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Ask many small business owners what goes into providing great customer service and you have answers such as, being polite, serving promptly, keeping your promises etc. But in this hi-tech age, we tend t

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

o forget that the humble letter has just as an important role in ensuring good customer service. Yet how many times have you received a ‘letter of apology’ which makes you even more dissatisfied? The me

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ssage it conveys, the language used – all designed to wind you up!

With some careful thought, a well-crafted letter can provide comfort to a complaining customer and enhance your reputation as a custom

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

r-focused business. In this article I am going to share some tips on how to write a great letter.

What are you writing for?

To write a great letter you have to be in the right frame of mind. A

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

re you writing to handle a complaint, answer a query or to thank them for placing an order? Framing the letter in the right context means you will use the appropriate language and the tone will be right

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

. Try writing a thank you letter as if you are responding to a complaint – the message is totally different.

Before putting pen to paper, think for a minute and decide what your aim or goal is.

Sta

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

e your purpose

Start off by summarising why you are writing. Open your letter by saying that you are responding to a query, or to resolve a problem they have had. This set out to the reader why you

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

are contacting them and puts them in the right frame of mind to accept your message. An opening summary will grab their attention.

Include a W.I.I.F.M.

No, this is not some obscure radio stat

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

ion! WIIFM stands for ‘What’s in it for me?’ To truly engage your customer and get them on your side, you have to include a benefit for them. They have to get something out of your letter so they feel s

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

tisfied. What could their WIIFM be? Their complaint may be resolved; they may get a discount voucher; a priority service the next time they use you. If the compliant is a minor one, a simple, heartfelt

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

apology may be enough!

Study your letter carefully and make sure you have a WIIFM moment.

Don’t say ‘I’

Wherever possible, avoid littering your letter with I’s. The reader will find it hard to

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

link with you if they receive ‘me, me, me’ letters. Review your letters and wherever possible substitute ‘I’ with ‘you’. Change the focus to the reader. Make them feel valued.

Write as you speak
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

I forget the number of times I have received letters, which read as if they were written in the early 1900’s! Packed full of boring, stiff and outdated language – too formal. Your writing style should
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
reflect the way you talk. After all, providing good customer service is partly down to how you interact or communicate with your client and letters play an important role.

So, review your letters and
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
get rid of those phrases you learnt in school letter-writing lessons!

“Please do this…”

Having written a great letter, you don’t want it to tail off into nothing. Have a clear action-orientate
t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
close. Make sure your reader knows what you expect him to do next – “call me so we can discuss this idea in more depth”, “Fill in the attached form and pop it in the post”, “send me an order” (a bit st
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
rong perhaps but certainly to the point!). A resounding call-to-action is a great way to finish a letter and leaves the customer in no doubt what he has to do next – another element of good customer se
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
rvice.

Ask someone to check your letter

If you are writing a very important letter or one containing a complex message, it’s wise to ask someone to proof read it. This is not just to check your
.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
spelling but also to check readability. Is the structure of the message you wish to convey clear and understandable? You’ll be amazed by what someone else will pick up which you have completely missed!
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

So, there you have it. Some useful tips on how to write a superb letter, which will further enforce your image of providing exceptional customer service.

© Robert Warlow Small Business Succes

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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