Hypergrowth by Automation: The TeleClinic Story
In a world propelled by relentless progress, TeleClinic harnessed the transformative power of automation to become one of the fastest-growing telemedicine startups in Europe.
On top of reimagining the way medical care is delivered, this Munich-based company has adopted a clever approach to automation that has allowed them to scale without the overheads commonly seen in these growth cycles.
In this article, we’ll recap the highlights of TeleClinic’s journey, and dive into the juicy details that made it possible.
Alternatively, you can watch the video version of TeleClinic’s automation journey, as told by Philipp Weidenbach, the company’s Head of Operations.
Tell me where it hurts: Pain points and strategy
When the idea of using automation to scale took root in TeleClinic’s leadership team, they quickly realized that their automation platform of choice would have to address a series of significant operational challenges, including:
Full GDPR compliance.
Integrating a growing app stack with multiple APIs.
Accelerating the development of customer-facing solutions.
Reducing the number of repetitive manual tasks.
At this point, TeleClinic considered a number of providers to fulfill their automation needs but eventually found their answer in Make.
Why? Well, on top of finding a match for their requirements, TeleClinic discovered immense value in Make’s intuitive front end, its flexibility to connect internal and external APIs, and in its “customer centricity” (one of the foundational values of the company).
Moreover, TeleClinic found that Make enabled an automation-first mindset, which means everyone in the company - not just technical experts - can automate their work and processes.
Combined, these were the cornerstones of a journey that translated into ultimate startup gold: sustainable, high-paced growth.
Results and future challenges
It didn’t take long for TeleClinic to start seeing results from its automation strategy.
One of the most impressive outcomes happened in the company’s Pharmacy Support department.
Before onboarding Make, TeleClinic had forecasted that they would have to grow headcount in the Pharmacy Support to 38 people in order to meet their workload. With Make, this projection turned into an afterthought. After implementing extensive automation, the department now runs smoothly with just 4 employees.
This is just one example of how Make-powered solutions have helped TeleClinic grow at unprecedented speed while keeping expenditures in check.
Needless to say, TeleClinic encountered a couple of challenges in its automation journey.
The first one was some resistance from their development teams, which is to be expected when onboarding a platform like Make.
The second challenge was more relevant a couple of years ago than it is now: At the time, the community of certified Make experts was not as extensive as it is nowadays, which made it hard to find external consultants and solutions experts.
Final thoughts: Tools and mindset to aim for the moon
As the curtains fall on this tale, one truth shines bright: A strong automation-first mindset, coupled with the right tools, proves once again to be a transformative formula for sustainable growth.
Philipp Weidenbach, Head of Operations at TeleClinic, has summed up the impact of Make in one sentence:
Make has reduced our operating costs significantly. It is difficult to not become a fan.
With automation as a guiding force, TeleClinic is bringing thousands of patients to the next generation of care - one where the waiting room is removed from the picture, but where the best doctors will still be seeing you.
If you are interested in exploring what Make can do for you and your company, sign up for an account, get in the right mindset, and start building.
You’ll get there before you know it!
