While many companies say that customer service is a key factor in their operations, few carry this through in action. The customer service ethic is fundamental in IHD processes, with systems and points at which customers interact with IHD geared with this goal in mind.

  

08600 00 IHD (08600 00 443) is the single national number to contact any customer service within IHD. This number is for placing an order, enquiring about an account, returning a product, finding out the status of a delivery or for any query relating to IHD. The single number service was implemented on request from customers to reduce the volume of contact details and numbers to remember.

In keeping with modern call centre practice, calls to 08600 00 IHD are monitored for quality assurance purposes. As the functionality for a number of departments are combined, callers are required at the outset to enter their selection using touch-tone technology to be directed to an agent. The single contact number is a sharecall service, so callers only pay for the cost of a local call.

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IHD has an obligation to conduct best business and accounting practices on the customer accounts managed on behalf of the manufacturers. The standard month-end is the last trading day of the calendar month. The IHD standard terms of account payment are 30 (thirty) days from date of statement.

   

Failure to meet the applicable payment terms or exceeding the credit limit available will result in an account automatically being placed on hold. The customer will only be able to place orders once payment has been received.

   

In the interest of security, IHD encourages customers to use electronic funds transfer (EFT) facilities to pay accounts. Please note that funds must be received into the IHD bank account by month-end in order to be reflected as an on time payment. EFT payments may take a few days to be fully processed by the banking system and reflect as received at IHD.

   

Queries on statements must be made within 30 days from date of statement, and proof of delivery requests can only be accessed off live data within this time frame. Later queries must be accessed off archive data with a longer retrieval time and corresponding delay in resolving the query.

   

The credit control or accounts department can be contacted via 08600 00 IHD (08600 00 443) option 1, alternatively the direct contact details of the relevant credit controller are reflected on the customer statement.

   

The stock management information provided by IHD to the manufacturers enables the various companies to plan stock holding as ideally as possible. However, due to circumstances beyond the control of IHD and the manufacturer concerned, out-of-stock situations do occur. The backorder facility was developed to facilitate immediate supply to the market once a product is available. When an out-of-stock situation occurs, the customer is offered the opportunity of placing the product on backorder, and IHD will supply as soon as it becomes available. It is not necessary for the customer to continuously check availability, as orders will be filled on a first order placed – first filled basis. Approval is obtained prior to placing an order line on backorder. Once all the backorders are filled the stock is made available for general sale. Backorders are charged at the price prevailing at the time of placing the order, and any subsequent adjustments between the time of placing the order and delivery are not applicable. Backorders can be changed or deleted at any time prior to the release to pick instruction. If an order can only be partially filled, the system does not delete the remainder of the order. It remains on record and is supplied as soon as the outstanding product becomes available.

Customer care provides a single access point and one stop shop service for any IHD service or delivery query on 08600 00 IHD (08600 00 443) option 2. The customer care team is available from 7:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Friday, and 8:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays. The customer care team undertakes to give a response within 90 minutes of the query having been raised.

The national Customer Liaison team is the IHD field force calling on customers around South Africa. The team provides value added business services such as assistance with streamlining ordering patterns, onsite Futurewave training and information on industry and IHD developments.

     

IHD operates a 24-hour day, 365 days a year Emergency Service via a toll-free number – 0800 11 36 16 – for the urgent provision of medication in lifesaving situations. The Emergency Service operates off a list of critical lines supplied by the manufacturers, and the staff manning the Service are required to evaluate each situation individually. They also have access to the professional expertise of a pharmacist to evaluate the situation. The order is supplied as soon as possible, given resources and logistics constraints. Usage of the Emergency Service is closely monitored as historically this Service has been abused and utilised for non-emergency situations.

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Launched in 1996, Futurewave was one of the very first business-to-business ordering systems via the internet and is currently the largest internet-based ordering system for pharmaceuticals.

     

Futurewave is not only an ordering system, but also a powerful business management tool. It offers users secure access to online purchasing history, thereby providing valuable information for optimal stock management. In effect, users are interacting directly with IHD systems and can instantly obtain a wealth of information relating to their IHD account and transactions.

     

IHD offers all the benefits of Futurewave at absolutely no cost to the user. In order to take advantage of Futurewave, customers must register their account as a Futurewave user. Speak to your customer liaison representative to access the benefits of Futurewave, or call IHD on 08600 00 IHD (08600 00 443).

      

IHD offers customers an easy to use single, national number for the placement of telephonic orders. By dialling 08600 00 IHD (08600 00 443) and selecting option 3, callers are connected to a centralised state-of-the-art call centre utilising the latest in call centre technology. Through this sharecall number, the caller only pays for the cost of a local telephone call. The telephonic order service is available from 7:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays and 8:00 to 11:00 on public holidays.

      

In a consultative venture, IHD hosts Pharmacy Advisory Forums on a national and regional level. The initial aim of the Forums was to address many misconceptions about the workings and operations of IHD and other service issues. With time, however, the Forum has grown to be an invaluable channel for IHD regarding input on how the company can improve the service provided.

   

Regular national meetings are held, together with regional meetings in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban. The Forum gives participating retail pharmacists the opportunity to provide input into the manner in which IHD conducts business, feedback to other pharmacists in their area and a sounding board for projects in progress or under consideration.

   

Click here for more information about the Forum.

   

If you have any issues you would like raised at the next Forum meeting please contact one of the members. Click on the name of the person you would like to contact for direct e-mail access.

Click here to access listing of Forum members.

IHD implements the returns policy as stipulated by the manufacturers in accordance with their international quality assurance standards. Products are not sold on a sale or return basis, but on a non-returnable basis, with the following exceptions:

• If goods were supplied in error, incorrectly supplied or were damaged in transit provided that IHD is notified within 48 hours from delivery;
• Product recall;
• Quality complaint;
• Expired goods, in the month of expiry and within three months after expiry date, and the customer has not ordered better-dated stock.

Certain of the manufacturers have applied more stringent limitations. The staff answering your call will be able to advise you of any deviations from the standard returns policy.

   

IHD staff members are not permitted to make a returns decision contrary to the documented policy.

   

Please note that no fridgeline items will be accepted for credit or return.

   

The returns procedure has been designed in order to support product security systems. To support the batch tracking facility, only stock that has been purchased from IHD will be considered for return subject to the conditions stipulated above.

   

Furthermore, in the event of goods being supplied in error or expired product, IHD cannot accept for credit any items that are not in a re saleable condition, products that have been marked or feature customer pricing.

   

The returns procedure is outlined below:

• Contact the product returns department on 08600 00 IHD (08600 00 443) option 4 to request a claim reference number between 7:00 and 19:00 from Monday to Friday. If a product has been supplied in error a claim must be requested within 48 hours of delivery.
• If the claim is acceptable within the returns policy, a claim reference number will be issued.
• To obtain a claim reference number the customer must supply their IHD account number, the relevant IHD invoice number, the details of the product to be returned and the quantity of products for return. The claim reference number is used to track returned goods and to ensure a clean paper trail for auditing purposes.
• Once a claim reference number has been issued the system generates a pick-up instruction unless there is nothing to collect (e.g. short supplied). This instruction is reflected on the driver’s collection trip sheet.
• Without a claim reference number, no pick-up instruction will be created and no collection will be made. It is therefore imperative to request a claim reference number. The driver may not uplift any product without the appropriate instruction from the customer returns department.
• Products and the relevant documents must be packed in a cardboard box, and the box sealed with tape, so as to prevent damage or theft.
• When a driver arrives to uplift a parcel, the collection trip sheet must be signed by the customer. For security purposes the documentation accompanying the driver is pre-printed. Any amendments will render the claim null and void.
• Once the goods have been received by IHD they are checked and a decision is made regarding the credit. If the credit is refused this is communicated to the customer. If the credit is passed, a credit note will be supplied with the next monthly statement. The credit is reflected against the appropriate invoice on the statement.