Managed services for an expense monitoring system for pharmaceutical representatives

In the HLS industry, the role of pharmaceutical representatives is pivotal in forging strong client relationships and expanding business horizons. Regular client interactions are essential, often involving representation costs fundamental to building and maintaining these vital connections. However, amidst this necessary expenditure, there lies a critical need for meticulous oversight. This is where Managed Services for Expense Monitoring Systems play a crucial role. By ensuring that these representation expenses are kept within the confines of internally set limits, these systems uphold financial discipline and promote a culture of transparency and accountability within the company.

Balancing relationship-building activities with financial prudence is a delicate one. While focusing on nurturing client relations, pharmaceutical representatives often navigate myriad expenses – from dining and accommodation to travel and event hosting. Though integral to their role, these expenses require a vigilant eye to ensure they align with the company’s ethical and fiscal policies. It’s in this context that an effective Expense Monitoring System becomes indispensable. By providing a structured approach to track and analyze these costs, such systems empower companies to maintain a clear and comprehensive view of expenditures, ensuring they contribute positively to business growth without breaching budgetary guidelines.

Who is our client?

Our client is a globally recognised leader in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industry. With over a century of innovation and commitment to healthcare, it is at the forefront of biotechnology. The client is known for breakthroughs in personalised healthcare and leadership in disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Healthcare and Life Sciences, biotechnology

What was the challenge?

The project aimed to consolidate the service within one vendor with one fixed fee and implement a more advanced service within SLA and KPI.

Our client wanted to cooperate with the supplier responsible for quality and timeliness. Crafware took over the application and service from another entity, and we were dealing with a mature system with a narrow, precisely defined purpose. Therefore, Craftware mainly focuses on user support and bug fixing.

Business goals

support for system users
compliance with the internal directives
bug fixing
control of expenses incurred for representation purposes

Managed Services for representation cost monitoring

Implemented solution - how it relates to the challenges

Inefficient integration with other expense registration systems based on JavaScript resulted in user dissatisfaction and a poor user-friendly experience.

Initially, Craftware tried to actively support the development of the application and initiate enhancement requests. Then, our team rewrote the integration on Visual Force, improving error handling and logging and minimising the number of integration errors. Also, certain functions and features were implemented:

Dispute function – questioning whether a given expense took place
End-2-End service (excluding second line)
Collecting expenses, aggregating expenses from other Genetech applications
Transactions uploaded to Salesforce and generating reports

Technology used

Salesforce Platform

Achieved benefits

Full responsibility on the part of the vendor
Craftware proactively monitors & manages a customer’s network infrastructure, cybersecurity and end-user systems against a clearly defined Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Responsibility is not blurred
One vendor – one communication channel
Stay up-to-date on technology
Managing the problem of lack of knowledge and experience in cloud computing – access to skills

Implementing a Managed Service for a dedicated system is a strategic asset. It ensures that while pharmaceutical representatives carry out their essential relationship-building role, there is an unwavering commitment to financial integrity and corporate governance. In a sector where trust and credibility are as crucial as the products offered, having a robust system to monitor and manage representation costs is beneficial and a business imperative. As companies continue to navigate the complex landscape of the pharmaceutical industry, adopting such systems is a testament to their dedication to operational excellence and ethical business practices.

The project requires working in different time zones (Poland and San Francisco). Despite the significant time difference, Craftware always provides the service on time. We have been cooperating with the client for years, providing various solutions to their pain points and needs.