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The PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific recently worked with a pharmaceutical client to do just that. This client had acquired multiple contact centers via mergers and acquisitions and needed a solution that could consolidate it all.

Here’s how we did it:

• Coordinating with key stakeholders, we identified integration challenges and potential risks, and developed mitigation strategies.
• The client leaned on PPD’s expertise to develop standard operating procedures for its newly acquired and merged companies and designed a layered, train-the-trainer program supporting staff training via targeted mentorship and learning pods.
• PPD consolidated information technology resources between the different, newly acquired contracts to assure consistency and synergies across systems.

The results for this client partner were a consistent brand image and seamless experience, with end-to-end transparency in operations. Through candid communication and consistent data reporting we rapidly recognized and mitigated risk.

In 2021, the client even awarded PPD for the successful consolidation plan and operational implementation.

Large pharmaceutical companies require all of the above. A client of PPD, the clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific, needed an innovative contact center solution that improved customer experience and increased efficiency. Streamlining internal processes was also top of mind. In addition, they needed to transition to an entirely remote onboarding and training process but lacked the solutions to make it happen.

Here’s how we partnered:

• We built trust with our client through collaboration, implementation of a phased transition, and our ability to address operational challenges quickly.
• We actively solutioned around our client’s pain points with its previous vendor, which included long handle times, lack of innovation and a failure to be solution-oriented.
• Our client gained end-to-end transparency into operations.

Results? After just three months of partnership with PPD, the client was meeting its KPIs – including service level, abandon rate, quality assessment and customer satisfaction surveys.

A large pharmaceutical and biotechnology company needed a novel solution to their complex issues – one that produced cost-effective, centralized, and consistent medical information and reporting for adverse events and complaint intake. The PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific set out to create operations that worked on a global scale and delivered high-quality results.

How did we partner?

• PPD got to work identifying gaps in consistency, processes and standards. A PPD privacy officer collaborated with the client’s privacy officer to identify gaps in process. We then partnered with the client’s legal counsel and information technology (IT) team to observe and ensure compliance with country-specific privacy, regulatory and telecommunications regulations.
• We helped the client provide contact center operations in multiple languages to support global operations. PPD built trust working with regional contact centers supported by a global management structure to bring this to life.
• PPD’s solutions delivered consistency through standard operating procedures and a single customer relationship management platform. In addition, we incorporated languages based on the client’s needs and emphasized cultural competency in our onboarding.

What were the results?
PPD achieved success on their KPIs such as service level, abandon rate, quality assessment and customer satisfaction. The client benefitted from streamlined operations created by PPD’s standardized global approach, which adapted to local country customizations ensuring regulatory compliance and accounting for specific market nuances.

We recently partnered with a multinational pharmaceutical company that approached us with a similar challenge. The company needed a trusted medical communications partner to resolve contact center obstacles, including high turnover and low recruiting, an unreliable management team, and a lack of pharmaceutical and industry expertise.

How we partnered…
Leveraging 30 years of experience in medical information contact centers, PPD, the clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific, ensured the success of our client’s program. Key to their success was the delivery of solutions centered on a committed management team and open communication. This enabled the client’s teams to have anticipate issues, implement initiatives and address challenges in real time.

The results…
The client started meeting recruiting targets at 100 percent and lowered staff turnover to under 15 percent. PPD’s client now handles over 150,000 multichannel inquiries a year in both English and Spanish.

A highly satisfied, long-term client partner of the PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific faced a similar challenge. They wanted to maintain the high quality of their program while reducing operating costs.

How PPD partnered…

• Positioned as a collaborator, PPD helped facilitate a seamless transition to a hybrid onshore and offshore model.
• First, PPD moved low-complexity work from the U.S. to an offshore PPD office in Asia, which lowered costs.
• High-complexity work, such as support of flagship products, remained on-shore.
• Consistent, compliant operations are delivered through dual locations (both onshore and offshore) and supported by global governance and infrastructure.

The results…
This collaborative solution ensured consistent global operations, enhanced business continuity, and successfully moved 50 percent of contact center volume offshore, saving the client partner $3.3 million annually.