Monthly Archives: April 2022

Building Happy Clients in Medical Communications

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“The customer’s perception is your reality”- Kate Zabriskie

You will not ring the bell of a home where you are welcomed without a smile. This is the simplest description of client servicing. Be it a street eatery or a multinational company, they are running fundamentally on two core aspects: Quality and Service. As the old granny might have said ‘Client is God’, if your client is happy- prosperity surely knows your address. But the problem is the blue image of client servicing. Does client servicing have a protocol? What are the Musts and Haves? What is missing and what is a big NO? There are no absolute answers to these because client servicing is an art and not a recipe!

The next big question is “We have a strong team of project managers; why do we need a separate client servicing department?” Project Management being an independent functional unit of any service, is not anymore just about managing timelines, sharing deliverables, and keeping the team together. Moving beyond occasional hellos and project discussions, managing projects is now about building relationships. And that is where client servicing enters as an irreplaceable skill and grows as an invincible core contributor to this partnership.

Client Servicing grabs the fuller plate when it comes to the Service industry, as opposed to Products; and it becomes even more winding for Healthcare Services. Dealing with doctors, healthcare professionals, scientists, and researchers is a game of acuteness and perseverance. These experts and professionals don’t have much time to adjust with poor servicing or lack of communication skills. It is hard-won to impress a medical professional with their experience and knowledge.

So, what will be the deal breaker? Here are some choices that you can make while giving client servicing in medical communications:

  • Listen! And Listen More!
    • Listening is an important skill if you want to understand the needs and requirements of your client. You need to understand the message behind the product; you must learn about how their needs were not met by other communication agencies; you have to listen their struggles, dilemmas, goals and basically EVERYTHING they want to convey. This will allow you to design a bond with your client as these conversations will guide you to knowing them better. Listening comes with patience. So, decide to listen before you speak in front of professionals.
  • Stay Connected
    • Make your clients feel connected with you and the company. Make online portals where they can share their feedbacks and suggestions. 90 percent of clients expect an online portal for service. Don’t ignore their queries and doubts. Make everything transparent before it becomes a complaint.
  • Own your Work
    • Deal with the problems of client personally. Don’t make him travel through the emails and endless contact numbers of your company. Assist him and talk to your team yourself rather than asking your client to repeat the same sentences. Doctors and scientists need their tasks to be done on time and with professionalism. They don’t have time for lame excuses as they hold a greater responsibility towards public health. So, that’s what they expect from you, meeting the goals and timelines with a sense of responsibility. Remember, you are as much a stakeholder of that task as your client. Ownership is the word.
  • Every client is a Blessing!
    • Irrespective of the lucrative index, no project is small or big. Even if the client is bringing only small business to you, you still give them reasons to come back. Your communication skills will speak before the drafts created by your team. One happy client will be your live marketing. It’s your attitude that matters and not the money.
  • Make a Personal Bond
    • The project is your duty, but client servicing is much more than just submitting the project on time. You should be able to bond with the client at personal level. The comfort zone created by you for the clients will be a building block for your company. Learn about their choices and expectations and give them space to open. Words have their way to create magic, and this is how you can construct a good relationship with your clients. It may seem trivial before a vast complex project staring back at you, but your greetings, signoffs, wishes, frequent calls, exchanges on online portals, being part of their achievements and successes, and a personal touch to your communication will go a longer way than you ever thought.
  • Consolidate your Service
    • Does the onus of client servicing lie on the PM? YES. Does it lie only on the PM? NO. It takes an entire village to raise a child. As a MedComm company, the output of a project is equally divided between technical experts and managers. And precisely why the service we give a client lies on the shoulders of all. However, there is no denial that the weight is felt more by the managers since they face the client directly.

Client servicing is not just a department but a whole gigantic teamwork. Turacoz believes that before you start managing a project, learn to manage a client. We have an impeccable record of rendering more that 80% of repeat business and there is no other route to this statistic but Ace Quality and Great Client Servicing.

The only way we clock in every morning is with a motto: With every project we deliver to a client, we do not close it, we open the next one with them!

Postpartum Depression- What are we missing to provide safe motherhood?

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Holding the baby for long hours, cleaning poop with a smile on face, singing lullabies relentlessly, spending sleepless nights are the most common scenes of new motherhood. But what is not seen are the collateral surges of emotional drain-outs, restlessness, insomnia, anxiety, panic, bouts of despondency and detachment. While the former is normal, the latter is compelled to be normalized. And that is where steps in a crucial point to ponder: are you just a new mother adapting to changes or a new mother weighing down deep under those changes. The line is very fine, and more than often, goes unrecognized and unacknowledged. This is the onset of Post-Partum Depression (PPD) which can take ugly turns if not addressed on time.

PPD slips women into extremely dark and dispassionate places and is experienced by one in every eight as reported by CDC, although only 10% report it.

Are you suffering from Postpartum Depression?

A few days after giving birth to your baby, if you feel moody, fatigued, sad and lost, you might be going through “Baby blues”. But when these feelings continue for more than a few weeks then you need to consult your doctor. Postpartum depression can happen to any new mother; dealing with chemical, psychological, physical, and social changes, you are bound to experience what you never did before.

Some of the classic indicators of Postpartum Depression are:

  • Trouble sleeping
  • Appetite changes
  • Feeling that you are not bonding with your baby
  • Thoughts of suicide
  • Thoughts of hurting someone else
  • Crying all the time
  • Panic disorders

Are you at risk?

Postpartum depression can affect people of all genders and sexualities. Parents who are adopting or are surrogating can also find themselves in this haunted space. The first thing to understand about perinatal depression: the way you feel is not your fault. Still there are some major risk factors leading to depression.

Social and Emotional Factors

  • History of depression
  • Recent divorce/ marital conflict
  • Death of loved ones
  • Having twins or triplets
  • Early pregnancy
  • Financial crisis

Physical Factors

  • Lack of Sleep
  • Drug and alcohol misuse
  • Low Thyroid Hormone levels
  • Any other medical conditions

Bringing in Safe Motherhood

Safe motherhood is not just about a physically strong mother and a baby. Mental health of a mother is as important a concern which is sadly neglected by families and peers. The undue pressure of being “perfect mother” and the stigma of being shamed for not being so, is enough to take a woman down the spiral and permanent guilt trips. Swaying back and forth in the closed doors and asking, “Where have I gone wrong?” is not the solution. It is indoctrinated in humans that motherhood comes naturally to a woman. But what if it doesn’t? Ironically there are absolutely, no absolutes! It is very much possible that a new mother doesn’t feel like one, or her mind is not ready to register multiple signals, or perhaps she is plainly not able to differentiate between the reasons for her baby crying. She doesn’t need to hear those caustic comments, she needs to be heard! She might need a bit more compassion and a lot of help.

What Can You Do?

  • Talk it out with your partner, family, or friends you trust
  • Read books or magazines guiding postnatal education
  • Balance your diet and lifestyle
  • Don’t hesitate to arrange for childcare
  • Meet people and socialise with fellow mothers
  • Divide responsibilities with your partner
  • Be realistic about your expectations from yourself and baby
  • Seek help. See a counsellor and accept therapeutic inventions if required

There is nothing called ‘normal parents’ or ‘good parents’. Parenting or motherhood is subjective and a never-ending journey; one starts learning from day one and keeps on learning. Don’t forget to take care of your laughter, your backaches and mental health. If you are feeling different from what society has told you then there is nothing wrong. Feel what you need to feel, this is also a part of growing as a mother. This National Safe Motherhood Day Turacoz is inspiring society to accept new mommies with their concerns, insecurities, and fears. Don’t force motherhood on her but let it come to her slowly and slowly.

Medical Podcasts

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Digitalization has recalibrated healthcare to new heights. It is imperative for healthcare professionals and medical students to stay abreast with scientific and clinical advancements, but ironically the rush hours of duty leave them very little room and time for it. Nevertheless, newer technological options have widened the windows to healthcare communications and one such innovation is the emergence of Podcasts. Podcasts have been around for some time providing audio experiences to diverse fields but its passage into the healthcare industry has unlocked a whole new dimension. 2005 to 2016 has witnessed increased publications about it, reinforcing the boon of medical podcasts.

What is a Medical Podcast?

Podcasts are the radio of a new era; they are digital audio files which can be easily downloaded and accessed at convenience. They have been instrumental in overhauling medical education. While some fields of medicine have active podcasts available, some are yet to venture into it.

Here is a list of Benefits of Podcasts

1. Sensory Experience

An audio format certainly adds more poundage to information. It gives depth to the kind of medical knowledge being disseminated and expedites assimilation due to its high sensory quotient.

2. Convenience

Needless to say, it is the most convenient mode of receiving information. All one would need is a listening device on the head and passion to learn, inside the head!

Click Here:- Scientific Presentations: The Canvas of Medical Industry

3. Expanding Perspectives

Podcasts offer more creative perspectives through strong mental imageries and critical thinking.

4. Deeper Engagement

Deep listening is a salient quality that a medical practitioner, willingly or unwillingly, needs to cultivate. Podcast listening helps practitioners have deeper engagement with not only the content, but also with their peers and patients. Practitioners who have experienced podcasts can even share the recordings with their patients and help them understand their conditions, treatment strategies, etc. The conversation and terminologies which are often tough to explain are made easy with podcasts.

5. Multitasking

One of the main reasons behind the popularity of medical podcasts is the liberty of
 multitasking. Podcasts will not ask for any extra time from your busy schedules. You can learn a new skill while folding your clothes or listen to case studies while walking. Listening to podcasts while working also has a positive impact on your co-ordination skills and judgment ability.

6. Pocket Friendly

A podcast gives you freedom from enrolling and paying for books. They are certainly
less expensive and an entertaining way to learn. One can gain knowledge about anything from the medical industry to stories of patients. Podcasts have their way to get involved with you and your daily life. You can play them anytime and anywhere and it will not burn a hole in your pocket.

7. Shrinking the Stress

The power of healing others leaves an impact on HCPs, nurses and other medical caregivers. Witnessing pain and suffering daily asks for the mind and eyes to rest. Auditory simulations can be deeply relaxing since they enhance your imagination and help in de-stressing.

8. Challenging Boundaries

Podcast is an equally well-equipped mode of disseminating medical information as a manuscript or a book and is a blessing for medical students and professionals who are visually impaired. Podcasts break the boundaries of physical challenges and keep them well-informed and aligned to the latest of the healthcare industry.

Medical podcasts are providing convenient access to medical knowledge. From just prescribing medications, to new clinical advancements, to drug development and information on diseases, podcasts are bringing a huge shift. However, unlike written content like manuscripts, emailers, newsletters and marketing documents to name a few, a podcast needs additionally skilled professionals to develop it. Considering the nuances of presenting accurate medical information through precise planning, language and grammar, diction, formatting, audio rendering, etc., ‘podcasting’ has now formally entered the world of medical communication. Having worked for over 85 podcast projects, Turacoz has proven to be one of the best in the game! And we are glad to share our knowledge and skills with all the interested ones through an upcoming webinar on how podcasts are created. Visit the link: https://turacoz.com/podcast-from-medical-education-to-scientific-dissemination/

Reference

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5717411/