Overview
Samples issued to doctors are an integral part of the calls and visits made by Medical Reps. The quantity of samples provided to targeted HCPs (Health Care Professionals) and their usage helps foster loyalty and gauge potential for a particular brand.
Business Need
Our client, a leading pharmaceutical MNC operating in India, was managing its sample lifecycle processes manually. This led to several gaps and challenges:
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Lack of End-to-End Tracking: The entire sample lifecycle was not being tracked comprehensively, particularly during transit from the sample warehouse to the Medical Rep.
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Partial Tracking: Only the samples issued to doctors were recorded in the system. Deviations in the quantity received by Medical Reps went untracked.
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Missed Deliveries: In some instances, Medical Reps did not receive the samples dispatched to them.
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Redistribution Issues: There was no system to manage the redistribution of samples when a Medical Rep resigned.
Our Solution
Our Sample Manager Application was designed to cover the entire lifecycle of a sample and address these challenges. The key features of our solution included:
Receipt at Sample Warehouse
- -Provided interfaces with the ERP to capture warehouse receipt data directly into the application.
Request for Samples
- -Enabled brand-wise and team-wise sample requests with the following options:
- -Bulk Requests: Placed for the entire team, issuing the same quantity of samples to all Medical Reps.
- -Individual Requests: Made when an HCP, or a Medical Rep on behalf of an HCP, required a specific quantity of samples.
- -Facilitated redistribution of samples to other Medical Reps if an employee left the organization.
Packing List Generation
- -Allocated sample quantities based on requests using the FIFO methodology.
- -Generated packing lists for each employee.
Dispatch
- -Samples were packed employee-wise and dispatched to either:
- -The C&F agent.
- -The Medical Reps directly.
- -Integrated with the ERP to update dispatch quantities in real-time.
Samples Acknowledgement and Issue
- -Allowed Medical Reps to acknowledge receipt of samples.
- -Captured any deviations in quantity received.
- -Recorded sample issues to HCPs, categorized by brand and doctor.
Benefits
The implementation of the Sample Manager Application provided several key benefits:
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Streamlined Processes: Enhanced efficiency in managing sample processes end-to-end.
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Effective Request Handling: Supported different types of sample requests without redundancy.
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Seamless Integration: Smooth interfacing with the ERP ensured simultaneous updates across systems.