How does a CDMO achieve a high net promoter score?
Biovian, a Finnish Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, CDMO, has year after year received a high net promoter score, NPS. NPS measures customer satisfaction and loyalty by asking clients how likely they are to recommend the company to a friend or a colleague. Biovian’s NPS has been between 67-72%, which is considered excellent across the industries. What is it that they at Biovian are doing that makes their clients so happy?
Good collaboration, knowledge and quality of work
The reasons behind client satisfaction can be found in the answers to the open question: “what is the reason for your score”. The responses reveal three dominant factors: 1) good collaboration 2) good knowledge and 3) high quality work.
1. What makes for a good collaboration?
The clients say that the elements of a well-working collaboration are ease of communication, short response times and the showing of care. “It is easy to cooperate with Biovian and we have been able to communicate with people from different parts of the organization”, one of the answers states. Other answers mention that the assigned project manager has good control over the project and that the communication is both clear and proactive. The fact that Biovian cares about customer projects and timelines was highly respected by the responders. In the words of a client “clients are well taken into account” and “Biovian has shown interest in our small company and that gives a high level of trust”.
2. The impact of knowledge on client satisfaction
Clients who work with novel biopharmaceuticals value the accumulated knowledge of a CDMO. The NPS was impacted by Biovian’s ability to provide solutions. “Biovian is highly professional and knowledgeable in their field,” one of the clients commented. A skilled work force and a low personnel turnover were also brought up in the answers of the survey. Antti Nieminen, CEO of Biovian, explains that the exceptionally high employee retention rate of 96% is a result of a can-do-and-happy-to-work-here spirit that has been fostered since the company was founded. The co-founder retention rate is also high. Four of the five co-founders, who built Biovian from the ground up, are still active in the company management. This together with the fact that 50% of the people working at Biovian hold a master’s or Ph.D. degree has resulted in accumulated experience and expertise within the company.
3. Quality is the best policy
The high quality of the work was mentioned several times by the clients as a reason for giving Biovian a high score. In addition to the quality of services and manufactured products, clients mention good documentation, quality control, and the ability of Biovian to keep the timelines and budget. “QC work that is provided is of a high quality and the turn-around time is good” one of the clients comments. Antti Nieminen states that quality is embedded into Biovian’s vision of taking biopharmaceuticals to the next level. “Together with our clients we take the molecules through clinical phases to the market, and we also bring biopharmaceuticals to the next level in terms of quality,” Nieminen says.
Friendly service stems from togetherness
Clients repeatedly used the word ‘friendly’ when describing Biovian. The friendly client service of Biovian is rooted in the working culture that emphasizes togetherness as a driver of high performance. “When skilled colleagues help each other, high performance and client satisfaction will follow. Client happiness brings happiness to Biovianians, forming a cycle that we call Manufacturing Happiness”, Nieminen concludes. The high NPS of Biovian proves that its mission of Manufacturing Happiness is working.
