How to store…
“Medical and Pharmaceutical Products”
Pharmaceutical companies, industry wide are now finding it more efficient to seek storage space using corporate reserves for their sales reps, rather than the representative finding their own space.
Pharmaceutical sales reps use self-storage space as a “home base” for receiving shipments and storing inventory. Having extra space to store drug samples, literature and marketing items close to their clients’ offices is essential to enhancing their daily productivity.
When establishing a Lease Agreement with a self-storage facility, pharma companies and their representatives will take the following into consideration:
- Location — as it relates to the proximity to the sales territory is essential in saving valuable work time while keeping the Pharma rep out in the field, face to face with clients.
- Security features – providing a safe environment for the rep includes state-of-the-art-security with video cameras, perimeter fencing, on-site management, keypad access and other risk-prevention services.
- Environment & Access — facilities and units must be clean, well-lit and allow keypad access during the hours the pharmaceutical representative will be working; access to a hand held cart is essential to moving items from the storage unit to the car.
- Centralised billing–one monthly invoice with account details is widely recognised as more cost effective than each representative expensing the unit monthly and creating the extra corporate “paperwork”.
- Deliveries — Pharmaceutical reps rely on facility staff to receive and temporarily store packages while they are out selling to their clients. Once a package arrives and a facility staff member signs for it, then the representative is notified by phone, and will hold the package for 24 hours.
Storage facility managers become an important asset when establishing cost-saving services, such as package acceptance that support the needs of pharmaceutical representatives and their employers.
