Restructuring SRL diagnostics sales team for success

Due to growing health concerns, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a large number of people needed periodic assessment. Simultaneously, several corporates sought tie-ups with a diagnostic company for periodical medical checkups as a part of their employment mandate.

This compelled SRL Diagnostics to consider restructuring its sales team into three categories to scale its business, with an eye on capturing the market in different dimensions. It also intended to create awareness among channel partners and masses. The teams’ objective was to reach out to doctors, channel partners and customers, respectively.

Hence, their requirements included:

Let’s explore them in detail:

• Classification of the sales team

SRL wanted to retain most of its employees. This required precise segmentation based on their role fitment to better serve its consumers’ diverse needs as each category required individuals to possess certain competencies. However, aptly segmenting each employee into one of the three buckets posed a significant challenge. The management was a trifle concerned about whether the sales team would take the assessment in the right spirit.

• Quick execution by SMEs

Although SRL had an internal talent pool, it sought experts to conduct the entire process faster and accurately. The challenge was finding a partner that could understand its requirements and roll out assessments that met its desired timelines, without compromising on the selection process.

• Catering to diverse customer needs

The business disruption caused by the pandemic required SRL Diagnostics to change its approach in order to cater to the increasing demands. The objective was to realign teams to better serve its customers in the best possible manner. Given a nation-wide footprint of laboratories, SRL Diagnostics wanted to ensure maximum access to high-quality services to those in need while ensuring that customers understood its offerings.

Mercer | Mettl’s experts undertook several meetings with SRL Diagnostics to understand its needs. The team appraised the client’s challenges and suggested various inputs to ensure it was on track with the competency-based sales assessment.

• Competency Framework creation

The first step was to finalize the competencies. After a go-ahead from SRL Diagnostics, our team prepared a framework with a detailed description. The competencies that were finalized and classified for the three teams formed the basis of the sales assessment.

• Customer support

The Mercer | Mettl team assisted SRL Diagnostics before and during the assessment. The company received significant support in comprehending the reports and inputs for the subsequent interviews. The team ensured that the client experienced a seamless and hassle-free process.

• Benchmarking

Mercer | Mettl helped the client set benchmarks and identify specific markers. The team helped SRL Diagnostics with specific weightage on ensuring an unbiased evaluation. In situations where an employee was scoring high on two or three different competencies, our SMEs helped the organization make decisions in segmenting candidates into different teams.

With the entire team in place, SRL Diagnostics witnessed excellent results in how the three sales teams approached different kinds of customers. The sales assessment assisted the client in meeting its business objectives.

• Increase in appointment

SRL Diagnostics witnessed a significant increase in the appointment of its channel partners and received positive feedback from them after the assessment. Consequently, its relationship with the old channel partners also improved.

• Good candidate experience

SRL Diagnostics was able to undertake the entire sales assessment process without hassles or resentments from the sales team. The employees were happy and satisfied with this new approach to team realignment. The assessment went smoothly for candidates and the organization.

• Leveraged individual strengths

Mercer | Mettl’s sales assessment enabled SRL Diagnostics to segment its sales team to harness its employees’ abilities to target diverse customer needs effectively. This served its core purpose, empowering its employees to make the best use of their abilities to achieve the mandated business results.

• Built culturally fit teams

The sales assessment evaluated candidates on various competencies, segmented into three buckets and customized as per their job responsibilities. Mercer | Mettl’s experts’ benchmarking of scores and guidance enabled SRL Diagnostics to place culturally fit employees in different categories.