ALOM Wraps Arms Around Giving Comfort Program
“The ALOM team went above and beyond to accomplish our goals. The service and quality ALOM provides has been fantastic. They really know their stuff!”
Valerie Aubel, Product and Distribution Coordinator, McKesson Corporation
McKesson Foundation
Healthcare
The McKesson Foundation removes barriers to quality healthcare across North America, especially for vulnerable and underserved communities.
The Challenge
- Material delivery to 18,000 volunteers
in 160 locations - Quality control and kit inspection
The Solution
- Streamline supply chain for cost control
- Centralized national fulfillment hub
- COMPASS™ system to receive and
track orders - Meticulous quality control
- Dedicated account management
The Benefits
- Same-day shipping to Oncology providers
- 100% order accuracy
- Increased volume capacity
- Elevated credibility of the program
- Helping people in need
McKesson Customer Case Study
McKesson is the oldest and largest health care services company in the U.S. McKesson’s 37,000 employees serve 50% of American hospitals, 20% of physicians, and 100% of health plans.
The McKesson Foundation is dedicated to supporting McKesson employee community involvement to help improve patient health. Founded in 2012, the Foundation’s Giving Comfort program provides cancer patients with needed items to provide comfort and relief during exhaustive treatment. These Comfort Kits, delivered in backpacks or totes, include gender and age specific items like soft sleeping caps, warm socks, a cozy blanket, and soothing lip moisturizer to help ease the side effects of treatment.
McKesson previously contracted with ALOM on a one-time distribution project. ALOM performed so well that they were asked to bid and ultimately awarded the fulfillment contract for Giving Comfort.
Two Key Support Areas
The first area is sorting and delivery of kit build items to the 18,000 McKesson employees working from 160 locations across the U.S. who volunteer their time to assemble the Comfort Kits. Kits are customized based on gender and age. There are twelve unique kit types, each containing eight to ten comfort and care items. The second area is kit fulfillment which includes complete kit assembly, quality inspection, and final shipping.
Valerie Aubel, Product and Distribution Coordinator for McKesson summarized ALOM’s contribution, “The ALOM team put systems in place to streamline the process and make it cost effective. The most challenging aspect of the program is coordinating the volunteer kit building and related quality control functions. The planning process took time but thanks to ALOM we were able to successfully allocate products to appropriate locations and get the kits built in a few short weeks.”
Once the assembled kits are received back at ALOM, each kit is inspected to verify correct contents and overall quality. Ms. Aubel added, “Quality inspection of all the items received back from McKesson locations is a huge undertaking. The ALOM team went above and beyond to accomplish our goals. The service and quality ALOM provides has been fantastic. They really know their stuff!”
Adding the Personal Touch
Prior to final shipment to the patient, ALOM adds personalized items like note cards tied with ribbons. ALOM typically ships completed Comfort Kits to service locations or directly to patients the same day orders are received. This elevates the credibility of the program within the network of Oncology service providers.
A dedicated ALOM account manager ensures quality levels are maintained and tracks each order detail. To eliminate surprises and deliver the highest levels of customer service and quality management, ALOM’s innovative COMPASS™ order management system allows for seamless order entry, tracking, inventory management, and reporting.