Suite Overview | Critical SFA FAQs




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Target SFA?

Pharma Solutions

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Excels By Comparison

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Critical SFA FAQs




  1. Software system validation is often a difficult and lengthy process. What does Target Software provide to its Clients in this area?

  2. Explain how Target Software supports its client base?

  3. How does Target Software initially load the Target Mobile software on a device, such as a Pocket PC or a Tablet PC?

  4. Does Target SFA offer a training database option and if so, how is it separated from the Sales Reps' real data?

  5. How does Target Software ensure smooth communication and synchronization between Sales Reps' data and their Home Office servers?

  6. Does Target SFA offer an automated Signature Audit function?

  7. How does Target SFA avoid common database corruption occurrences during Sales Rep data-entry and / or synchronization?

  8. How does Target SFA approach the complex data relationship challenges inherent to territory alignments and realignments that many Pharmaceutical SFA and CRM applications are so often plagued with?

  9. What is Target SFA's approach to maintaining Physician State License validations?

  10. One of the many promises that SFA vendors make is the reduction of the number of help desk calls from the Sales Reps in the field. What has Target SFA's experience been with respect to help desk calls and activity?

  11. Additional software customization fees can add-up very quickly. What if a client wants a feature that Target SFA does not offer? What about custom reports or database querying tools on the back-end?

  12. Isn't Target SFA just another CRM package application?

  13. Does Target SFA have the ability to track changes and capture audit trails?

  14. What is Target SFA's approach to providing canned reports, ad-hoc querying tools, and / or data that is accessible for high impact client decision support?

  15. When upgrading new releases of the software, how does Target SFA provide both system and application code updates to the remote users?

1. Software system validation is often a difficult and lengthy process. What does Target Software provide to its Clients in this area?

The Target SFA Suite, including Target Mobile, Target CommSync Client, Target CommSync Server, and Target BackOffice, has already gone through the rigorous validation process required of PDMA and 21CFR Part 11 numerous times.

Target Software offers more than 4,000 pages of validation documents to you as a starting point for your computer system validation. Target SFA has proven to be a highly validatable and readily validated system.

There is no need to hire an outside firm to validate Target SFA as Target Software can provide its own independent validation team made up of skilled professionals knowledgeable of the product but not responsible for its design and programming. This represents a significant savings in both cost and time to your organization.


2. Explain how Target Software supports its client base?

Target Software always assigns a key contact responsible for rollout and implementation services to every client. This Project Manager assists and guides the client contacts and Target Software personnel in pilot and/or rollout activities and develops and implements milestone timelines and status reporting.

A dynamic customer support web site is available for all clients to log requests and to view the status and dialogue of requests. This web site also offers an area for file downloads and upgrades, including tips and tricks, FAQs, and direct access to Target Software Associates.


3. How does Target Software initially load the Target Mobile software on a device, such as a Pocket PC or a Tablet PC?

Target Software and its business partners (those providing ancillary services such as Help Desk, Asset Management, etc.) have specific procedures to ensure that the software is installed and configured to your specifications.

Each device is clearly identified and device loads adhere to a strict process or even your own SOPs. Data is loaded from Target BackOffice programmatically and then verified to ensure that the correct Territory, including Universe count, resides on the device.

Numerous program checks and data comparisons also occur during the device load to verify that inventory counts are correct and HR information is current. Synchronization, including proper password configuration, is also tested prior to deployment.


4. Does Target SFA offer a training database option and if so, how is it separated from a Sales Reps' real data?

Target Mobile is set up to have two separate databases (actual and training) for each sales rep and they are clearly differentiated in the application at the file name level.

Also, the training database can be static or a training version of the sales rep's own territory. In the latter case, warnings alerting the sales rep to the fact they are in the training database appear frequently as well as along the navigation bar of the application.


5. How does Target Software ensure smooth communication and synchronization between Sales Reps' data and their Home Office servers?

Target Software provides best-of-breed synchronization technology. A sales reps' mobile device makes a series of XML Web Service calls using the Microsoft .NET framework to implement synchronization. This architecture is incredibly scalable, reliable and fault-tolerant.

Target CommSync has continued to receive industry accolades and numerous real world data and references from clients attests to the quality of this synchronization technology and approach.

Target CommSync allows scalability to unlimited levels without requiring exotic or excessive communications hardware and it also offers seamless and innovative integration with other internal corporate systems as well as with external service providers.

As a Target SFA client, you will own and have access to your database and have total control over it. There are no intermediate databases or scrubbing steps involved or needed. And since sales reps will synch directly with a database server that resides at your hosting site, there is no need for data replication!


6. Does Target SFA offer an automated Signature Audit function?

Yes, Target BackOffice has a Signature Audit facility that (given proper permissions and access) allows for side-by-side visual inspection of every signature ever recorded for a Professional.

It also allows for manual (ad hoc and for cause) and automated random Audit Letter generation using selection criteria that you specify.


7. How does Target SFA avoid common database corruption occurrences during Sales Rep data-entry and/or synchronization?

Since Target SFA does not rely upon data replication the most common data corruption originators are avoided by design. And the likelihood of sales rep's data-entry error is low because Target Mobile seeks to minimize errors through the use of drop-downs menus and fixed-text for product descriptions, product lot numbers, and quantities in all areas, especially those areas impacting inventory.

Also, Target CommSync is designed to prevent duplication errors during synchronization. The fault tolerant synchronization is programmed to recognize exactly where an interrupted synch session left off and, upon resumption, continue right where it left off without creating a duplicate or missing data situation.


8. How does Target SFA approach the complex data relationship challenges inherent to territory alignments and realignments that many Pharmaceutical SFA and CRM applications are so often plagued with?

Target BackOffice provides a very powerful facility that can be used for the initial setup of a territory, for ongoing territory realignments, and to move Professionals from one territory to another in an on-demand or scheduled fashion.

Rapid and effortless alignments and realignments can be rolled out on many levels, including by territory, by district, by region or even nationally; all without recalling field devices and without requiring any "specially timed" rollouts.

Managing territory alignments by zip code is also intelligently handled in the database while allowing for exceptions to zip-to-terr alignments.

Also, if a sales rep adds a Prescriber in their SFA device, it will automatically be aligned to their territory upon synchronization, but cannot be declared as a 'target' until an Action Items is issued to request the "Add as Target" action.

And historic alignment information is always visible throughout the Target SFA Suite of products for every Professional record.


9. What is Target SFA's approach to maintaining Physician State License validations?

Target BackOffice provides a data import facility for receiving data from such leading providers as IMS Health, Phoenix, NDC, MedPro Systems, and others that is configured and customized for each client. This includes two-way feeds to implement Professional State License validation using the client's preferred provider.

In addition, Target Software is working on an innovative partnership with a leading provider where Target Mobile will become the premiere platform for presenting advanced analytics in a field SFA application.


10. One of the many promises that SFA vendors make is the reduction of the number of help desk calls from the Sales Reps in the field. What has Target SFA's experience been with respect to help desk calls and activity?

Based upon the current feedback from our clients deployed on Target Mobile (more than 2,500 sales reps on 15 sales forces) we have found that in general about one-half of the help desk calls are related to Target Mobile.

Inventory situations such as wrong lots numbers entered, incorrect sample counts, "How do I ...?", etc. account for the vast majority of the calls. Call dates, detail order, sampling issues, and signature under wrong doctor questions also occur. Those relating to the software application are not reflective of any one particular area, however most requests for assistance are procedural in nature, typically pertaining to SOPs and business rules.

The other half of the help desk inquiries runs the gamut from problems with gaining connectivity, use of printers, etc. These are all procedural, not application related and typical of any field force with mobile devices connected to a home office.


11. Software customization fees can add-up very quickly. What if a client wants a feature that Target SFA does not offer? What about custom reports or database querying tools on the back-end?

Target SFA is so comprehensive that there is rarely a need for software customization. However, should you require enhancements, we will incorporate them at a very low cost and in some cases at no cost. Furthermore, we will support your enhancements as part of the base product from that point forward so your ability to upgrade to future versions will not be inhibited.

Tremendous cost savings can be realized with Target SFA's dozens of "canned" reports, including an ad hoc querying and reporting facility, featuring:

And if a client needs to access any Target SFA data for additional reports, lookups, or printouts there are no additional charges. The client owns the data in a SQL Server database residing on a server in the hosting facility (typically onsite).


12. Isn't Target SFA just another CRM package application?

Absolutely not!

Target SFA offers a modern software suite designed specifically for the pharmaceutical industry that provides the most important aspects of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and blends them with a fully compliant, comprehensive Sample Management solution that is ready to support Sales Force Automation (SFA) initiatives.

Generic CRM is NOT well suited to the Pharmaceutical industry:





13. Does Target SFA have the ability to track changes and capture audit trails?

Yes. As a fully PDMA-compliant application, Target BackOffice captures audit trails on all critical tables. Auditing is done at the database level so no users or systems can get around them. For users with appropriate security, we provide the ability to visually inspect the audit trails corresponding to any legal record in the system.


14. What is Target SFA's approach to providing canned reports, ad-hoc querying tools, and / or data that is accessible for high impact client decision support?

Reporting is one of the strongest elements of the Target SFA Suite, particularly in the area of Sample Accountability and Management. Hundreds of reports let you monitor everything from sales force activity and effectiveness to suspicious activity and inventory shipments in transit.

The ad-hoc reporting engine is a superior feature unlike any other. Data querying tools and on-demand reports are offered to sales representatives and managers in the field, senior sales management, sales operations, IT and other home office users. All reports provide choices to save as documents and spreadsheets, export to text files, and email as a PDF or other report presentation file formats.

Target Software will always develop reports on a custom basis to summarize and group data based upon a client's precise way of managing and viewing their own operations. And of course, Target Software provides the resources and experience to build these high impact reports as part of every Target SFA deployment.

For advanced data analytics, full documentation of the Target BackOffice database is also available allowing clients to use their own preferred reporting tools to create their own custom queries and reports.


15. When upgrading new releases of the software, how does Target SFA provide both system and application code updates to the remote users?

One of the many great benefits of Target Mobile is the ability to do field upgrades without recalling the mobile devices. "Remote Commands" can do all of the following for our mobile products:

With this feature, the possibilities are limitless and can be configured or created based upon a client's exact needs.




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