ask the service provider which ones they comply with

8. Know the locations of the call centers. If operators are used from outside of the US, understand the types of services they provide, what languages they are fluent in, and their training on US regulatory and compliance issues

9. Understand hours of operation. Do these complement your program’s needs?


Call centers are an extension of your company and brand. Call centers provide an effective and efficient way to build relationships, answer questions, deliver content and create “good will” for the company and product. I encourage you to take the time to thoroughly research and evaluate potential service providers.

Have you used a pharmaceutical call center? What areas do you feel are most important in selecting a partner for your call center needs? Please share your questions and comments.

Visit the PhoneScreen Website at www.phonescreen.com. 


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