Pharma Web Sites Little Improved

Major pharmaceutical and healthcare firms have slightly improved response to enquiries from their Web sites since the Spring, but otherwise their online performance has given 'little to cheer', according to the Fall 2003 study by international research and consulting firm The Customer Respect Group.

Overall, Health Net was the highest scoring health care firm, St. Jude Medical scored highest among medical products and equipment firms, Abbott Laboratories was the highest scoring pharmaceutical firm and D&K Healthcare Resources fared best among health care wholesalers.

The study assigns a Customer Respect Index (CRI) rating to each company on a scale of one to 10, a combined qual and quant measure of a customer's online experience interacting with the company. More than 40 different attributes are measured, and grouped together as Privacy (respects customer privacy), Principles (values and respects customer data), Attitude (customer-focus of site), Transparency (open and honest policies), Simplicity (ease of navigation), and Responsiveness (quick and thorough responses to inquiries).

Looking at the four sub-sectors in turn, results are as follows:

Overall CRI for health care firms improved slightly from 5.3 to 5.5 since the Spring. Surveyed firms receive the best overall rating (CRI: 7.0) for Simplicity and the worst (CRI: 4.8) for Responsiveness, despite the latter showing the biggest gain, from 3.9 to 4.8. In the spring study, 57% of firms did not respond to online inquiries sent via their Web sites. This has markedly improved - but is still very high at 32%. Of those that did respond, 48% did so within 48 hours, 13% responded within 72 hours and 39% responded after three days or more.

Among medical products and equipment firms, overall CRI dropped from 6.7 in the spring to 6.4 in the fall, with Responsiveness down from 6.5 to 5.6. Surveyed firms receive the best overall rating (CRI: 8.1) for Simplicity and the worst for Responsiveness. 33% respond to online inquiries within 48 hours (well down on the Spring), 13% responded within 72 hours and 27% responded after three days or more, with the remaining 27% not responding at all.

Pharmaceutical firms' overall CRI improved slightly from 5.9 in the spring to 6.1. Gains in ratings for Simplicity, and in %s responding at all to enquiries were partly offset by slower response times. Surveyed firms receive the best overall rating (CRI: 8.2) for Simplicity and the worst (CRI: 3.9) for Responsiveness. Almost half (43%) of firms didn't respond to online inquiries. Of those that did, 50% did so within 48 hours, 12% responded within 72 hours and 38% responded after three days or more.

Among health care wholesalers, overall CRI was constant at 5.8, with a big improvement in Responsiveness from 3.5 to 4.6, but lower scores in the Principles scale, which measures the collection and treatment of personal data and the quality of responses to inquiries. The best overall rating was 7.8 for Simplicity and the worst was for Responsiveness. 22% of firms didn't respond to online inquiries. Of those that did, 43% did so within 48 hours, while 57 % responded after 72 hours.

'While we are heartened to see a general improvement in the inquiry response rate, there is little else to cheer in the fall study', said Donal Daly, chairman of The Customer Respect Group. 'Pharmaceutical and healthcare firms should take note that the respectfulness of a Web site sets a crucial business tone for relationships with customers, prospects, business partners and investors'.

As well as rankings, the report details improvement opportunities for each company. The Customer Respect Group's Web site is at www.CustomerRespect.com

Full tables for fall 2003 ranking for each sub-sector are as follows:

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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