The drug and alcohol testing industry is certainly not immune to the realities that govern business viability and sustainability. The challenges of starting a venture that will endure throughout its initial phases of development can be overwhelming.
I
n the long run, business sustainability tends to self-select those who put in long-hours, strategic thinking, and
careful financial planning. Te drug and alcohol testing industry is no exception. Like other industries, collection sites
and third-party administrators (TPAs) are subject to business cycles and market demands. And like all businesses, they are vulnerable to stagnation, failure, and obsolescence. What are the vulnerabilities of a collection site or TPA? Indicators of a doomed trajectory are usually self-evident, but what about smaller indicators that can cumulatively add up to a business losing relevance, falling behind in the competitive market, or falling victim to stagnation?
Recognize the Signs of Problematic Training
A variety of testing errors can be a sign that training has been inadequate or ineffective. One early sign of inadequate collector training in an individual or group is inconsistency. If an otherwise-capable employee is performing the testing process with inconsistent mistakes, the likely culprit is the quality of training. Tere are also cases where one employee commits errors while others perform well, indicating that the employee may not be interested in the process and should be encouraged to seek employment elsewhere. Employees making the same mistakes
in protocols or process indicates inconsistency, which most oſten can isolate a fault in training.
Intervene Early to Correct Issues
For growing businesses, weak points will emerge due to the changing volume of tests and variations in protocols. In addition,
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reduced daily involvement of a manager, owner, or director—who may be running the business or focusing on the expansion of services or client base—can lead to problems as well. Merely walking a trainee through the collection process several times will not be adequate. Rather, “managing a manager” means that you must ensure training is given adequate atention. Tis could include assuming the duties of the manager or trainer to fine-tune the collection process at your company. Training should not consist of a few soſt walk-throughs; it should be repetitive and instructive until your employee consistently performs error-free tests.
Gauge the Quality of Your Collectors Before Your Clients Do
Geting a sense of the accuracy of your staff or network of collectors will require directed atention. A good first indicator is wait-time. Are collections taking longer than expected? Conversely, are they being shutled through at a rate that seems unrealistic? It is common to receive multiple follow-up requests from Medical Review Officers (MROs) or employers concerning errant or missing paperwork. Te question is: are those requests consistent, isolated to one employee, or to one client? Forensic analysis of the testing forms is one way to trace errors or interruptions back to the source.
Provide Strategic Training
Initial training should be thorough— followed by regular refresher trainings and supplemented with incidental trainings. Incidental trainings should be scheduled as needed, and should cover regulatory changes, adaptations to protocol, and any
specific errors made by your employees. For capable employees, full and regular retraining should not be necessary. It is also important to listen to your team members’ ideas about efficiencies of internal protocols. Tey may provide an insight or innovation that will improve your business.
Build Skills That Make You Valuable and Competitive
In the drug and alcohol testing industry, the most valuable elements to your business reputation are availability, accuracy, consistency, and reliability. • Availability will give you the biggest initial edge over competitors. Emerging industry leaders realize that they must keep the same hours as their clients and be available anytime their clients need them.
• Accuracy in the testing process will ensure that viable detection is occurring and is defensible if challenged.
• Consistency of service will ensure that your team is sought aſter as a desired provider, and will comfort clients and will allow them to plan beter.
• Reliability in service, hours, invoicing, communication, and counsel will make you indispensable, increasing client retention and staving off “too-low-to-be- true” bids from competitors. Business growth and client retention are
most oſten harmonious, but they are never effortless. Being able to strategically monitor training and performance is essential to allocating your time to business growth. Patience, a willingness to put the customer first, and the development of the four skills described above will allow your enterprise to expand with a solid foundation. ❚
George Gilpatrick is manag- ing partner at Cahill Swift in Boston. He is a federal trainer, auditor, investigator, and is a national speaker/presenter for government and industry.
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