As we researched the topic of call reporting, the word "tool" came up several times during our conversations with both representatives
and managers. While we've always thought of a tool as a helpful device, we now realize that whether the tool is a help or
a hindrance depends greatly on your point of view and how the tool is being used. We arrived at this opinion after hearing
reps make comments like "They use call data as a hammer to show me where I'm failing" and hearing managers say things like "Call reporting is a flashlight that shows the way to success." But this wide range of opinions is just the beginning of the story. When we began our research,
we had a feeling that, generally speaking, call reporting would be seen as a necessary evil – something that's not really
pleasant but needs to be done. What we actually found was that reps and managers see both positives and negatives associated
with this daily task.
One more note: Even though we are calling this an article on call reporting, the topic is much broader than its name implies.
We are actually taking a look at a business management system that includes accounting for the customers who have been seen
during a given time frame. With that said, the following is the view from both sides according to the pharmaceutical reps
and managers we interviewed.
The pros
The positive aspects of call reporting that were mentioned again and again include access to customer and provider data, targeting
opportunities, and the increased possibilities for business productivity that are created through the effective use of a call
reporting system. One 10-year industry veteran told us, "Our call reporting data tells me things that were never available
before, such as third-party pay and the number of prescriptions generated over time. All of this is at my fingertips, whereas
I had to hunt down all of this data when I first started in the industry." This rep went on to say that her manager asks her
to sync her data at the end of every day, but missing a day here or there is not a big deal. Another representative who works
on the West Coast said her system is a good way to keep notes and to know how often someone has been seen, as well as an effective
tool for pre- and post-call planning. This rep also commented, "I don't feel that my company is trying to track what time
of day I am in the field, because I enter all of my calls at the end of the day and no one has ever said anything to me about
it."
Pros and cons
One manager told us call reporting is an essential tool that can help representatives plan the day and follow business plans,
and that it also serves as a tool managers can use to analyze the overall business of the district or region. The manager
added, "I feel that we have a good tool to increase business productivity, and in fact, I have looked at our business by geography
to see how much time reps are spending in a given area. Then we can work together to see if we can maximize everyone's time
in the territory." Another manager we interviewed said she uses data gathered from call reporting as a way to set expectations
for reps. As she put it, "Our system data is a way of letting the reps know what they should be doing every day and then reviewing
it against what the system says. The call reporting data is never wrong – it is entered by the reps!"
Patricia Strandboge is a co-founder and managing partner of Targeted Performance Partners LLC, a Rochester, NY-based sales training and development company that specializes in serving the unique needs of pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Contact Targeted Performance Partners by e-mail at info@tpptraining.com, by phone at (585) 271-8370 or on the Web at www.tpptraining.com.
Articles by Patricia Strandboge
Jim McGuire is a co-founder and managing partner of Targeted Performance Partners LLC, a Rochester, NY-based sales training and development company that specializes in serving the unique needs of pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Contact Targeted Performance Partners by e-mail at info@tpptraining.com, by phone at (585) 271-8370 or on the Web at www.tpptraining.com.
Articles by Jim McGuire
