At CenterFirst, we’ve worked with several top 20 pharma companies on big and small call center initiatives over the past eight years.  Along with success, implementation mistakes have been made and lessons learned.  Please feel free to add your favorites to this list of 5  down in the comment section.

1. Communicate 3 benefits - Even if the primary reason for the call center initiative is cost savings, there are likely at least two other good reasons for the project. Communicate three benefits (e.g. saves money, prepares for the future, improves customer engagement) of the project when securing executive sponsorship and promoting the project.
2. Assign a dedicated leader - I read a tweet today that simply said – “Focus accelerates.” There needs to be someone who thinks about the project everyday. The person leading the effort should have a two minute speech prepared with relevant and timely information about the three benefits of the project.  
3. Showcase early results – Pilot something that will produce results and gain momentum quickly. Even if the results are poor and unexpected, act quickly to iterate and re-pilot.
4. Solicit cross-functional support (including vendor partners) - All pharma functional groups (i.e., Medical, Commercial, Regulatory, Finance) need not agree on the approach, but representation of affected groups throughout the planning phase will make implementation faster in the long run.
5. Improve process before looking for a technology solution. This is likely the most overused lesson learned but also the most abused. Parallel development is a big win today.