When Customer Service Isn’t Enough

Recently, the PharPoint team in Durham moved offices.

Our new space (just an elevator ride away into a third-floor suite within the same building) came fully furnished, leaving us with a significant amount of furniture and equipment that needed to be removed. A handful of vendors were lined up to assist with removal, donation, or return.

As our move-out day approached, vendor complications surfaced.

Previously agreed upon commitments were questioned at the last minute. Collection dates were missed without notice, then missed again following vague explanations and revised timelines. Teams arrived unprepared for the volume of furniture, despite earlier conversations to set expectations. As items were moved, walls were damaged and debris was left behind.

When concerns were raised, responses like “that’s above my pay grade,” or “I’m just doing my job” followed.

In our industry – this time from a sponsor’s point of view – clinical trial vendors can come with similar challenges and setbacks.

• Timelines are missed without prior communication, requiring the sponsor to chase for updates;
• Agreed scope is changed without prior discussion;
• Deliverables contain avoidable, costly quality issues, followed by the explanation that instructions were executed as communicated; and
• No clear escalation path exists when commitments are at risk.

Unfortunately, versions of these failures occur in our industry every day, even among large, well-known organizations that command a premium for their brand.

This is why “customer service” alone is not enough.

Service businesses must demonstrate visible ownership from initial contact through final delivery, especially in challenging moments. Teams must anticipate needs, communicate proactively, and take clear ownership of commitments. In challenging situations, we must respond with transparency, solutions, decisive action, and accountability.

While some CROs earn a seat at the table through brand familiarity, sponsors choose PharPoint for how we show up. We reinforce these values in every engagement, and they remain a defining PharPoint differentiator and a standard we actively uphold.

This month, as our Durham team settled into the new office space, we shared this same story internally as a reminder: service without ownership erodes trust, while service with accountability builds it.