Webinar Roundup: Stories of MedTech Innovation in Hybrid Sales and Service
Before the pandemic, the process of selling and servicing medical devices was primarily done in person. Now, the medical device landscape is increasingly hybrid. In fact, 47% of doctors who preferred in-person visits before COVID-19 now prefer virtual support or fewer in-person interactions.
However, operating in a hybrid model requires a more connected business. This often means a new layer of technology must be implemented to unify your data and systems, create a holistic view of your customer interactions, and provide a positive digital experience. While it may be more difficult to achieve this, it’s not impossible.
47% of doctors who preferred in-person visits before COVID-19 now prefer virtual support or fewer in-person interactions.
Source: “US Front Line of Healthcare,” Bain with Dynata, 2020.
Enovate Medical
Enovate dubbed 2020 the year of virtual engagement because it quickly had to mobilize new channels to sell and service virtually.
As a maker of medical workstations, power systems, batteries, and software, Enovate knew it had to find a way to sell, install, and service its devices effectively even without in-person visits.
Joey Len, Enovate's Manager of CRM and Account Management, joined us for a webinar to share three programs that helped them achieve success virtually. Here’s what he shared:
Salesforce Field Service allowed Enovate to rapidly adapt to the changing circumstances. For example, Enovate expanded its Live Agent program to enable future and existing customers to collaborate with sales reps, service agents, or technicians by video.
- Live Agent Chat: Enovate expanded its online customer service offerings with chat functionality. Now, customers can opt for personal assistance without jumping on the phone. “We’re engaging with them digitally, virtually — maybe not face-to-face — but it’s in real time. It’s how they want to do business,” said Len.
- Training Webinars: Enovate tightly aligned its recent closed sales with technical support through training webinars. Once a new device was sold, the technical service team would schedule a webinar with the new customer. This helped them drive end-user adoption and build a positive brand experience for their customers.
- Enovate Live: To effectively collaborate with its customers remotely, Enovate set up a physical room right off its manufacturing floor with representative samples of all workstations. This allowed employees to replicate the user experience while they were on sales and service calls. It even allowed them to build demo devices remotely that more accurately suited the customer’s needs.
“We’re engaging with them digitally, virtually — maybe not face-to-face — but it’s in real time. It’s how they want to do business.”
Learn more ways Enovate created virtual engagement opportunities with its customers.
Apria Healthcare
In the case of Apria Healthcare, the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for the company to develop new methods of virtual engagement. As a provider of home-based oxygen therapy and other respiratory services, Apria’s therapists were accustomed to visiting patients in the home to teach them how to use the equipment.
To shift to a virtual care model, Apria needed to implement new technology that would be easy for everyone to use — employees and patients alike — and didn’t require users to download an app or log in to a new website.
“We wanted to make sure that our Apria users initiate the call and video by using email or text. That was the one key requirement.”
“We wanted to make sure that our Apria users could initiate the call and video by using email or text. That was the one key requirement,” said Manisha Naik, Apria’s Senior IT Director, who joined us on a webinar to share how they innovated with video conferencing.
Apria partnered with Salesforce and SightCall, an enterprise-grade video cloud platform, on an out-of-the-box solution that allowed it to hit the ground running in a matter of weeks. And with an intuitive interface and easy-to-understand workflow, Apria’s respiratory therapists quickly got the hang of the new system. They started helping patients operate and troubleshoot their continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines and get readings on non-invasive ventilation (NIV) machines through video calls instead of house calls.
One of Apria’s respiratory therapists explained that the new system helped them to build trust virtually without an in-home interaction. One case involved a customer who called in asking to return his CPAP machine because he couldn’t figure out how to use it. The agent suggested a video call, and after just 10 minutes, the patient felt confident using the machine that night and ultimately kept the product.
By coupling its standard in-person support with virtual tools, Apria was able to provide in-the-moment customer support that increased the adoption of its devices and gave customers a better overall experience.
Learn more about how Apria used video conferencing to improve customer engagement
Drive intelligent sales and service with hybrid customer engagement
Medical technology companies that have been able to orient around both virtual and in-person interactions over the past few years are more prepared for the future.
To learn more about how this industry is adjusting to hybrid sales and service, and driving more efficiency with data-driven insights, explore more of our content below.
Drive Intelligent Sales in MedTech
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