Customer Service (or lack thereof) in Pharma

Back in college, I had to read this book that my professor wrote called "Service This: Winning the War Against Customer Disservice". It was a short, easy read about how to overcome the MANY MANY obstacles one encounters when dealing with customer service. The advice in the book was to keep your cool, document everything, and if all else fails, write a letter.

That was three years ago. Nowadays, I think the conversation would be different. Thanks to the advent of "social media", there are many outlets that allow customers to fight back using weapons far more powerful than an email or letter.

As a result, businesses are providing (and promoting) outlets where customers can get in touch with the business directly and easily. This concept, known as "Direct From Consumer Marketing" - isn't new. For example, companies like Zappos and Comcast have customer service Twitter accounts, both of which have proven to be wildly successful.

As the blog Dose of Digital says,

"Whether they are buying shoes, computers, or golf clubs, someone is available to
provide immediate customer service. This isn’t just customer service to help
with a return or handle complaints. This is customer service to provide
recommendations, to help find the right product, and, if necessary, direct
you somewhere else if the company doesn’t have what you need. "

That said, not many pharma companies have caught onto the idea of "Direct From Consumer Marketing" yet. Hopefully this will change in the near future. Why? Well here are some reasons....

1) Customers expect it. “More than three-quarters of ePharma Consumers report that they “expect” online customer service from a pharmaceutical company" (from from a recent Manhattan Research study, found on Dose of Digital's blog). And why shouldn't they? You have great customer service when you order shoes, why not for drugs? It especially makes sense when you consider how hard it can be to obtain and keep a loyal customer in the pharma market. Plus investing in customer service is a great opportunity to be there for the client and put money towards endeavors that make clients think you care.

2) Brand Loyalty and ROI. If you invest in good customer service, you keep existing customers happy, who will then promote your company for you, and help grow your business. If you don't have good customer service, you could loose customers, who could then criticize your company, and result in more lost business.

Anyway, I am done my customer service rant. If you have any examples of DFC marketing within or outside the pharma industry, please feel free to share!