Multi-faceted strategies against global pandemic

The pandemic triggered by the novel coronavirus took customers as well as our company by surprise. To this day, healthcare systems and medical facilities are still facing major challenges. Even during the pandemic, doctors must continue to care for their patients and ensure their safety as well as that of medical staff. The MED team is committed to supporting customers worldwide through a variety of measures.

On the customer's side

Through ZEISS Support Now Website, the MED team is offering current, relevant and easily accessible content to customers in countries affected by the coronavirus.

Based on a close exchange with the MED team in China, the Breathshield Donation Website - for the donation of breath protection for ZEISS slit lamps - was launched in March 2020. After the MED team in China had already delivered more than 20,000 Plexiglas partitions to customers free of charge, another 80,000 protective shields were produced and shipped to customers worldwide between the end of March and the end of May.
With the spread of the coronavirus, however, it quickly became apparent that the content of the website needed to be broader. It became clear that there was huge demand for information on the optimization of work processes: How can the length of stay be minimized in practice? How are patients on the devices protected? Which digital tools support an efficient workflow? The MED Marketing Team addressed these questions through the ZEISS Support Now website, which makes current and relevant topics easily accessible. For example, the site provides customers with information on how they can perform patient tests remotely. A comprehensive virtual training program is also offered.

Visibility at the customer's site

Through its own information signs, the MED team in Singapore brought the ZEISS brand into the clinics.

Keeping your distance, hand hygiene, masks for everyday use - all these are part of our everyday life worldwide due to the COVOD-19 pandemic. For many MED customers, it is important to draw attention to exactly these rules of conduct and hygiene in their practices and clinics using information signs. They often do this using simple posters. "We saw this as an opportunity to make the ZEISS brand somewhat more visible in the clinics and provided customers with signs featuring the ZEISS brand design," reports Anna Cheng, Regional Marketing Manager Southeast Asia. It was through ZEISS Vision Care Singapore and Canada. The Singapore MED Team became aware of these ZEISS brand-compliant signs. "It was perfect timing on the part of our colleagues," Antje Weber, Practice Development Manager OPT Southeast Asia notes, and adds: "And we didn't have to reinvent the wheel, rather we developed and adapted what was available to us to meet the specific requirements of our customer groups." Specific patient safety packages could thus be distributed free of charge to eye clinics and practices in the Southeast Asia region.

Conducting tests remotely

How patients and medical staff can be protected during eye tests.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important for eye clinics and practices to abide by distancing rules and to protect patients and medical staff alike. Efficient workflows and non-contact tests are helpful in this regard. The MED team is providing information via the Support Now website on topics such as how customers can perform optical coherence tomography (OCT) using the CIRRUS OCT ultrafast and contact-free. While the patient and medical staff are located in different rooms, ZEISS CIRRUS devices can be set up and images captured from afar thanks to remote access. The technical requirements are already preconfigured in the devices. Customers only need the corresponding software, an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. Doctors can, for instance, adjust the chin rest and talk to patients remotely. One challenge with remote tests such as these is the time delay that can result from the Internet connection. Fast Internet is an advantage here.

Remote maintenance

How customer support can be maintained even when it comes to servicing during the pandemic.

Face-to-face customer support is not permitted for the time being due to the contact and travel restrictions triggered by the pandemic. In many regions, remote service has become the only way to provide customer support. ZEISS Remote Service includes supported and complete control.

With assisted control, the service engineer instructs the customer via video. "Sometimes, a customer is having difficulty operating their equipment and needs someone to walk them through the process," explains Jorge Luis Morales Romero, Service Manager at MED Mexico. "With assisted control, we can give them a quick tutorial or visually inspect the system together." The engineer on the other end of the line tells the customer which buttons to push and even provides visual markers like arrows on the screen as a guide.

With full control, the customer grants ZEISS direct access to their system thanks to a remote connection. Adam Thompson, West Area Service Manager at MED US, likens the process to taking your vehicle in for service. "You can describe a problem to the mechanic, but they really won't know what's wrong until they've looked under the hood," says Thompson. This allows engineers to acquire data straight from the source and perform select functions like software installations.

In both cases, asking for clear information speeds up the subsequent steps: engineers can perform remote fixes or they know which tools and spare parts to bring if an on-site service call is possible and necessary.

Remote application support

How online learning formats help customers through the pandemic.

Customer surveys conducted prior to the start of the pandemic revealed that customers want more flexible learning, short "how-to videos" and quick online help options. This desire has now been reinforced by the pandemic, as application specialists have been blocked from accessing hospitals in many regions of the world. On-site support for medical personnel and doctors in the use of our devices was thus often impossible.

So, the introduction of various digital learning options for MED customers came at just the right time. The original goal of the project was to use online tutorials to relieve the MED application specialists worldwide. Due to the pandemic, the online offering for self-learning took on a new importance. Simple and short how-to films are now available on youtube for ZEISS Medical Technology devices. They provide answers to standard questions that arise just at the beginning. The learning offered on MyZEISS, the ZEISS customer portal, goes more in depth. And customers can take certified courses via the ZEISS Academy. Everything online and digital - the right offer for pandemic times.

Remote intubation

How medical staff can be protected while treating COVID-19 patients.

In the case of a severe course of COVID-19 infection, respiratory treatment is often necessary to provide patients affected with respiratory support. During intubation with conventional laryngoscopes, there is usually a small distance between the user and the patient, which increases the potential risk of infection for healthcare professionals. The ZEISS NURA video laryngoscope enables a safer distance and - thanks to its ergonomic design - offers users a more efficient workflow.
The idea for a video laryngoscope was submitted to the MED team by the management. And within a very short timeframe, MED teams in Bangalore (India) and Oberkochen (Germany) made the idea a reality. ZEISS NURA uses a smartphone that serves as a screen. This monitor is connected via USB to the video camera built into the Macintosh blade. During the intubation process, the medical personnel can observe the patient's anatomic structures by way of the smartphone monitor. They don't need to bend over the patient, and this allows them to maintain their distance, which is so very important. The MED colleagues in Bangalore configured and programmed the smartphone to provide medical personnel with a direct visual without the need for them to change any settings or sign in on the smartphone.

But how did they manage to develop NURA in a short period of time as well as securing all of the necessary approvals? "The way the MED team worked reminds me of a startup: they're an extremely dynamic and agile team. If there were outstanding issues, there was always a member of the team working on them. Everyone accepted responsibility for the project. They went 'above and beyond' basically," reports Frank Seitzinger, Head of the Visualization Microsurgery business sector.

Showroom visits despite distancing

Industry trade fairs which offer customers the opportunity to experience the ZEISS brand for themselves are extremely important for our company. The personal contact with customers visiting a ZEISS exhibition stand enables the MED marketing teams to generate leads all around the world – i.e. to capture customers who are interested in our products, and harness potential sales. However, large scale trade fairs are unthinkable at present due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The question now is: How can we present our solutions to customers under the present conditions? The answer is this: through a virtual showroom which makes it possible for customers to interact with our company. This is the goal that the MED exhibition team set out to achieve, with the support of the MED marketing teams.
The implementation? Was achieved by the MED Team in a very short timeframe. At this year's congress of the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS), ZEISS's Medical Technology division is presenting its products and solutions in the first ever ZEISS virtual showroom.

When you click your way into the virtual showroom, you find yourself in the ZEISS Forum in Oberkochen. This is where the tour starts, and each visitor can choose their own program according to their medical interests: with options ranging from a visit to the ZEISS Museum to product demonstrations, and even Meet the Expert sessions. For example, it takes just a few clicks through an intuitive process to make an appointment with a MED sales rep, ask an applications specialist questions or book a demo presentation.

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