Redefining engagement during COVID-19
Your Time to Develop is a series of stories from B. Braun Philippines, highlighting employee development during COVID-19 pandemic.
The entire country is on lockdown. Physical gatherings are banned. How then do you get 300 nurses to participate in an activity?
Kate Samson proves it can be done, even during a pandemic.
As a Professional Hospital Representative (PHR), Kate is no stranger to overcoming challenging situations. “Working in sales means each day is different. The nature of the work requires you to step out of your comfort zone,” she shares. “It’s not easy, but challenges leave you wanting to learn and do more.” She feels well-equipped to handle challenges because of the many sales competency training programs offered by B. Braun. She added that these programs have boosted her confidence and ability to overcome obstacles. Combined with her existing skills and sales experiences, Kate flourished in her territory in West Manila.
When COVID-19 struck the country, Kate admits to getting nervous. “I have just been assigned to a new territory back then. I haven’t met my new customers in person.” Kate shares. “Engaging them is challenging to do remotely. I began doubting my ability to promote our newly-launched webinars.”
B. Braun's new Smart Working digital tools and initiatives quickly helped her find her footing. These were introduced to facilitate better communication and collaboration remotely. "The digital marketing tools helped PHRs like me continue to attend to customer needs, from my smartphone and tablet. The sales initiatives detailed step-by-step processes to help us accomplish remote work more efficiently."
"I also contacted head nurses in different departments and encouraged them to invite their staff to join us in the webinars,” Kate said. Her perseverance and her close-knit customer partnerships nurtured over time, also helped her achieve her goal. As a result, she was able to invite 300 participants from an entire hospital department, to episode 6 of Kaunting Kaalaman sa Panahon ng COVID-19 webinar.
Kate recognized that the resources offered by B. Braun and the support from her colleagues are big factors to her success." The communication skills I learnt from the salesforce effectiveness program helped me effectively tailor my messages to customers," she added. "All these factors paved the way to numerous opportunities I was able to take in assisting frontliners.”