Case Study Actavis Englisch

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    www.update.com

    The subtle diferences

    CRM project at Actavis

    Basically, manufacturers of generic drugs have a hard life differenti-

    ating themselves from competitors through their products and prices.

    Actavis has secured itself a lead in the Austrian and Swiss markets by

    excellent customer retention. The CRM solution of the Vienna-based

    branch specialist update software helps the pharmaceutical enterprise

    to approach customers specifically and to submit individual offers. This

    saves time and money.

    A CRM solution, which is operational two months before the first out-of-officestaff member is sent out into the streets quite impossible. Quite impossiblethought Stefan Langthaler, Head of Business Systems at Actavis, manufacturer ofgeneric drugs, and remembers his former employer update software: I knew thesolution and I knew that it can do. And, afterall, the Vienna-based CRM supplieris specialised in the pharmaceutical branch, among others. updates list ofcustomers in this field is impressive, says Stefan Langthaler. For this reason, thedecision in favour of Actavis was not especially difficult. They did not waste anytime and placed the order with the Vienna-based software house: Of course, wehad a look at what other suppliers have to offer. But, update simply had the bestprice-to-performance ratio. And as the handling is relatively easy, we can modify

    Case Study | Quick Check

    Field o applicationService | Marketing | Sales

    Number o users20

    InstallationsAustria, Switzerland

    Start2006

    Solutionupdate.seven

    ResultFast implementation and thus fast RoIAddress management

    Contact management Information managementCalendar functionMaster data management (e.g. contractsituation, terms et cetera)Campaign management

    updates list o customers in this ield is

    impressive.Stefan Langthaler, Head of Business Systems at Actavis

    Case Study | Actavis

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    ready, steady gorelate

    the software ourselves to a great extentand can adapt it to our needs.

    It was clear to the persons responsible forthe project that the introduction of CRM

    had to be done quickly or not at all: Weare active in a fast moving market. If theimplementation had taken six monthsor even longer, the requirements mostprobably would have been very differentalready. The solution would have beenout-of-date before it would have been usedat all. For this reason, the decision was takento proceed in small steps, i.e. starting withbasic functions and extending the solutionstep by step. I know that many companieslike to proceed according to the motto

    bigger, more colourful and more complexwhen implementing CRM projects. In myopinion, however, only small steps leadto success, which have to be planned andimplemented very accurately. Overkill willoften lead to failure, Stefan Langthalerknows by experience.

    No long preparations are required

    The fact that the responsible person forCRM got his calculations right is revealedby the eight Austrian and six Swisssatisfied out-of-office staff members, whohave been working with the software forabout six months: Visit planning is doneby mouse click more or less. Not only dothey have the latest customer data on the

    screen, they also see how the customersare connected to each other, which termshave been agreed upon or which productsare purchased. Naturally the customerscan also be sorted into several segments,

    such as specialist groups, turnover volumeor products and interests within seconds.With the information our staff membersare very well prepared for their visitson-site. Long preparatory time or researchwork of the out-of-office staff ahead ofthe visit is no longer required, says StefanLangthaler.

    From experience he knows howtime-consuming the preparation fora discussion with customers could be

    previously and how much money so avisit could cost: Previously you visitedthe customers relatively haphazardly, i.e.you may have seen ten to twelve doctors,hospitals or pharmacies, and at the endof the day you had signed two contractsat best, recollects Stefan Langthalerand continues: With the CRM solution,we no longer proceed according to the

    watering-can principle. Six out-of-officevisits produce four hits on average becausewe can select the customers carefullybeforehand.

    However, Actavis never went aboutmatters aimlessly. The pharmaceuticalscompany with its headquarters in Icelandis completely new in the Austrian and

    Swiss market. Founded in Iceland in1956, the groups has developed into aglobal player in the generic drugs fieldduring the last seven years, and is nowoperating successful in forty countries on

    five continents. Now already, the companybelongs to the largest and most successfulsuppliers of generic drugs world-wide.

    Right from the beginning, the companybased on CRM support in Austria andSwitzerland: Customer retention is apivotal point. After all, as a manufacturerof generic drugs we have to deal with purecutthroat competition. Our prices andproducts do not differ substantially fromthose of our competitors after all. For this

    reason, it is our aim simply to be better andfaster, says Stefan Langthalter. Listeningto the customer to find out what he reallyneeds is a basic principle in the corporatephilosophy of Actavis. And because wehave this know-how, our staff-memberscan go to the right customers specificallywhen a product is launched. We do notdistribute specimen packs to doctors

    haphazardly, for example, who do notwant to have them at all, reports StefanLangthaler.

    Inormation at the push o a button

    In campaign management, the CRMsoftware also helps to prevent randomlosses: Mailings are sent to the rightcustomers automatically straight from thesystem. According to Stefan Langthalerthe selection is relatively easy: By meansof the software, we can see to whichcustomer it is sensible to send advertise-ments at all. Mail is sent to new customersonly, for example, or to those who havereacted to the last mailing. Non-reactorsare not approached at all or by meansof other channels. An agency sends theadvertising letters to those customersin question and the returns are recordedas well. These data are entered in theCRM system and new mails are only sentto those customers who have reacted.After all advertising letters cost a lot ofmoney. But in this way, they reach thoseaddressees who are really interested,notes Stefan Langthaler. And in this waythe system continues to grow.

    And as the handling is relatively easy, we can modiy the sotware ourselvesto a great extent and can adapt it to our needs

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    ready, steady gorelate

    Of course, it is not only the out-of-off ice staffthat profits from CRM: Our office workersuse the solution primarily for customeridentification, says the responsible personfor the project. When a call comes in,the staff members has to recognise in a

    matter of second who is at the other end

    of the line: Who is the customers contactnormally, which products does he buy,which terms have been agreed with himor which problems have there been in thepast ? Extra access to an ERP system is notrequired. The information can be calledoff with the CRM solution, reports StefanLangthaler. Of course, the office workerscan supplement the data at any time,which then can be accessed immediatelyby all authorised staff members.

    Actavis wanted more

    In the CRM project, Actavis attached alot of value also to the integration ofthe web pages. On the Internet platformunder the name of I want more, thecustomers find innovative services, whichassist them specifically in their medicaland/or pharmaceutical activities. Formedical and pharmaceutical specialists,there is a protected area which rendersavailable broad specialist knowledge tothese customers the idea here is also tocollect addresses and information on theinterested parties.

    Apart from synopses of congresses andevent in the pharmaceutical field, Actavishas developed an Internet-based question-

    and-answer platform in co-operationwith the Paracelsus Private MedicalUniversity, for example. Registered userscan ask the research team of the universitytheir specialist questions by Internet. Inaddition, we help doctors or pharmacists

    to develop and successfully implement

    the suitable marketing concept for theirundertaking, says Stefan Langthaler. Thechanges in the health care system requirethat their surgeries and pharmacies arepositioned on the market uniquely andup-to-date.

    Actavis attached great value to learningabout the views of the customers.

    Customers are encouraged to send theirfeedback, which is then evaluated byActavis. Stefan Langthaler knows: It isonly through the input of our customersthat we can offer the services needed in

    the future.

    The willingness to continue developmentwork, the courage to open up new routeskeeping the ear to market and close to thecustomer permanently in the process isa natural feature for the manufacturer ofgeneric drugs. For project manager StefanLangthaler it is a fact: It is only by pickingup trends and development at an earlystage that we can be successful. With theupdate solution this is no problem. We areable at any time to offer our customersa well-tried all-round service. It is only

    important that we use the possibilities atour hands.

    We are able at any time to ofer our customers a well-tried all-round servic

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    Headquartersupdate software AG

    Operngasse 17-21 tel.: +43/1/878 55-0A-1040 Vienna fax: +43/1/878 55-200Austria mail: [email protected]

    About Actavis

    The Actavis Group with its headquarters in Reykjavik in Iceland belongs to the

    world-wide key players in the development, manufacture and sales of generic drugs

    (identical copies of the active substances of branded medicine after the patent

    protection has expired). With six hundred and fifty products, the Actavis Group has a

    portfolio which covers all important therapeutic fields. By acquisitions, the enterprise

    was able to position itself amongst the five largest pharmaceutical suppliers in the field

    of generic drugs. The manufacturer founded in Iceland in 1956 with its headquarters

    in Reykjavik employs a staff of 10,000 in over thirty countries today. The growth of the

    fast expanding company is geared to Central Europe, new EU member countries and

    the US market.

    www.actavis.com

    copyright 2008 | update software AG

    All company and product names contained in this document

    might be protected trademarks of the respective entities. All

    information contained herein may be changed at any time

    if required, without any prior notification and may not bereproduced or circulated in any form without the prior written

    approval of update software AG. In no event shall update

    software AG be liable for the completeness of the information

    contained in this document.