How to safeguard your lab business by anticipating your physician office customer’s needs and challenges.
By Jim Poggi
One of my more questionable personal outcomes related to COVID social isolation is that I have watched more television lately. On the positive side, I’ve noticed a clever way some programs are using “current time” and doing flashbacks. They start with a dramatic moment in current time and then flashback to the events leading up to it. Let’s see how it relates to your lab business.
Your phone rings and you see it is one of your largest customer’s office managers. When you answer, you are shocked to hear, “Bill, this is Yolanda from the community group practice. The medical director has decided to stop testing immediately and is asking you to arrange removal of all the instruments. She let me know that this decision is final and not subject to negotiation.” You are in a state of shock and can only mumble “let me get back to you” before you hang up. Yolanda reminds you “we need this done ASAP.”
You flash back to your typical customer visit. You quickly dodge past the lab where two techs are apparently working hard on chemistry and hematology systems. You wave hello but head to the relative safety of the business office to check in. No real pressing issues, but you have a couple of new products to share and a back order or two to manage. Besides, the lab SEEMED OK, busy but OK. When business is done, you skirt past the lab, hoping not to get engaged in a technical discussion. You made it and with a sign of relief, settle into your car to get to the next customer visit.
What you do not know is that the lab staff is struggling with technical issues on two chemistry tests and has not been able to resolve them on the phone. You also did not know that one of the techs quit in frustration and they are down to two techs, rather than the three that normally staff the lab. The techs have been “hoping for the best” on the technical issues and have not alerted the management or medical staff yet. That ugly moment happens when they fail a proficiency test on their chemistry system six weeks later. Oh, and there was that recall letter you filed, assuming that the vendor would contact them and come to the rescue.
Keep your finger on the pulse
Moral of the story? Every important element of your business needs to be actively managed, including the lab business. After all, it is only an asset if the customer is satisfied, confident, well trained and receives meaningful meetings with you. As the account manager and quarterback, you do not have to be the technical resource, but you need to keep your finger on the pulse of the personnel running the lab. Your commitment to follow up and desire to assure the satisfaction of the customer will help you to have a satisfied customer, a safe and secure lab business and the possibility of future referrals to other prospects.
Let’s step back in time and try to change the past to improve the future. Back then, you actively call on the lab and learn from the lab manager “Barb is just not getting chemistry. We have worked closely with her but can’t seem to get her on track.” You ask a few questions and learn she is not confident in herself and the new lipid tests she has recently begun performing. You suggest an onsite vendor training visit. The vendor’s technical representative can identify issues and coach a willing tech on how to resolve them and move on. As her confidence grows, she will be more able to take on new tests and more able to consistently turn out high quality results. Her ability to troubleshoot will also improve. As a significant additional benefit, she will also be more willing to reach out to technical service with questions in the future. Training takes place and makes the expected improvements in Barb’s performance and confidence level. Barb stays on the job and performs well.
Two weeks later you learn of a recall on two lots of quality control material. You check in with your vendor and learn there are new lots now available to replace the recalled product. You immediately call the customer and ask them to provide you with the lot numbers of QC material they’re using. They also got the recall letter and confirm they have one of the recalled lots in the lab refrigerator. You arrange a replacement of the recalled product and then personally deliver new QC material with the vendor. You assure the customer that the new product will perform properly and ask them to set up a run to test the performance of the new material before switching to it. Your vendor assigns a technical specialist to follow up. As a result, the next QC run performs properly, the customer has data to assure themselves and any inspector that their tests are performing correctly and knows their patient results will be accurate and consistent. A potential crisis is averted and customer confidence is restored. The medical director has the office manager call you to let you know “Bill, we were really concerned about the QC recall since we never had one before. You and the manufacturer stepped in, helped us manage a concerning situation, and the medical director asked me to thank you on behalf of the staff and our patients. We appreciate you and all you do.”
Of course, these situations do not occur frequently and do not always have the same happy endings I have proposed. But, I can assure you of one thing: if you do not hold meaningful lab meetings and pay careful attention to the satisfaction of the lab staff and management you may be setting yourself up for the kind of unfortunate outcome Bill experienced when Yolanda called to deliver the bad news that they had decided to stop testing and move on.
Secure your customer’s satisfaction, work along with your key manufacturer to assess the overall performance of the lab and make sure your business is safe. Check in early and often. Ask questions. Probe for issues before they get out of hand and continue to focus on the benefits of in office testing and even expansion of needed testing. Ten minutes on every visit will pay dividends for you and your customer. Check in and check up on your customer and business. Your customers perform check ups every day. So should you.