Digital is the new normal - Digitalization is expanding into all areas of life. The health care system is no exception. For some time now, health care providers and the industry at large have been working on innovative digital solutions.
These solutions had to prove themselves under the difficult conditions of the pandemic—at the same time, digitalization of other areas of health care proceeded boldly, yet prudently. We at B. Braun also faced serious challenges. How can sales be made digital? What changes when training is consistently digitalized? And how can we efficiently work together remotely? We provide answers to these questions, and talk about significant tasks, creative ideas and new ways forward.
1. Close to the customer: sales
When Florian Golinelli talks about EinsteinVision, he practically gets carried away. The camera system by B. Braun is used for minimally invasive surgeries. With a special set of glasses, the surgeon sees a detailed, three-dimensional image of the inside of the body. “You can’t operate well if you can't see anything,” said Golinelli, who is responsible for surgical products at B. Braun France. Before an EinsteinVision system is used for the first time, B. Braun staff often spend several days with the OR team in order to explain the complex processes involved and to answer questions. The pandemic struck just after Golinelli’s team had installed an EinsteinVision system at the Clinique de Champagne medical clinic in Troyes for a test run and the hospital would no longer allow outside visitors. Together with the hospital, the B. Braun team decided to carry on with the training digitally - with success.
“The sales manager and the customer didn't meet once. “Before the pandemic, that would've been utterly unthinkable,” said Catherine Bidaut, who monitored the project for the Sales department. For her, this experience is just one of many examples of how digital tools improve the sales and consulting process. Where before great effort would have been taken to arrange an initial in-person meeting, now basic requirements can be explained via video conference and things can get moving sooner. And if technical questions arise during use, a service technician can quickly be contacted. The remove service is an addition to the current offering: “Our customers are also excited,” said Golinelli. However, the sales and consulting process for highly complex products cannot be 100 percent digitalized.
B. Braun uses a blended sales concept. “With this, we combine the best of both worlds: virtual and onsite,” said René Trinder, director of global sales management for basic care products. “Regular virtual meetings
and virtual prequalification on customer topics create more closeness despite the distance and provide the opportunity to design project cycles with our customers even more efficiently,” said Trinder. “Our customers also like the time they save.”