Exemplary healthcare and pharmaceutical account management requires much more than a round of onboarding training. Continuing education gives account management professionals the knowledge and tools they need to deliver the outstanding customer service that your clientele expects. By working to close specific skill and knowledge gaps and reinforce learned concepts through simulated application, a well-designed continuing learning program can dramatically expand your AM’s capabilities and generate higher revenue as a result.
Bridging Skill and Knowledge Gaps
The healthcare and pharmaceutical industries are some of the most fast-paced, ever-changing fields out there. Account managers must not only keep up with all of the new developments in these fields but also sharpen their sales skills and interpersonal knowledge. In this context, continuing education is not just beneficial: it is a necessity.
However, not all AMs need instruction on the same subjects. Starting the process by establishing a baseline for the AM’s knowledge base ensures that they do not waste their time working on skills and subject areas that they already know well. AMs’ baseline capabilities may be assessed using a variety of methods, including:
- Formal pre-training assessments
- Self-administered questionnaires
- Ratings and feedback from peers, supervisors, and customers
Once the AM’s strengths and weaknesses have been identified, they can be given targeted training based on that information. If the course is part of a refresher training initiative, it should also include any new information that has become relevant since the last time the AM received instruction on that topic. This ensures that the AM is always equipped to help customers navigate the changing healthcare market.
Solidifying Knowledge and Promoting Mastery
Additional learning is always worthwhile, but unless AMs can retain what they have learned and apply it to their daily tasks, it cannot be used to generate new revenue. Continuing education always builds on previous knowledge, requiring AMs to refer back to past concepts and make mental connections to previous content. This underscores the importance of that foundational knowledge and makes the AM more likely to retain it in the long term.
The next step is to teach AMs how to apply the new information. After completing their assigned modules, AMs must be given another assessment to verify that they have mastered the material. This assessment should test their knowledge of course content and ask them to apply it to a variety of hands-on activities like role-plays, simulations, and games.
In completing these activities, AMs learn how to translate the course content into a framework they can use when faced with similar real-world scenarios. Over time, adhering to this framework will lead to higher customer satisfaction, more sales, and other favorable business outcomes.
Enjoy In-Depth Instruction with Proven ROI from The Brooks Group
If you are interested in putting the power of continuing education to work for your account management team, consider commissioning a set of custom courses from The Brooks Group. Our instructional design services offer blended learning courses tailored to your organization’s unique needs and goals. Contact us today to begin developing your own continuing education program with one of the top healthcare consulting firms in the industry.