An Anecdote Of Customer Relationship Skills †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the An Anecdote Of Customer Relationship Skills. Answer: Name of the Organization The name of my organization is ABC Health, Gastro-intestine division. It is basically a pharmaceutical based in the USA having products related to gastroenterology. I am working as a Business Manager for this organization. Communication Method Communication forms the basis of the success of any business. There are two types of businesses- B2C (Business to the client) and B2B (Business to business) and both demands effective communication. As the nature of the business is B2B, different modes of communication are involved. In this type of business, products reach the end consumers through various channels and a successful delivery of the end products to the end consumers require effective communication apart from the quality of the product; efficacy in our case and price of the product. In our case, there are different modes of communication that are being adopted while carrying out various work processes. Our customers are physicians; senior managers of hospitals; distributors; and retailers. The relationship with each fraternity plays a major role in the success of the business. The different modes of communication are meeting each customer in person; using email and phone; Text messaging using mobile phone, and conducting conferences and meetings. The personal meeting takes place with each of the customers. The purpose of meeting physician personally is to communicate the products our company is producing, their salient features, mode of action, price, and side effects; this particular purpose is replicated in every meeting with some cuts like a distributor; a management official of a hospital; and a retailer need not be detailed much about the mode of action of our medicines, here the focus should be more on discounts and prices. E-mails and phones are used for communicating with the doctors mostly while text messages and phones for communicating with distributors whereas conferences are for establishing a line of communication with doctors. Problem The problem I faced during a meeting was a situation which involved the use of relationship skills, managerial skills, ethics, integrity, and aptitude. The concerned physician, Dr. SP was head of the department of gastroenterology of the largest state run hospital in the concerned state. The physician has been endorsing our products for more than 3 years and he, in fact, generates a business worth 2000 USD per month. Being the head of the department, he is also the key opinion leader (KOL) of the gastro fraternity in the city. During a visit, he told me that the feasibility of our organization to arrange an accommodation for the doctor, and his family for one night in a particular place where he was supposed to stay for visiting his home town. There were few issues involved. One, it was rude and not economically viable for me to say straightaway that it would not be possible as it could have hurt the doctor and a good relationship means a lot to our company. The second thing was the fact that our organization does not use any kind of sponsorship tools to endorse its products, so saying a yes was another problem as it would be undermining the ethical principles of our organization. Third, paying out of my pocket and satiating doctors need at present does not necessarily guarantee that in future the physician might not ask for such a thing. Another facet of the problem was that me and my seniors were contemplating to make him the speaker for an upcoming CME (Continued medical education) program where the criteria for a speaker comprise speaker to be a senior physician and a current prescriber of our products as it involves promoting that particular product in front of other physicians, so the experience of patient outcome is needed and the best person to do so is a KOL and Dr. SP is a KOL. I, in a most humble manner, told him that I shall definitely try to come up with the best possible solution for the stay matter as these are the things which involve finance de partment, as well as my seniors and hence an approval, is a must. He smiled and said alright. When I conveyed this to my reporting manager, he said it is not possible as higher authority might hesitate to deviate from the set guidelines and it may become a norm for the other physician as well. So, it was an implicit no. Resolution As a person who is involved in direct communication with Dr. SP, and he has been prescribing the products as a result of my behavior, humility, and chemistry with him in addition to the quality of the products, I decided to take things in my hands. I thought remaining honest would be the best possible way to get out of this impasse. I remember on one occasion he asked me to get a book Current medical diagnosis and treatment for him which he was not getting from anywhere. I got it for him with the help of my seniors as our company never takes a backseat when it comes to enriching physicians with knowledge, so it was well within the guidelines. I derived some confidence from that incidence and met him. When he asked me about the outcome of my talks with the management of the company, I revealed the truth. I thought when there is no solution coming from any corner, the best option is to tell the truth. When he heard all those things he became a bit disappointed but was not angry. Had th is plan failed and the chance of losing him would have gone high, I had to go for spending the amount from my own pocket by conveying it to my seniors. In this case, the doctor forgot the past and became the main speaker of the CME. I learned that at times, if the truth is communicated properly, it can prove to be an effective CRM tool.