Author: Justin Hesser

The pharmaceutical industry has burgeoned into a mega industry throughout the years, earning roughly $200 billion annually, according to Forbes Magazine. With an industry that deals with such high-risk items as powerful drugs, which are often illegal if used without a prescription, some instances of fake drugs have started to find their way into the market. The source also reports that these counterfeit drugs have caused over 100,000 deaths each year.

It goes without saying that pharmacies need to run a well-organized and efficient operation. In fact, a new study says this can be done not only with the implementation of tablet technology, but also dynamic software.

According to Best Practices, a consulting agency, it may be critical for pharmacies to begin implementing improved technological innovations into the daily workflow. This includes using sophisticated pharmaceutical software that can maintain the critical and, oftentimes, sensitive information that accompanies the pharmaceutical industry.

With many state law enforcement departments beginning to crack down on the illegal use of prescription drugs through the use of their own custom databases, it may benefit pharmacies to consult FileMaker developers to create dynamic software that can keep track of critical client and prescription information. FileMaker Go, for example, offers an ideal platform for tablet-based pharmaceutical software.

In addition to tracking prescription information, this software can help pharmacy administrators protect against the threat of counterfeit drugs by taking an accurate account of exactly what was given to which individual.

Data housed within pharmaceutical software can also help administrators balance drug inventory details, organize scheduled customer pick ups and manage other internal affairs such as employee hours and payroll.

According to FastCompany, "customer experience is how your customers perceive their interactions with your company," and these perceptions have become increasingly important in the age of digital connection. Studies have shown that consumers are more likely to complain on social media about a bad experience than a good one with a company, which could be disastrous for small businesses that may rely on having better customer service than their corporate competition as part of their market niche.

This makes it especially important for companies to do what they can to tackle any issues with customer service.

According to a study by Customer Management Exchange Network (CMEN), the greatest challenge for the respondents – chief customer officers, vice presidents and directors of customer experience in the UK and U.S. – has been managing an effective customer experience.

Although cultural change and centricity has been a topic of heavy debate among business owners of both large and small companies, nearly 50 percent of all respondents to the network's survey cite customer service as one of the greatest three challenges they're facing.

The survey also states that most say this conflict in customer service may come from the need for all business units to "embrace the customer and align business strategies to move into a customer centric environment."

Doing this may require many companies to invest in new technology that can help aid in more effective cross department communication as well as create a stronger liaison between the customer and customer service representatives.

This can be solved by using custom database software to create a customer experience database that will allow employees to make adjustments to critical data that can be accessed across all departments. In addition, this software can help synthesize this raw data so that it is more customer centric and easier for customer service representatives to communicate to clients.

The term "big data" has steadily risen in the business world as a way for owners and executives to understand how well their operations are performing. But, the actual definition of the term and how the information is used has remained very vague. Still, a London-based consulting firm and a major industry voice have some ideas on how companies should approach this dynamic way of understanding business.

According to a study by Beyond Analysis, the consulting firm, big data should be used as a way to gain a holistic understanding of company's customers and adjust marketing and customer service operations toward that comprehensive picture. This can be done by using custom database software to maintain statistics on the relevant lifestyle, demographic and affluence measures and then turn those into customer patterns and models.

"Our study conducted over a period of three years surprised us by highlighting just how many businesses are taking the wrong approach to understanding their data," said Paul Alexander, CEO of Beyond Analysis. "But even more concerning is the amount of poor advice being offered. We are well versed in big data having worked in this field having worked with our partner Visa Europe for three years and understand that it isn't all about 'machines' but actually customer understanding and what you do with this information to deliver real, tangible results."

Forbes Magazine also recommends that companies use big data as a means to answer three important questions: "How is my business doing?"," What drives my business?" and "Who are my customers?, what are their needs?"

While Beyond Analysis emphasizes the customer service aspect of analyzing big data, the source recommends that companies consider all three questions at the same time. Custom database software can help with this method by providing one location to house the data relevant to each focus, allowing executives and managers more efficient access to critical information. 

For many businesses today, the terms “big data” and “data analytics” are being used on an increasing basis. This behavior stresses the importance of using database software to compile and analyze all the necessary raw information.

One industry where this may be especially common is healthcare. In fact, consultant Frost & Sullivan projects that the use of “advanced health data analytics solutions” will increase in hospitals by 50 percent by 2016.

Most of these changes, the report says, is from the growing implementation of electronic health records (EHR), which are stored in custom database software.

These EHR systems are still relatively new and, therefore, being improved in efficiency at an increasing rate. While only 10 percent of hospitals used EHRs in 2011, the report predicts that as the industry matures, more providers will realize they need to adapt to technological advances in order to stay competitive in a changing market.

“Hospitals will increasingly invest in advanced data analytics solutions to monitor end-to-end care delivery across a variety of settings,” said Frost & Sullivan health care principal analyst Nancy Fabozzi. “Due to growing competitive pressures, hospitals need to provide comprehensive reporting on performance and quality measures to a variety of stakeholders. Advanced analytics capabilities are absolutely critical for survival – there is no way to avoid it.”

One way for healthcare providers to effectively to analyze data is by investing in custom database software by consulting a FileMaker developer. By acquiring this software, hospitals will be able to implement an analytics program that is customizable to what is important to that specific branch.

In addition, by using custom database software to create an analytics solution, healthcare providers will be able to improve everything from daily operations up. These tools can assist with payroll, hours and scheduling, medical records as well as crunching numbers for more accurate shareholder presentations.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Healthbox – a three-month accelerator for healthcare startups – are hosting an intensive program in Cambridge that will bring together 10 medical startups and put their projects on the fast track to be exhibited at the program’s culmination in November.

Ideally, the efforts of the companies can help qualm the criticism the industry has been facing, as evidenced by a survey from Wolters Kluwer Health, a healthcare industry researcher.

The survey says that 30 percent of Americans have reported that either they or a family member have experienced a medical mistake. In addition, 45 percent reported to have received an incorrect bill from their healthcare provider.

“What is clear from survey findings is that there is a high level of concern among American consumers about medical mistakes, which could impact the doctor-patient relationship as well as how consumers approach their own healthcare,” said Dr. Linda Peitzman, chief medical officer at Wolters Kluwer Health. “Clinical decision support tools can play a significant role in reducing instances of medical errors and improving communication among parties involved in a patient’s care.”

It’s clear that there are some clerical and organizational issues plaguing the healthcare industry. These can be solved with updated custom database software that will allow administrators to keep a more accurate account of which patients must be charged for what. It will also help provide practitioners with better insight into their daily tasks and responsibilities.

Furthermore, staffing issues have proven to be a major concern to consumers. The survey found that 35 percent of consumers believe that miscommunication among office workers has resulted in a medical mistake. In addition, staff members being in a hurry, fatigued and worker shortages were also common citations from respondents on why hospitals may be underperforming.

Using a customized, intrapersonnel software can enhance communication between nurses and doctors can help keep the pace of work at a more reasonable rate.

A group of lawyers representing U.S. retailers are expected to submit a proposed $7.2 billion antitrust settlement against Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. for court approval within upcoming months. But, this settlement will arrive despite heavy opposition from small businesses around the country that may find their hands tied due to the proposal.

The antitrust settlement against the major credit card companies is designed to allow merchants to charge more on products paid for with a credit card to offset the fees retailers pay to the credit card companies for each transaction. Merchants had previously never been allowed that ability, although many have held strict credit card minimums and offered customers bargains encouraging them to make cash purchases. But, for merchants that accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express, the new settlement presents a Catch-22.

When a customer buys a product with a credit card, the merchant has to pay an interchange fee, which is why many companies prefer cash. But, according to the New York Times, under the new agreement, a merchant that accepts transactions via American Express must treat every electronic payment equally, per mandates from the credit card company. But, this ruling also applies to Visa and MasterCard debit cards, which prohibit surcharges on these types of cards. This makes it impossible for any merchants that accept all three to add a surcharge to any transaction as a means to pay for the interchange fee.

It’s clear that with this settlement, there are new complications to how retailers approach the way they keep track of their incoming revenue and outgoing expenses. When it comes to monitoring this important aspect of business, companies may want to invest in custom database software that can provide financial clarity, especially when monitoring interchange fees.

This customizable software can also be used to gain insight into payroll expenses, taxes, costs of inventory and product sales. This will help retailers identify strengths and weaknesses and curb reckless spending.

According to the Entrepreneur's Organization, more entrepreneurs are seeing their endeavors and investments grow and scale despite a down economy. In fact, the organization recently released a survey that showed optimism throughout its membership.

The survey says that 59 percent of respondents reported a net increase in full-time employees through June 2012. In addition, another 62 percent of business owners expect their overall workforce to grow in the next six months.

Also, nearly 90 percent of respondents said that their access to capital held steady through June 2012 and even 31 percent claimed that it became easier to gain necessary funding.

"We are seeing some very positive signs from the world's entrepreneurial community," said Jason Jacobs, the lead researcher on the Global Entrepreneur Indicator initiative. "Hiring and revenues and profitability are all on the rise, and there seems to be a general optimism about the business climate. Compared to the pessimism we observed in the survey six months ago, the trending seems to be headed in the right direction."

When companies experience fast expansion and continue to scale up in order to maintain business, it may help for them to invest in employee management software. This kind of custom database software can help them maintain necessary employee information for payroll and tax purposes as well as help monitor important company information.

This corporate data can be used to assess which departments may need more manpower and which may be overstaffed leading to lost revenue. Regardless, the faster a company increases its workforce, the more organization it will need to keep track of the changes.

By consulting a FIleMaker developer, companies can effectively customize this software to fit the needs of their own rising corporation. 

When someone posted a complaint on a popular cycling forum about his Road ID tag – a Velcro bracelet that contains necessary identification information in case of a cycling accident – something “remarkable” happened, according to the tag-making company’s CEO, Edward Wimmer, speaking to Inc. Magazine.

Contributors to the forum began to defend the company, praising its customer service practices and showing intense brand loyalty. According to Wimmer’s interview with Inc., he believes much of this stems from their insistence in not using an interactive voice response (IVR) system for customer calls. This coincides with a recent Interactions Corporation survey, which found that 83 percent of consumers will avoid companies that use these IVR systems, faulting bad customer relations experiences.

“It’s not a contact center problem,” explained Interactions Corporation CEO MIke Iacobucci. “It’s a customer experience problem. Customer touchpoints go from the most basic to the most intensive, from Google searches to live calls. If each customer interaction is not consistently satisfying then each negative customer experience will translate into a decline of brand affinity.”

In addition to the 83 percent of consumers who will ditch a brand using IVR software, another 70 percent say that they will also use social media to share their bad experiences with customers, generating negative buzz for the business.

For these intensive customer touchpoint calls, it may help companies to invest in custom database software that can be used to power a customer relationship management system (CRM). The use of CRMs can help businesses enhance their customer touchpoints and provide better feedback and assistance by keeping track of critical client details.

In addition, by providing a CRM software for customer service representatives to use while speaking with clients, businesses can create a pleasant experience and help build the type of brand loyalty that Edward Wimmer and Road ID were able to experience.

The way businesses have used social technologies has developed and changed over the years. At its inception in the late 1960s, the internet was used as a way for major university departments to communicate more effectively with each other in a small and enclosed network. It has since developed into the World Wide Web that exists today, where nearly 1.5 billion individuals use social networks to share with each other, according to a study by major consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

According to their report, 72 percent of companies use social technologies in some way. While many companies use these technologies as a means to interact with customers and market products. The report also states that more potential value lies in developing tools for enhancing communications and sharing knowledge across company departments then with marketing. By using custom database software to create intercompany file sharing and communication lines, these businesses will most likely see a more effective workflow.

"Two-third of this potential value lies in improving collaboration and communication within and across enterprises," says McKinsey & Company's report. "The average interaction worker spends an estimated 28 percent of the workweek managing email and nearly 20 percent looking for internal information or tracking down colleagues who can help with specific tasks."

In addition, the report explains that a "searchable record of knowledge" can reduce the time employees spend looking for documents and information by as much as 35 percent, promoting better time management and organization.

By consulting a FileMaker developer to create an internal documents database or communication software, companies can greatly improve their overall productivity which can have a direct effect on their bottom line. 

Recent research has pointed toward employee engagement as a critical means of ensuring a solid bottom line for companies. But, according to Forbes Magazine, some research has shown that not only does a more engaged workforce contribute to better revenue, it also increases customer satisfaction – something that can be aided with the use of customized customer relationship manager (CRM) software.

The source says that companies that have more engaged employees create happier customers which, in turn, generates a higher profit. In fact, according to a Hay Group study, companies with a highly engaged workforce generated revenues that were two and a half times larger than those with lower levels of engagement.

But, fostering a more engaged workforce takes time, and may not produce immediate results. For businesses that need to quickly improve customer interactions, investing in high-quality CRM software can help employees who have direct contact with clients communicate more effectively in-house and access key data with more efficiency.

Some of the benefits that come from updated CRM software include the ability to maintain more accurate feedback channels with customers and track incoming and outgoing clients – data which reinforces advice from Entrepreneur Magazine on how to increase customer loyalty.

In addition to maintaining and learning from open customer feedback channels with custom database software or updated CRM software, companies can set up and oversee loyalty programs and accounts. This is, of course, more relevant to companies that provide a subscription program.

CRM software built by FileMaker developers can track a customer’s spending history to aid in the setup of these loyalty programs, which provide deals or benefits for the customers who regularly spend a certain amount.