Learnings from LinkedIn Learning Course "Customer Service Foundations" by Jeff Toister

Customer service is the support you offer to your customers, both existing and prospective customers.

Customer Service Foundations course is divided in to four parts-

• 1    Outstanding Customer Service
• 2.   Build Rapport
• 3.  Exceed Expectations
• 4.  Solve Problems

 1.      Outstanding Customer Service

There are three types of customer services-

·         Good Customer Service

·         Outstanding Customer Service

·         Poor Customer Service

Good Service occurs when customers’ expectations are met. Outstanding customer services service that exceeds your customers' expectation. The challenge with good service is that it is not very memorable. Poor Customer Service occurs when the experience is worse than the customer expected.

One of the unique challenges of the customer services that your customer decide how they feel, some said they feel great even though you haven't done anything special. On the contrary, they feel anger even after you try your hardest pushed off, so the best thing is to treat each customer as an individual and try to understand their unique needs. Customers often look at the people who serve them as a representative of the entire organization.

Customer Service	Customer Expectations	Memorable to Customer
Good Customer Service	Meet	Not Memorable
Outstanding Customer Service	Exceed	Highly Memorable
Poor Customer Service	Not Meet (Worst)	Highly Memorable

 Determine the value of outstanding customer service

Customer service is not easy, but one can choose extra effort to be outstanding. People go above and beyond because they get something out of it. Happy customers are easier to serve. There is a positive impact on co-workers, increased profits, retained customers, and positive word of mouth from customers who refers others to your organizations.

Identify your customers

We are dealing with different types of customers. It is helpful to identify their basic need. A customer is anyone you serve- clients, contractors, co-workers and even vendors (Internal and external customers)

Create customer service vision

Create your personal vision statement. Customer service vision refers to the way you want your customer to feel when you serve them. We can’t make every customer happy, but a personal service vision can inspire us to try. The visualization on positive feedback can helps you stay focused on providing outstanding service throughout each and every day.       

2.      Build Rapport

Building rapport with people you serve is one of the most essential skills in customer service. This creates a personal connection and hopefully getting them to know and like you. Rapport helps in breakdown barriers and makes everyone feels more comfortable. The customer tends to be more loyal when you established rapport and likely to forgive your mistakes.

A good greeting can immediately put a customer an ease and help you quickly developed a rapport. One of the most effective techniques is communicating a positive message with your tone of voice and your body language.

3.      Exceed Expectations

It is critical to learn each customer’s need, so you know how they want to be served. By doing this, you can avoid falling short of expectations and give yourself the opportunity to exceed them.

 4.      Solve Problems

Take ownership of problems

Taking ownership is one of the most important problem-solving skills in customer service. It involves taking extra efforts and accepting responsibility for finding a resolution. Problems often fall through cracks because nobody steps up to take responsibility. Many problems can be quickly fixed if just one person accepts ownership for finding a solution.          

Act on customer feedback

Any feedback comes from a customer is valuable. This feedback can be used to prevent problems from happening. One of the best ways to use customer feedback to improve service is to look for pain points.

Empathize with customer

Empathy is one of the most important customer service skills. It allows you to understand how a customer is feeling and use them to find ways to make them feel better or happy. Empathy is not always easy, but it is one of the those skills which creates a difference between good customer service and outstanding customer service.

Expand your influence

The problems we face are sometimes out of our control, but we can still provide outstanding customer service if we can find a way to leave each customer better off at end of our interactions.

Prevent negative emotions    

Working with negative or upset customer is always a challenging task in customer service. Here, preemptive acknowledgement technique is useful. This technique is used to prevent customer anger by spotting situations where a customer is likely to become angry and then addressing their negative emotions before they boil over.                        

Diffuse angry customers

Negative emotions can have a heavy influence on customers’ perceptions. Problems can even feel worse when a customer is upset or angry. According to Daniel Goleman, negative emotions hijack the rational part of the brain and people suddenly loose their ability to be reasonable until these strong emotions can be soothed. Start with a genuine desire to make angry customers feel better.

Anchor your own attitude

Friendly attitude is essential for outstanding customer service. There are times when we find ourselves in a bad mood. You can use a technique called the attitude anchor to help yourself start feeling positive once again. An attitude anchor is something that helps you anchor your attitude in a positive place. There are two types of anchors- Maintenance Anchors and Repair Anchors.

·         Maintenance Anchors – Things that help maintain a positive, upbeat, and customer-friendly attitude. Make a list of things you can do on regular basis to ensure you are in good mood. This list is personal, so it is different from person to person. For examples, Exercise, getting plenty of sleep, spending time with family or friends, etc.

·        Repair Anchors- Something that helps you get back into a positive mood when you start feeling a little grumpy. For example, take a walk, have some chocolate or cup of tea/coffee, spend a moment to talk with a co-worker, listen to music, etc.

Tips for better customer services-

• 10 and 5 Rule- Giving non-verbal acknowledgements at 10 feet and verbal acknowledgement at 5 feet
• Attitude Anchor- Something that helps you anchor your attitude in a positive place
• Active Listening – Giving a full attention to the customer and purposefully trying to understand them
• Empathy- Understand how a customer is feeling and use that insight to find ways to make them feel better
• Need (Emotional Need and Rational Need) – The specific assistance a customer request and how a customer wants to feel about their experience
• Non-Verbal Communication – Communication with people without using words- body language, eye contact, facial expressions, etc.
• Five Question Technique- a technique that helps start a conversation by using five questions that will break the ice, make a customer feel more comfortable or uncover an additional opportunity to serve
• Preemptive acknowledgement- a technique used to prevent customer anger by spotting situations where a customer is likely to become angry and addressing the negative emotions before they pea

Ref: LinkedIn Learning Course- Customer Service Foundations (URL: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/customer-service-foundations-2?u=64692308)

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PRAC Safety Review of Veklury (Remdesivir) on Acute Kidney Injury

PRAC 👮initiated a review on safety signal to assess reports of acute kidney injury in some patients with COVID-19 taking Veklury (remdesivir).

The PRAC has started this review based on the results from continuous signal detection work undertaken in EudraVigilance.

Veklury has given "conditional marketing approval" in the EU for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents from 12 years of age with pneumonia who require supplemental oxygen.

A "conditional marketing approval" means more evidence required to be submitted in post-authorisation phase.

At the time of marketing authorisation application, renal toxicity was evaluated based upon animal studies and this was reflected as an important potential risk in the Risk Management Plan (RMP). This means further information required for better understanding of the effects of remdesivir on the kidney. 

The provision of additional monitoring in place to pick up reports of unwanted effects and acute kidney injury is being followed as an adverse event of special interest (AESI) in monthly summary safety reports for remdesivir. 

According to EMA, it has not been determined whether there is a causal relationship between Veklury and the reports of acute kidney injury.

The PRAC will carefully assess all available data to evaluate if the medicine may have been responsible for the kidney problems and if there is a need to update the existing information for Veklury.

The product information already advises doctors to monitor patients for renal impairment prior to and during treatment and not start treatment in patients with an important decrease in renal function.

Ref📚: EMA- Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 28 September - 1 October 2020

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Benadryl Challenge: FDA warns about serious problems with high doses of the allergy medicine diphenhydramine

Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine used to temporarily relieve symptoms due to hay fever, upper respiratory allergies, or the common cold, such as runny nose and sneezing.  It works by blocking histamine in the body, which is a substance that causes allergic symptoms.  When used as recommended, it is a safe and effective medicine.  Diphenhydramine is marketed under the brand-name Benadryl, store brands, and generics.  It is also available in combination with pain relievers, fever reducers, and decongestants.  

On September 24, 2020 FDA warned that taking higher than recommended doses of the common over the counter (OTC) allergy medicine diphenhydramine (brand name Benadryl) can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or even death.

FDA further added that teenagers ending up in emergency rooms or dying after participating in the “Benadryl Challenge” encouraged in videos posted on the social media application TikTok.

FDA investigating these reports and conducting a review to determine if additional cases have been reported.

FDA also contacted TikTok and strongly urged them to remove the videos from their platform and to be vigilant to remove additional videos that may be posted.  

Instruction for consumers, parents, and caregivers

Consumers, parents, and caregivers should store diphenhydramine and all other OTC and prescription medicines up and away and out of children’s reach and sight. 

FDA recommended to lock up medicines to prevent accidental poisonings by children and misuse by teens, especially when they are home more often due to the COVID-19 pandemic and may be more likely to experiment.  

Always read the Drug Facts label included on all OTC medicines to find out if they contain diphenhydramine, how much and how often you should take them, and important safety information. 

Do not take more than the dose listed on the label, as doing so can cause serious problems.  If someone takes too much diphenhydramine and is hallucinating, can’t be awakened, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, or has collapsed, immediately get medical attention or contact poison control at 1-800-222-1222 or online. 

Instruction for Health care professionals

Health care professionals should be aware that the “Benadryl Challenge” is occurring among teens and alert their caregivers about it.  Encourage teens and caregivers to read and follow the Drug Facts label.  In the event of an overdose, health care professionals should attempt to determine whether a patient with a suspected overdose took diphenhydramine.

FDA urges health care professionals and consumers to report side effects involving diphenhydramine and other medicines to the FDA MedWatch program, using the information in the “Contact FDA” box at the bottom of the page.

Source: FDA Drug Safety Communications 

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Updated MHRA Guidance on the PSMF for products authorized in UK

                                                                  MHRA

From 1 January 2021, for medicines authorized in Great Britain, Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) holders must maintain PSMF that described the pharmacovigilance system for UK authorized products.

• The PSMF must describe the global pharmacovigilance system and reflect the global availability of safety information for UK authorized products.
• MAH need to make sure that every pharmacovigilance system covering UK authorized products has been assigned a unique PSMF number by the MHRA.
• A UK PSMF number can be requested via the MHRA Submissions Portal from 1 January 2021.
• A UK PSMF number can be requested via the MHRASubmissions Portal from 1 January 2021.
• Single request for UK PSMF number should be submitted to MHRA, where the pharmacovigilance system is shared by several MAHs.

• For MAs that are specific to Great Britain: PSMF must be accessible electronically at the same point in the UK from which the reports of suspected adverse reactions referred to in regulation 187 of the HMRs are accessible.

For MAs that are specific to Great Britain, legal requirements concerning the format and content of the PSMF are outlined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of HMR, which mirrors Chapter I of CIR. 

• For MAs that cover the whole of the UK or are specific to Northern Ireland: the PSMF must be located either at the site in the European Union, where the main pharmacovigilance activities are performed or at the site where the QPPV operates, in accordance with Article 7(1) of the CIR. The PSMF must be accessible electronically at the same point in the UK from which the reports of suspected adverse reactions referred to in regulation 187 of the HMRs are accessible.

For MAs that cover the whole of the UK or are specific to Northern Ireland, the legal requirements concerning the format and content of the PSMF that are outlined in Chapter I of CIR will remain unchanged.

As the legal requirements concerning PSMF format and content are identical for MAs that cover the whole of the UK and Northern Ireland, and those that are specific to Great Britain, a single PSMF can be used for all UK authorized products.

Source💬: MHRA- www.gov.uk 

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MHRA Submission: The Role of Initial Company Administrator

The UK has left the EU, and the transition period after Brexit comes to an end this year. From 1 January 2021, for medicines authorized in Great Britain, Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH), will be required to submit pharmacovigilance data to the MHRA, according to GB requirements.

MHRA will require following submissions via the new MHRA Gateway or/ICSR Submissions portal.

• All pharmaceutical companies involved in making medicines regulatory submissions and vigilance activities
• All medicines clinical trial sponsors wishing to make clinical trial submissions (Initial Applications, Substantial Amendments, End of Trial Notifications and Developmental Safety Update Reports (DSURs)) to the Agency
• E-cigarette producers
• Brokers of medicinal products·

The first person in an organization who completes the registration process will become the initial company administrator.

Factors to be considered for initial company administrator-

1. 👉Smaller Organizations- a company administrator may also be responsible for making submissions or managing a team who will make submissions. It is recommended that each organization has more than one company administrator.

2. 👉Larger Organizations – may have different teams or departments who will be doing submission via MHRA Submission Portal like regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance units, clinical trials teams etc. MAH need to carefully consider who is best in organizations for initial company administrator. This person will be responsible for adding further company administrators.

 A difference between Company Administrator and User

 👮A company Administrator: -

• A company administrator has the ability to add, edit and disable other users.
• A company administrator will also be able to see records of submissions made by users.
• A company administrator also has the ability to register multiple companies under their account.
• The initial company administrator will have the same permissions as any subsequent company administrators. However, they will be responsible for completing the user access steps for the organization and setting up the first set of additional company administrators and users.
• There are no limits to the number of company administrators

 👷A User:

• A user cannot add other users and can only make submissions for the organization they are registered to.
• A user will not see records of submissions made by other users.
• They can be added to multiple legal entities if required.

Note: if adding more than 5 users at a time, the changes will be made but you will be redirected to the homepage rather than the “user maintenance” page. To confirm that your new users have been added, simply navigate back to the “user maintenance” page.

Source: MHRA- www. gov. uk

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How to gain access for performing submissions to the MHRA from 1 January 2021

 

The following groups will need to take access to MHRA Submissions in order to start submissions from 1 January 2021:

• All pharmaceutical companies involved in making medicines regulatory submissions and vigilance activities
• All medicines clinical trial sponsors wishing to make clinical trial submissions (Initial Applications, Substantial Amendments, End of Trial Notifications and Developmental Safety Update Reports (DSURs)) to the Agency
• E-cigarette producers
• Brokers of medicinal products

Gaining access to MHRA submission can be divided into three parts –

• User registration – the end to end process for adding an initial company administrator
• Add a new user – add an internal colleague as a user or company administrator
• Add a new external user – add a third-party consultant/consultancy as a user or company administrator

Prerequisite points💬 –

• The first Person In any organization who completes the registration process will become the first responsible administrator. Hence it is advisable that right person with appropriate consensus/permission becomes company administrator (registering as company administrator without permission could cause unnecessary confusion and delay to the company’s operational activities.
• Access of 5-digit company number(s) if any organization has previously submitted to the MHRA. (If you have not submitted to the MHRA, please email reference.data@mhra.gov.uk as you will need to register as a new company prior to beginning this process).
• All third-party consultants/consultancies have their own 5-digit company number and have registered for MHRA Submissions using that number.         

New Users

New users can straightway reach to MHRA account request page via the following link-

https://mhrabpm.appiancloud.com/suite/plugins/servlet/registration

Source: MHRA- www.gov.uk

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