Connecting eConsult with UK Clinical Commissioning Groups

Who are eConsult?

eConsult are the market leader in online patient access for General Practitioners (GPs). Their software was designed by an experienced group of GPs and it enables patients to log in online and contact their physician using a simple form to document their symptoms or submit requests such as prescription refills, appointments, medical records, etc. Physicians may then assess the patient’s needs beforehand and, in many cases, fully address concerns without having to see the patient in the practice. eConsult’s services are able to integrate fully with existing practice procedures, saving time, maximising efficiencies and optimising patient care.

What were the challenges?

The UK National Health Service (NHS) had mandated that all GP groups provide online access by 2020. And at the time we delivered this campaign, this deadline was looming. In the UK, GP practices and medical centres are overseen by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) who manage their operations. NHS England had set aside £45 million in grant monies to assist CCGs with implementation of online patient access systems, but the CCGs were required to register their interest by the end of the year (for the first phase of funding).

CCGs are established as committees representing a given locale with members drawn from current or previous medical practice, other practice or regional health service personnel and even lay members. There is no fixed heirarchy and roles & responsibilities are assigned on an ad hoc basis. There is also rarely a published central telephone number for a CCG as many CCGs don’t operate out of their own separate premises.

Our goal was to identify and contact the CCG member responsible, then set up a video or conference call with the eConsult team to walk them through the eConsult technology and reassure them as to the help available with the grant process. The client provided us with a database of contacts which comprised 1864 individuals with varying roles and job titles, each of them working in one or more CCGs.  Because this project spanned finance, digital transformation and IT, there was no consistency of job title or role. In addition, many CCG members are practicing physicians or have other full-time careers, so reaching them in the office on a given day proved challenging.

The solutions

We first conducted some detective work to try to identify the best contact at each of the 200 Clinical Commission Groups. We then worked to engage each contact via personal emails and phone calls to inform them of the opportunity and book a meeting with the eConsult sales team. We found when we introduced ourselves as calling from eConsult “on behalf of Dr. Ellender,” the response was much more relaxed. This enabled us to take a subtler sales approach and obtain details about the best way to reach the proper person. We took time to gather the email addresses of the CCG decision-makers, as well as their personal assistants, whose engagement often gave us far more traction.  

The results

We engaged with more than 75% of the target audience, providing literature fulfilment, answering questions and handling initial objections. We scheduled meetings with 23 of the 200 (an 11.7% conversion rate), exceeding the campaign target of 10%. As important as our conversion rate was our update and improvement of eConsult’s client data.

Additionally, we found that many of the CCGs were in the process of submitting their plans and applying for funding, but did not feel ready to discuss details of the online systems available to them. This enabled eConsult to circle back in the new year to discuss the benefits of their system in a less-hurried fashion.

Our team succeeded in helping eConsult gain a foothold at a critical juncture, in a very competitive market.

Client testimonial

This was a challenging project with a hard-to-reach audience and a tough deadline. The Call Business proved tenacious and professional throughout, and they got the results we were looking for. I’d definitely work with them again.

Chris Warde, Head of Project