Medical Research Clinic Charts A 33% Increase in Call Volume By Using An Unforgettable 800 Number

Client: Clinical research company – CA

The company conducts research studies in conjunction with major pharmaceutical companies. Since 1994 they’ve conducted over 200 clinical studies covering a wide range of medical conditions including ADHD, COPD, and diabetes.

The company’s agency specializes in the design and implementation of advertising campaigns targeting potential participants for clinical studies. On average, the agency must generate 20 to 30 phone calls in order to identify one qualified candidate for study participation.

Background: Finding qualified people to participate in clinical research studies is a challenging process complicated by negative public perceptions and a lack of awareness about the benefits of study participation.

Challenge: The patient recruitment agency needed to increase the number of calls they were generating in order to increase the number of people enrolling in their client’s clinical studies.

Solution: Execute targeted advertising campaigns using radio, television, print, & web media. Change the telephone number highlighted in their campaigns from a local numeric phone number to an unforgettable 800 number to achieve higher consumer response rates and shorten the recruitment-to-enrollment process.

Results: The research company activated 1-800-NEW-STUDY in 2000 and started receiving 33% more incoming calls as a result of their advertising. For the patient recruitment specialists, using 1-800-NEW-STUDY in television, print and radio advertising translates into an extension of their identity and brand.

“1-800-NEW-STUDY is the perfect vanity 800 number to use in advertising for clinical studies. It compliments our patient recruitment advertising campaigns and is appropriate for any study we are conducting for our client. We receive more calls, and we like the way the number sounds in our ads,” says the Director of Marketing with the patient recruitment agency.

After experiencing a significant increase in call response as a result of utilizing the vanity 800 number, she says, “I cannot imagine deploying an ad campaign without a vanity 800 number. Potential patients remember 1-800-NEW-STUDY much more easily than our local numeric phone number. More incoming calls improve our ability to find qualified patients in less time, and our return on advertising investment increases.”

The research company and their agency also enjoy the benefits of the call tracking reports, using them to build a lead database for the future. “Having access to caller’s contact information is invaluable for Encompass,” says the Director of Marketing. “People who respond to our ads by calling 1-800-NEW-STUDY are already participation-minded. We try to build relationships with callers by sending them information that may benefit their health and to promote study participation in the future.”