This Case study is on a U.S. based patient market research company that has been connecting patients and caregivers with opportunities to participate in research since 2013. Their goal is to enable patients and caregivers to share their experiences with companies developing products and services to impact their medical conditions and ultimately improve lives. Initially, working in the U.S. and Canada only, they have now expanded to the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand.
CHALLENGES
- Patient and caregiver data is housed in multiple spreadsheets, making proposal development a complex task.
- Expanding project load left the project management team feeling overwhelmed.
- Targeting study invites to multiple disease areas became a challenge.
- Inefficient to go to external vendors for programming and scheduling assistance.
- Expansion to Europe meant that the database needed to be GDPR compliant.
THEY NEEDED
- The system stores all information in one place, platform is easy to use.
- Q One Tech staff helps the client’s internal team with everything from programming and project management to new product development.
- Proposal automation module specifically designed for this client.
- With more targeted filtering options, it is possible to choose options and target the right people.
Q ONE PLATFORM ADVANTAGES:
Proposal Automation Module (PAM) – This tool, developed specifically for RPV, has been a game-changer for the sales team. It is connected to the panel and automatically provides clients with project feasibility and costs. Clients can create their own proposals and the team uses PAM to generate proposals for clients.
Project management – Adding MR Tech Ops project managers (PM) to the team as a service was a major benefit for this client. MR Tech Ops trains project managers on the structure and functionality of the database and prepares PMs with detailed instruction on the client’s processes and procedures. MR Tech Ops PMs jump in to manage projects seamlessly. Each MR Tech Ops PM works on all types of projects (qualitative and quantitative) which enables a good balance among PMs. MR Tech Ops PMs handle the
same number of projects as internal PMs. Everyone has a similar workload, and it is easier to handle demanding tasks. The MR Tech Ops PMs are integrated into the team and receive wonderful praise from external clients for their exceptional customer service and efficiency. Clients are happy because they get more individualized attention with regular daily updates on project results since managers can be more focused and dedicated to their obligations. Furthermore, their internal team is more satisfied and can work without stress because now they have the benefit of additional assistance from the MR Tech Ops PM team.
Panel management – This process is now automated, and the team can check feasibility, verify panellists, recognize fraud, and manage profiles seamlessly. Soon integration of the Research Defender tool will enable fraud elimination automatically. MR Tech Ops staff also support panel management by checking on profiles through Socketlabs which identifies why some panel members are flagged as quarantined, who opened their email, are sent emails flagged as spam by accident. MR Tech Ops staff reach out to panellists and check if they would still like to participate in a study. All of this increases the response rate and ensures that those patients and caregivers who are validated remain as part of the panel.
Survey design – This solution enables projects to run seamlessly, as PMs can easily program quick screeners without any delay. Now, everything is in one system, and is easy to fully screen which people are right for the project. Truly efficient method.
Platform flexibility – The platform is easy to use and enables PMs to set the right filters in the study invitation, which leads to better targeting. PMs can send invitations, track response rates, and pay honoraria through one system.
Development – This client is always looking for ways to become more efficient and serve their clients better. To that end, the Q One Tech development team and MR Tech Ops services support team have been essential. Additional functionality is always being developed and tested, and client requests for new features are quickly integrated into the development schedule. Items such as a qualitative platform improved scheduling functionality, and improvements to the PAM tool are on the horizon.
CONCLUSION
Working with Q One Tech and MR Tech Ops was described as life-changing. Both teams are enthusiastic and proactive. Programmers, project managers, and panel managers are equally committed and want to help the client in every way possible. Today, the client can better respond to their clients’ needs and are happy to have a chance of using such a cost-effective and helpful platform, as well as meeting motivated team members who are so nice to work with. As the business grows, Q One Tech and MR Tech Ops are there to support them every step of the way.
Case study by Pam Cusick, Senior Vice President at Rare Patient Voice
