Published by Telerx, the experts in transforming the customer experience

In This IssueInfographic: A Customer Saved is a Penny Earned......................................................1

Creating a Brand Image Around Customer Service....................................................2

Unveiling a New Target Audience(s).............................................................................3

See Us in the News: Telerx Executives Gain Recognition...........................................4

Telerx Cares Community Standout...............................................................................4

OCTOBER 2013

A Customer Saved is a Penny Earned

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that customer service is important, but it seems that some companies aren’t realizing just how important customer service really is and the significant impact it has on a company’s bottom line. It makes sense — acquiring new customers is much more difficult, and costly, than keeping your current customers. But why is it that many companies put more focus on the former? It may be because their view of their customer service efforts are skewed, and sometimes, far from the reality.

The infographic to the right takes a look at the fantasies vs. realities of customer service, and how focusing on customer retention might just be the not-so-secret secret to customer service success.

Here are some of the key points on how a customer saved can be a penny earned:

• Customer service directly relates to a company’s bottom line Many companies often focus on growing sales by attracting new customers. However, as it costs five times more to acquire new customers than to retain old ones, it’s important not to lose sight of those whose loyalty the company has gained, while still growing the business.

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pressions

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Source: http://visual.ly/customer-saved-penny-earned

A Customer Saved is a Penny Earned

Creating a Brand Image Around Customer Service

Brand image — the way in which a brand is perceived by its customers — is a term that is lived and breathed by all marketers. For some brands, it may be all about a creative look or a fun personality, while for others, it’s about smart or informative content. But for one brand, it’s all about customer service and creating the ultimate customer experience.

Zappos is one of those amazing success stories. They are a company that created a distinct brand image, without a creative marketing campaign or a large advertising budget, but rather, almost entirely through thoughtful customer service. What is the key to their success? Creating an experience that their customers want to talk about and profiting off of word of mouth buzz. Among many things Zappos does differently, is the way they maximize the customer experience. Success is not based on the number of calls per hour as in many call centers, nor does it involve pre-determined scripts. Call center reps are encouraged to let their personalities shine through and to make an emotional connection with the customer, even if it takes eight hours (yes, that’s how long the longest call recorded was at Zappos)! It’s about creating a lasting impression and customers for life, an approach that has taken Zappos from a start-up to a $1.2 billion company in less than 10 years and made its name synonymous with customer service.

Although the Zappos approach may not be a fit for all companies, it’s a great example of the importance of customer service and how if done right, it can propel a company’s success.

An inside look at Zappos

• Fantasy vs. reality of a brand’s customer service Evaluating a company’s customer service efforts is crucial in understanding a customer’s true perception of the brand. Listening to customers is the first, and perhaps one of the most important, steps to successful customer service.

• Customers prefer the “nice guys” Customers are more willing to purchase from companies with good customer service than those with bad customer service. In many cases, customers said that if the customer service was better they would have stayed with the brand. It seems simple — provide good customer service and you’re one step closer to repeat customers.

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Healthcare reform forces pharmaceutical industries to target more than just the physician For an industry that historically makes calculated and carefully thought-out changes over time, the pharmaceutical industry is now being forced to be nimble and adapt to the ever-changing environment quickly and effectively as a result of healthcare reform. Adapt, not only to new legislation and regulations, but also change its approach to business — what are the products and services offered, how and to whom they are presented? The latter, possibly bringing one of the greatest changes to the pharmaceutical industry.

Today, consumers are playing a much larger role in the decision-making process than in the past. The target market used to be much more clearly defined: consumers somewhat influenced the purchasing decision, but the ultimate decision was left up to the physician prescribing the medication. Now, the target audience is not so clear, because it’s not just that consumers are playing a larger role, but administrators, support staff, payers, purchasing groups and decision coaches have all entered the process, making the way the industry communicates all that more unclear. Companies must now put a greater emphasis on positioning and messaging than in the past and to leverage a more “direct to consumer” approach to communications, through social and digital channels. This new approach also results in significant cost savings, adding another layer of success within this new landscape.

As the industry continues to undergo a sea change, pharmaceutical companies must leave behind the old ways of doing business and adapt to a consumer-driven world.

Source: http://www.pharmexec.com/pharmexec/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=791507

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/robin-carey/1428221/pharma-awakens-new-normal-customer-engagement

Unveiling a New Target Audience(s)

Zappos Customer Service Musts:1. Create a WOW experience that your customers want to talk about 2. Focus on maximizing the experience, not minimizing costs3. Happy customers can be your best form of advertising 4. Lifetime value of a customer is not a fixed rate, but one that can increase with positive interactions5. Repeat customers are powerful drivers of growth

Creating a Brand Image Around Customer Service

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-hsieh/branding-through-customer_b_799316.html

Source: http://www.1to1media.com/weblog/2013/05/injecting_the_fun_factor_into.html

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2013/05/13/what-zappos-taught-us-about-creating-the-ultimate-client-experience/

TelerxHelping our clients build conneXions and drive outcomes. Many of the world’s most prestigious brands

rely on Telerx to help them transform the customer experience for their consumers and patients. www.telerx.com

1.800.2TELERX | solutions@telerx.com | www.telerx.com

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Telerx has a strong tradition of community involvement in each of the five call center locations across the U.S. Each quarter, we will highlight one standout location for its charity efforts.

This summer was anything but lazy for our associates in Allentown, who were busy servicing their local communities with activities like back-to-school supply drives and fundraising for the local Animal Health & Welfare Center. In our supply drive alone, our employees donated nearly 700 items. Kudos to team Allentown for being this quarter’s Telerx Cares community standout!

Telerx Cares Community Standout

Copyright © 2013 Telerx. All Rights Reserved. The information provided in this newsletter is for educational purposes only. It constitutes Telerx’s opinions and ideas and is provided on an “as is” basis.

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We don’t normally brag, but in recent months, several of our executives have been featured in media stories and have received recognition for their leadership and expertise in the industry. Here’s a look at some of the headlines:

• Telerx’s President, Linda Schellenger was featured in The Philadelphia Business Journal CEO File feature in July. Click here to read more about what makes Linda tick.

• Linda Schellenger provided insight into her decision making process in this August SmartCEO article about leadership.•Michael O’Gorman and Doreen Lechner of Sentrx Safety Solutions, now part of Telerx, made the “PharmaVoice 100”

list for their expertise in safety and pharmacovigilance. • Linda Comp weighs in on the trend of virtual outsourcing in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries in her

article in the September issue of Contract Pharma. Visit our online newsroom for more Telerx headlines!

See Us in the News: Telerx Executives Gain Recognition