Purdue
Purdue Pharma meets data analysis and business-decision support
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Company Overview
Purdue is one of a limited number of pharmaceutical companies in Canada that has continued to maintain a fully integrated Research and Development (R&D) formulation laboratory, drug development function and manufacturing facility in Canada - in addition to finance, marketing and sales activities. Purdue is positioned to participate in the earliest stages of product development - providing a broad variety of business-building opportunities from both national and worldwide sources.
Business Challenge
Within the highly competitive pharmaceutical industry, the ability to track business indicators, sales data and market trends is critical to success. Purdue was using a paper-based reporting system where reports were generated on a monthly basis, printed and then distributed to employees. “We needed a new analysis platform that would deliver an accurate, fast and complete data solutions based on our increasingly complex information, says Chris Kostka, Vice President Sales, Purdue Pharma.
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Solution
Purdue enlisted the help of Microsoft Gold Certified partner GHI Technologies to develop a business intelligence (BI) solution that would meet its organizational requirements. GHI Technologies is a leading BI and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions provider, focusing on platforms that offer superior business process solutions. GHI has extensive experience in developing and deploying BI and CRM solutions for the pharmaceutical, transportation, distribution and retail industries.
"The technical solutions that are available from GHI Technologies represent solid software partnerships and strategies," says Kostka. "They are designed to meet the needs of our market and they have the technical expertise and resources necessary to deliver the right solution to help meet our unique business needs."
Valuable technical collaboration and partnerships are based on a mutual agreement and understanding of both vendor and customer direction and strategies. "The technical relationship is a long–term partnership based on a determination of where the vendor and customer strategies overlap with added value," says Graham Hislop, Managing Director, GHI Technologies Company Ltd. "Our relationship combines our IT expertise with Microsoft technology to implement strategic business intelligence solutions."
Working with the Microsoft Platform
After carefully researching the marketplace, Purdue selected Microsoft® software technology. GHI Technologies was able to deliver the solution Purdue wanted using Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 Enterprise Edition with Analysis Services and using Data Analyzer on the desktop. Capable of handling queries far more complex than those handled by standard relational databases, the Microsoft BI platform enables Purdue’s sales force to slice and dice data according to a wide range of criteria, including sales growth and market share.
Data to Meet Demand
One of the key strengths of the solution is that it enables Purdue to distribute important business information housed in various databases using a variety of channels and formats. "It is essential that our employees have a choice about how to download and view this information. They can quickly view the data in a variety of ways, which provides greater visibility into what is happening in our business,” says Kostka. “We have the flexibility of drilling down to a particular customer or postal code, which enables us to identify hot spots or problem areas and we can determine the appropriate course of action in a timely manner.”
Quicker Data Analysis, More Business Insight
The solution that GHI developed using the Microsoft BI solution meets Purdue’s intense data analysis requirements, enabling it to live up to the demands of its customers. Employees can now access information quickly, enabling them to make decisions based on a full and accurate data set. For example, Purdue’s head-office can now get a full view of the business and support the business decisions of sales management by implementing sales plans, strategies, performance tracking and resource allocation.
“The Microsoft BI platform provides the speed and flexibility to support real-time analysis, and the delivery of detailed account information. This empowers both Purdue’s sales team and brings customer care to a whole new level," says Hislop.
“The Purdue sales team now has the information and data analysis they need to respond more quickly to changes in the market place – which is a key advantage in the highly competitive pharmaceutical industry. It also means their sales team spends less time on analysis and more time in the field where it will have the most impact on their business,” says Tom Kavouras, V.P. Business Intelligence, GHI Technologies Company Ltd.
Business Benefits
Greater Productivity
For Purdue’s end-users, the BI implementation has eliminated the need for time-consuming reviews of paper-based reports and manual analysis. As the solution is delivered via the Web, it has been relatively simply for users to get comfortable using the system, and they have not required extensive training.
"Purdue end users really like it the solution and it saves people hours a day," Kavouras says. “Microsoft’s Data Analyzer is easy to use, easy to submit and retrieve data, and easy to administer. No one needs to have technical training and it gives Purdue control over their data in a way that was previously not possible.”
The sales team has been able to improve its productivity by eliminating time consuming analysis and research. In the past, it took hours to sift through years of data in the same geographic region to produce an appropriate commercial quotation. Today, data is compiled in a fraction of the time and the sales team can have confidence that they have the most accurate and up to date information. Additionally, when preparing reports or presentations, the sales team can now export bar graphs and pie charts, which enable them to provide management with a clear and informative snapshot of critical sales information.
Enhanced Business Agility
The Microsoft BI solution deployed by GHI, has provided Purdue with the ability to quickly analyze data and react to the market. For the company this technology is creating a true competitive advantage by providing employees at all levels with access to information, as they need it and the agility to meet customer needs.
“The Microsoft BI platform provides management with the insight we required into our business,” says Kostka. “It is essential to understand our market and sales trends. This newfound business agility will enhance our company's capacity to provide superior service to our clients and increase repeat business, while positioning the company for future growth."
Purdue’s BI implementation provides management with an unprecedented level of access to essential information, which is enabling them to more accurately determine the resulting increase/decrease in prescription behavior and develop business plans for the future accordingly. For managers, they now have access to information that enables them to “dial in” on messaging and segmentation strategies for marketing programs and then update materials for the field teams.
Microsoft Windows Server System
Microsoft® Windows Server System is a comprehensive, integrated, and interoperable server infrastructure that helps reduce the complexity and costs of building, deploying, connecting, and operating agile business solutions. Windows Server System helps customers create new value for their business through the strategic use of their IT assets. With the Windows Server operating system as its foundation, Windows Server System delivers dependable infrastructure for data management and analysis; enterprise integration; customer, partner, and employee portals; business process automation; communications and collaboration; and core IT operations including security, deployment, and systems management.
For more information about Windows Server System, go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem
For More Information
For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com
For more information about GHI Technologies products and services, call (905) 821-9210 or visit the Web site at: www.ghitechnologies.com
For more information about Purdue Pharma products and services, call 1-800-877-5666 or visit the Web site at: www.pharma.com
