Healthcare Supply Chain Technology and Strategy

While not as prevalent today as in the past, there has been tension between group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and distributors over the years. A good deal of the tension was the result of a misunderstanding as to the roles each plays in the supply chain. For instance, many distributors believed — and may still believe — that they are in competition with GPOs. DEEPER INSIGHTS Turn Buyer Expectations into your Competitive Advantage While its not true for all GPOs and all situations, in the health care industry and in scores of other industries, that is not the case. In fact, instead of competing, distributors often can benefit from their association with GPOs. The Truth is it's almost impossible to exist in the health care supply chain without some GPO affiliations or membership. But the fact remains that the distributor remains the key element in the supply chain: the manufactured products are distributed and sold by the distributor and the distributor receives their typical fee...

why chatbots can’t replace B2B customer support agents yet.... Chat bots are computer programs that mimic conversation with people using artificial intelligence. They can transform the way you interact with the internet from a series of self-initiated tasks to a quasi-conversation.  Often  Technology can change an industry. In the ’90s, email completely revolutionized the way customers interact with companies, and live chat made these interactions even more instantaneous. So what will be the next technology trend to come along and change the way businesses communicate with each other? Some professionals in the B2B (business-to-business) customer support industry are speculating that  chatbots , a way of receiving automated responses based on the user-submitted text in chat, will be the next major evolution in customer communication. But are they right? Let’s take a look at how chatbots currently mesh with B2B customer support and if they truly have the potential...

A recent survey of 1,250 U.S. adults found 25% of those claiming to be Amazon Prime subscribers purchased goods via the Prime Now rapid-delivery service in January. The firm declares the figure to represent "extremely impressive early penetration of our estimated 40MM+ US Prime members."  24% of respondents said they purchased goods weekly via Prime Now, and 70% multiple times per month. Prime Now users bought from four categories (Media, Electronics, Groceries, etc.) on average in January, with 33% of respondents in the 18-34 demographic using the service to buy goods from a local grocery store.   Prime Now , launched in Dec. 2014, is now available in 24 U.S. markets. The service provides (via dedicated Prime Now apps ) free two-hour delivery to Prime subs for orders involving qualifying items, a 1-hour delivery for a $7.99 fee. Amazon has partnered with local restaurants to enable food delivery via Prime Now, and has hired part-time delivery drivers (echoes of Uber) to h...

Far too often, pricing for distributors turns into a futile exercise in juggling. At any given moment you may be dealing with up to thousands of customers purchasing from your list of hundreds of thousands of products after intensely negotiating their contracts. Mixed with supplier prices, transportation, and other costs, this can lead to razor-thin margins. Add deliberations with your suppliers and wavering inventory turnover rates and it can become too much to handle. Now factor in the multiple technological solutions distributors tend to use to manage their various data elements, such as customer rebates, supplier programs, competitive cross reference files, etc. This creates a cycle of missed opportunities to improve margins and profit. One could make the point that it's likely that you need a real system to help you navigate the complexity of such a pricing model, but the reality is that when you think about it, Simplicity is complex. Most distributors still adhere to traditi...

Distributors typically look at training as a necessary evil so it is something they do reluctantly for their customers, or push it off on a manufacturer representative. The training that is provided is uninspired, and the class will likely not be well attended, which goes to confirm the distributors believe that very few customers are really interested in training. This of course is simply not true, and many distributors are likely unaware of the powerful opportunity this is to build a strong and long lasting relationship with their customers. Often at the expense of the manufacturer. The key to a successful training program is to design training that is irresistible to your customers. If you provide a class hitting on an important topic to your local product community, your class will sell out and the folks who attended will be impressed with what your supply chain can do for them. How to develop training The best way to develop interesting training is to listen to your customers....

Today the Internet is filled to the brim with white papers and e-books on how to create an setup your website, social media  and sales automation tools to maximize your results. However as is very often the case , everything old is sometimes new again.  No matter what the latest tools are,  it’s good bet that the basic rules of marketing will  never  change because they are firmly grounded in consumer psychology. So today is a little refresher on some basic marketing and sales tactics that we likely all know, but we may not remember. Of course with an eye towards how technology can help you hit the high points. 1. Being first matters more than being better. Whenever a company is “first” in a new category, as Coke was with carbonated soft drinks, the impression it makes lasts for generations. Coca-Cola was founded in 1892. In the 124 years since, countless rival brands have come and gone. Only Pepsi (founded in 1898, only six years after Coke) remains a real...