Joe Reilly on Drug Testing in America
Curious about the drug screening industry? Looking to get your start in a rewarding career? Trying to navigate the changing landscape of federal and state laws and how they influence your companies drug testing policy? If you have leaned in for any of these questions then you have found the podcast you have been looking for. Join Joe Reilly on this informative and educational adventure in drug screening in America.
Joe Reilly on Drug Testing in America
Behind the Scenes: Drug Testing Support with Char Clark
Drug testing requires precision, expertise, and reliable customer service to ensure safety and compliance. Whether you're an employer running a program, an individual needing a personal test, or a service provider in the industry, navigating the complexities of drug testing demands knowledgeable support.
This episode pulls back the curtain on what makes customer service work in the specialized world of drug testing. Featuring Char Clark, a nine-year veteran at National Drug Screening who serves as both customer service manager and trainer, we explore the challenges, questions, and solutions that arise daily in this essential industry.
The conversation reveals how a commitment to expertise transforms customer interactions. "Knowledge is power" isn't just a catchphrase but a weekly practice, with the entire team participating in Tuesday training sessions covering regulations, state laws, and best practices. This foundation enables representatives to confidently address complex questions about results, testing procedures, and compliance requirements.
What sets superior customer service apart? For starters, answering the phone. In an era of automated systems and endless hold times, the simple act of having a live person respond becomes a meaningful differentiator. The team structures their workflow specifically to ensure someone is always available to take calls, creating a seamless experience for clients needing immediate assistance.
We tackle common questions about result timing, dilute specimens, post-accident protocols, and confidentiality requirements. Each scenario reveals how thoughtful customer service prevents compliance failures while guiding clients through challenging situations. The episode also explores NDS's reseller programs, which provide varying levels of support for businesses entering the drug testing industry.
Perhaps most valuable is the philosophical approach: "Listen with intent to understand, not to reply." This mindset transforms every interaction from transactional to solution-oriented, ensuring clients receive guidance tailored to their specific needs rather than generic responses.
For anyone managing workplace safety, dealing with compliance requirements, or navigating personal testing needs, this discussion offers valuable insights into getting the support you deserve. The next time you contact a service provider, you'll know exactly what excellence looks like.
Welcome to Joe Riley on Drug Testing in America, episode 7. We're going to be talking about drug testing customer service with Char Clark today. Your sponsor is National Drug Screening Incorporated Nationwide service drug and alcohol testing, 10,000 plus drug testing facilities available, employment drug testing and random consortium services, testing for individuals as well. As known for expertise in awesome customer service, call National Drug Screening today and now your host, joe Riley.
Speaker 2:Good afternoon, jesse, good to see you today.
Speaker 1:Likewise Welcome back.
Speaker 2:I am excited to be back for our episode on customer service and we are excited to have a guest from our team at National Drug Screening. We have Char Clark. Welcome Char.
Speaker 3:Hi Joe, hi Jesse.
Speaker 2:And so, char, we wanted to start out with you've been with National Drug Screening for how long now?
Speaker 3:I've been with National Drug Screening for nine years, nine years, wow.
Speaker 2:So tell us a little bit about your background before that. And then also, what's the nine years been like at National Drug Screening?
Speaker 3:Of course. So before joining National Drug Screening I was in real estate and banking for a long time, moved to Florida and this was the first job I got when I moved here and I've been with you guys ever since and in that nine years I've been in a couple of departments but basically stayed with customer service, started doing some training of our new customers and things like that, and then I've gone on to get my DOT collection qualifications. I am a trainer in addition to a collector trainer. I also am a DOT qualified breath alcohol technician, der, and I have CTPA in random program management training.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's a lot Char. So you mentioned mostly customer service, but have you had some other roles at National Drug Screening?
Speaker 3:I have. I have worked in the sales department, shout out sales. I have also assisted with some special projects, managing one of our customers' really large random programs for a while there before I moved into my role now.
Speaker 2:Awesome. So that gives you a lot of background and really excited that you've taken on a role as a trainer within your organization. And how's that been for you? Do you like it?
Speaker 3:I love it. I actually really enjoy training, teaching things you know, things like that. I enjoy the questions and imparting what we know and what we've learned.
Speaker 2:Okay, great. So today's podcast we're going to talk about national drug screening and we're a drug testing provider with nationwide service. So we have customers from all over the United States and we kind of break that down into three different types of customers and we're going to talk about them separately and kind of the basics of customer service for our employer customers so basically anybody that has employees that needs drug testing. And then we have individuals that call us daily for individual drug testing for different personal reasons or maybe probation or court ordered or child custody or just to make sure they're counting on National Drug Screening as their back office to provide for them lab services and medical review officer services or MRO and also software to get results back. So, starting out, char, we're going to go back and forth. I'm going to ask you some questions, but feel free to throw any questions back to me also and the first question is what does the term knowledge is power, what does that mean to you and where have you heard that term?
Speaker 3:I have heard that term for nine years straight every Tuesday morning during our team meetings. And we train, we spend every Tuesday training meetings and we train, we spend every Tuesday training regulations, training state laws, and we talk about that a lot, and I mean. For nine years every Tuesday, I have been hearing this statement and what it means to me as part of the customer support team with NDS is that knowledge is the ability to set yourself apart in this industry. It's the ability to give your customers, your clients, the extra edge in whatever it is that they do. They count on us to be knowledgeable about the industry.
Speaker 2:Awesome, yeah. And customers, particularly employers. You know lots of people do drug testing out there in the world, but a lot of times they don't understand why they're doing drug testing, they don't understand how they are supposed to be doing drug testing and they don't understand the potential liabilities that can occur if you don't do drug testing correctly.
Speaker 2:What I often say is an employer is talking to me about their drug testing. It could be anywhere in the country let's say Denver, colorado and they say, well, we go down to the local urgent care center and they take care of our drug testing and I say, well, that's great, okay, and I am sure that they know how to collect pee in a cup and send it out to a lab at an urgent care center. But I doubt sincerely that they know anything about DOT regulations or they know anything about best practices to do drug testing correctly, to avoid exposure to liability. And that's why there's an industry called the Third Party Administrator or TPA, which is what we are at National Drug Screening, or NDS as we're known for short. So for us, knowledge is power is critically important that we can help the customer to explain things accurately and according to regulations and best practices. So Char next question, which probably be a short answer, is what's the number one thing we do at National Drug Screening to provide excellence in customer service?
Speaker 3:We answer the phone.
Speaker 2:Wow Companies still answer the phone.
Speaker 3:Yes, we do.
Speaker 2:Okay, at National Drug Screening we are proud of the fact that we answer the phone. We do have voicemail. If every single one of us is on the phone, you might get a voicemail, but we do call everybody back, usually the same day, no later than the next business day. So how's that work out, char, where we answer the phone?
Speaker 3:It is a commitment that we have made in the customer support department to you know, not only answer calls, but we want to expedite those answers because we know others need our assistance. We make it a point to put ourselves in a position so that our work is distributed and there's always someone available to answer the phone.
Speaker 2:And that's awesome and we do a great job at that. So I had asked you to put together some questions that are very common to customer support issues and questions that come into your office and the team that you manage, and so can you talk about some of those questions?
Speaker 3:Yes, and I think the most popular one across the board is where is my results? Where are my test results? We get that question hourly, multiple times per hour, from across all of our customer types. They want to know where's my result, and it is. It's not always an easy answer. We'd love to be able to just pull that answer out of our hat for you, but we can't. We've got to ask questions, we've got to do a little bit of research to see what's going on and provide you with that answer for sure.
Speaker 2:Okay. Does it ever occur where they're asking for their result and come to find out that the applicant or the employee never even went in for the drug test?
Speaker 3:So often, so very often. You will be surprised how many folks send out their candidate for a drug test and they don't think too much about it until you know a couple of days have gone by. They give us a call and we look into it and there's been absolutely no record of that individual going for the drug test. And then we always like to tell them hey, if that candidate says no, for sure I went for that drug test, get a copy of that drug test. The chain of custody is going to help us out. But more often than not they call back and say, oh yeah, he forgot, or she forgot, but yeah, that happens.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you know I typically like to discuss upfront with new clients about you know. If someone goes for a drug test, you know, tell them to circle back with you that they've gone so that you know for sure and where they went and what day they went, because that really helps out with helping us and your team, char, to find their results. If we know where they went, what day they went, and if they went today and it's a laboratory-based drug test and you're calling us today, does that help Char?
Speaker 3:It does not help you. I'm so sorry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it does take at least one business day to get results through the lab and for instant drug testing, which is available in many cases, that test is typically available by the end of the day, would you say that's correct, char?
Speaker 3:That's correct overall, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, but if they went late in the day it may be the next morning before.
Speaker 3:It could be the next morning when you come in the office.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I also talk about turnaround time on results, in terms of you know if your candidate goes in today for the drug test, 90% of the time you're going to get the negative result back tomorrow. Would you say that's correct, Char?
Speaker 3:I'd say that's pretty common, especially if they're going nice and early in the day, the pickup, everything goes as it should. That's going to be the case.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Key phrase there. Everything goes as it should, because if the FedEx truck breaks down, are they going to get the result tomorrow? They are not no. If the airplane doesn't take off that takes the specimens out to the lab in Lenexa, Kansas, because of a part or a failure of something, will they? Get the result back the next day.
Speaker 3:They are not. No, and it's going to be so sad. Yeah, and what about?
Speaker 2:if there's a tornado, are they going to get the result back the next day if it's in the town where the person went for the collection?
Speaker 3:No, it's in the river. You're never going to see it, and what about a hurricane or a snowstorm? It's all. Seasonal weather affects your drug testing results. It's stuck on the tarmac in Memphis and no one's going to get it for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so that doesn't happen every day, or doesn't happen with great often, but it does happen occasionally. And another example might be you know, the applicant went in for the drug test at, let's say, 530 on a Friday afternoon and it happens to be Memorial Day weekend and the lab doesn't even get it until Tuesday and it does test positive. So it has to go through confirmation testing, which takes another day or two, and it does have to go to the medical review officer, the MRO, and they have to do their review and the candidate isn't calling back the MRO. What happens there, char?
Speaker 3:Well, you must have been listening to the office calls. I had this call yesterday morning. The candidate went in on Thursday and all the things that Joe just said happened. You know what you're looking for is going to require some donor participation. They are going to have to return that phone call to the MRO. They're going to have to provide the information that the MRO needs to release that result. And this is such a common occurrence. And again, our employer clients often don't understand that these things happen, not often just as you've indicated, but they're a perfect storm. That would mean a result may take you a couple of days more than what you're used to seeing, but they have to cooperate with that process.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and this just happened to have been Labor Day weekend.
Speaker 3:So nobody was working on Monday.
Speaker 2:So okay, what's the next question we get?
Speaker 3:So it's going to be. You know I've got this result back and you know it says something about a negative but a dilute. What does that mean? What is going on? Should I send them back? Are they trying to cheat? So that's a very common question.
Speaker 2:Okay, and what's your answer to that, char?
Speaker 3:Our answer to that question is always going to be the same. That specimen basically has a lot of water in it and these days a lot of people are trying to be healthier. They carry the humongous gallon jars with them and they're drinking a lot of water. Folks also want to make sure that they can provide a sample when they get to the collection site. So that's really all that it means, and we also like to throw in there's not enough water to turn a positive drug test into a negative one. So you know, take a look at your policy, see what it tells you you need to do when you get this result and follow those guidelines.
Speaker 2:So if it's positive, dilute, does that happen?
Speaker 3:It does, it really does.
Speaker 2:And what's the bottom line that that means?
Speaker 3:It just means that they drank a lot of water, and it's positive, it's still positive and you still follow your company policy.
Speaker 2:And going back to the negative dilute, key word in that result is going to be negative. It is negative, it tested negative at the lab. And an employer has a choice of what to do with that negative dilute, and we always require when we do a policy for an employer that they make that decision up front. What are they going to do when they get a negative dilute? Because they have to treat everybody the same way, otherwise they could get in some legal battles. And there's only two simple choices. For a negative dilute. It's never a violation, it's a negative.
Speaker 2:So the two choices are that you accept it as it is, it's negative and you move on. Or the second choice is maybe you have a slight bit of suspicion on employees, maybe you're in an area that has a high usage of substance abuse and so maybe you want them to go back the next business day for a new test, and some employers do want to do that, but it's not required. So again, two choices accept it as it is a negative, or send them back for another test and maybe advise them not to overindulge in water. Just drink a normal amount of water, not extra, so that you don't come back with a second negative dilute. So great discussion there on negative dilute. It's a huge question. We get it on our website. I know you get phone calls, so we'll move on to the next question.
Speaker 3:What do I do when my employee has had an accident?
Speaker 2:So employers are asking that question.
Speaker 3:They are. They are. Unfortunately, it's happening more often.
Speaker 2:Okay, and I know I'm putting you on the spot a little bit. So how do you guys answer that?
Speaker 3:question. So we usually start with asking them a few questions because it will change what our answer may be. We need to know if you are a DOT regulated employer or non-DOT. We also need to refer back to your policy, depending on what's going on there. So we have to ask you a few questions.
Speaker 3:I know it's a high stress situation. You know you're trying to figure out what's going on, but it's our role to make sure that your next steps are compliant. We don't want to expose you to liability here. So we're trying to figure out what's going on, but it's our role to make sure that your next steps are compliant. We don't want to expose you to liability here. So we're going to ask you those questions. We're going to ask you to provide as much information as you possibly can and then, based on those answers, we're going to give you what you need to do.
Speaker 3:If it's DOT the first series of questions we're going to make sure it qualifies as a DOT post-accident situation. Not all accidents under safety sensitive positions require DOT testing, so we've got to clear that hurdle first. The next thing we're going to do is, based on those answers, we're going to start a timeline asking when exactly did this happen? How many hours have passed? What have you done to try to get this individual tested and kind of walk you through those steps? It's like I said, our goal is to not belabor your situation or add stress to you, but we want to make sure that your next steps are compliant.
Speaker 2:Awesome, char. So we talk about, as you mentioned, if it's DOT, there are certain accidents under DOT regulations that will require a post-accident drug test. So, as you mentioned, is it required or is it not required? If it's not required by DOT, now maybe your company policy requires it, because of perhaps your workers' comp insurance, which pretty much they'd like to see a post-accident drug and alcohol test. Now, not necessarily every accident like a bee sting or a paper cut, but if there's property damage, if someone gets hurt, things like that, there needs to be a. Your policy should indicate under what circumstances you do a post-accident drug test. And when we talk about post-accident drug testing, I often like to mention that medical attention is always the very first priority. I've had situations where someone said well, we got to get them for a drug test and they're bleeding profusely and their arm is, you know, half off their body and medical attention is always the first priority.
Speaker 2:And then let's see about getting a drug test, an alcohol test, if we can do it and typically after eight hours you wouldn't do an alcohol test, and after 32 hours you wouldn't do a drug test, and after 32 hours you wouldn't do a drug test but you do have some time there to get the medical attention done first. So great discussion there on post-accident drug testing. What else do we have, char?
Speaker 3:We also have one that was put in a way. I've never really had it before. We had a client call us and said hey, we've been in business for a really long time. However, we've just implemented a drug and alcohol program. We're new to all of this. What types of training should we be doing?
Speaker 3:As the company owners and I thought it was a fantastic question They've been employers for a long time and you know a lot of businesses. They've known the same group of people forever and ever, but now they want to make sure that they have a compliant program. They were wanting to find out what types of training they should do. The very first thing I always recommend again is going to be based on are you covered by DOT regulations or not? This company happened to be non-DOT, so we recommended DER training. The folks that are going to oversee this program need to understand how it works, what they're required to do and how to comply with the policy that was just provided to them. So we recommend that, first and foremost, it's going to help you run that program, and then also supervisor training, also commonly called reasonable suspicion training. You need to know how to recognize and document the signs and symptoms of impairment, so that you know it's not just I'm going to send that guy for a random.
Speaker 3:No you want to make sure that you have everything you need in place to do what's right for your company.
Speaker 2:Okay. So, Jesse, I'm going to bring you in here. I have a job position open at a major airline and you've been selected to perhaps take that job, so you're going to be the DER. How does that sound?
Speaker 1:I guess I'm not sure even what that means, but let's go Well let's start with that.
Speaker 2:So the DER stands for Designated Employer Representative.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:And that is going to be the person in charge of the drug and alcohol testing program for the company, okay. Do you think you want to accept that job? Yes, it pays pretty well. Yes, I would, okay, want to accept that job. It pays pretty well. Yes, I would Okay. You start Monday. Okay, any questions? When do I get my drug test? We'll do that Monday, yeah. What's the next question? Do you have experience as a DER?
Speaker 1:No, no, I have no idea what to do.
Speaker 2:How do you think you might get that experience?
Speaker 1:Training, yeah, training.
Speaker 2:So that's what the key phrase is. What Char mentioned is that we have DER training for people that are assigned that job, and it's not always a full-time job. Most times it's not. So you're maybe the safety manager or the HR person or maybe the receptionist, but that's probably not a good idea. And they say, okay, you're going to be the DER starting Monday. And I say, well, maybe you want to get some training. We do offer that DER training. So that's a great point that Char brought up there. Char, let's switch gears on a couple more questions.
Speaker 3:Okay, another one that happens and we get this call, unfortunately a little too often, and it's what do we do? You know, our donor came back and said this happened at the collection site. We called the collector and their story is completely different. What do we do? There was obviously a problem at the time of collection. How do we find out what really happened? Wow, that's a great question. It is.
Speaker 2:I want to touch base on that for a minute Because I go over this in collector training. I'm sure you do also.
Speaker 2:Char. When a collector and a collector is the person that's getting the urine specimen or getting the hair specimen, or getting the oral fluid specimen and getting it ready to ship it out to the lab specimen, or getting the oral fluid specimen and getting it ready and to ship it out to the lab and filling out the paperwork and something goes wrong and they end up without a collection or they end up with a confrontation or they end up you know just. Everything went wrong. The collector should immediately document what happened and there's a space on the custody and control drug testing form for that, but there's not a lot of rooms. They probably should type up a detailed summary of exactly what happened. They should get it to the employer right away and they should call the employer right away, because I tell them all the time, I tell the collectors that when that donor gets back to the place of work they're going to tell a whole different story. So you want your story in first, because first in wins and the one that's documented wins also okay.
Speaker 2:Now, from the employer side, I would tell their employee to document what happened, Tell me the stuff that you're telling me and write it all down, and in both situations the outcome may be clear and okay. Or maybe the outcome leads to a lawsuit and it gets to trial or deposition first, two years later and trial two and a half years later. Okay, the documentation that is available will save the case, and oftentimes the collector doesn't have documentation and oftentimes they do. When they do, typically the case wins on the collection site side. When they don't have documentation, they have a hard time. But what's your basic discussion with folks, Char, when you get this situation?
Speaker 3:We start with. You need to get the facts. You need to reach out to that collector. If they haven't already called you, as you said, can haven't already called you, as you said, can't say that enough collectors call that DR right away. But get the facts, get them in writing and then, just like Joe stated as well, you know, as an employer you want to hear what your applicant or employee has to say.
Speaker 3:But the really overarching thing is which of those things goes closest to best practice? The collector can absolutely document everything correctly, but is it their role to do what they did? What do the regulations state? Whether DOT or non-DOT best practice, the donor can say whatever it is they wanna say. You know, maybe they really couldn't stay for three full hours, but if that's a DOT, random drug test, and you leave before that, three hours is up, regardless of what happened at the site, as an employer you have to take that information and line it up as closely as you can with the regulations, with your policy, with best practice. So we really go into, get the facts, investigate, line that up against your policy, up against the regulations, before you make that decision.
Speaker 2:Okay, awesome Char. So you mentioned three hours. How many drug tests have you been to in your life ballpark?
Speaker 3:At least 10.
Speaker 2:Okay, have you ever had to wait three hours? No, I haven't. Okay, so just to be clear about the three hours the three hours comes in when there's what's called a shy bladder, which means the person can't avoid a specimen, and they're given some water and they can wait and try again, and they can wait and try again and they have up to three hours, and they can wait and try again, and they have up to three hours. If they leave, as Char mentioned, without providing a specimen, that's going to be considered a refusal to test. Now they do have an opportunity to go for a medical evaluation to see if there's a medical reason why they can't void urine within three hours, where most human beings can void urine within three hours. But if there is a medical explanation, it wouldn't be a refusal.
Speaker 2:But to touch base on a real life situation, char, that I was involved in with a expert witness case, there was a situation where a guy was in the shy bladder so he had to wait up to potentially three hours, and an hour in he jumped up and said I got to leave, I just got a text. My son was in a car accident and he's on the way to the hospital, so that might be a legitimate reason to leave Correct Char. It could be OK, it could be, but come to find out because this went to trial over this drug test situation that went bad. Come to find out after investigation and calling hospitals and urgent care centers and emergency rooms and talking with family members of this employee. There was no accident, there was no having to go to the hospital.
Speaker 2:It was made up, it was a lie and therefore the refusal to test and the termination of employment stood ground. So employers have a responsibility to verify what somebody is telling them. It's really important. This was a DOT drug test which is really important for the safety of our roads and our airways, and this person you know was purposely trying to avoid the test and therefore it was important to get them removed from a safety sensitive position, yikes. So moving on, yikes.
Speaker 3:So, moving on, this is one I submitted, and I haven't had this one too often, but it's always good. Food for thought is how do I know if a collection site is a good one?
Speaker 2:You might not, good luck, but there are some ways to figure it out. There are some ways to figure it out, there are some ways to investigate. And so if an employer is located in one facility, let's say right here in Melbourne, florida, and they're going to one particular collection site for their drug and alcohol testing, maybe right down the road at the Edge, which is a background check and drug screening company locally here, A lot of times folks send their applicants and employees there.
Speaker 2:It might be a good idea for the HR manager, the safety manager or whoever's doing the drug testing, maybe to go there themselves.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Either go get a drug test or just go there and meet the people, see if it's clean, see if it's friendly, go through the experience of the drug test to know if it is a good one. How's that sound?
Speaker 3:It's absolutely a great idea and if you're able to do that, I recommend it. And not maybe just the one time, maybe periodically through your program to make sure they're keeping up those good standards.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and if you are an employer that's hiring people all over the country, it is kind of difficult because you're looking for a facility close to where the applicant is and you want to get it done quickly and because you want to get the person hired and get them to work right away and it might not be that easy to inspect that collection site. But for the most part, collection sites are good ones and they do a good job. So we're gonna switch over to drug testing for individuals and we have individuals that call our office daily probably 15 to 20 per day, would you say, char.
Speaker 3:Easily.
Speaker 2:Where we get them a drug test in any part of the United States of America and our system finds a facility close by to where they are and we send them a donor pass that they can bring in on their phone or print out and they can get a test done really anywhere in the country in on their phone or print out and they can get a test done really anywhere in the country. And if they call, you know, in the first part of the day morning up to early afternoon, we can typically get them in the same day. But these folks um often have questions and so, char, what are the some of the questions we hear?
Speaker 3:um, it's going to be very similar to what our employer clients also have. Where's my result? And often there's going to be a little bit more urgency, believe it or not, when it comes from the individuals, because they may be testing, just like Joe said, for very specific reasons. They're anxious to get their results, so there is often a little sense of urgency to that question from them.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, and the same thing. It may take a day for a negative, but if there are circumstances beyond our control it could take longer. And if it does go into confirmation testing on a potential positive and then into medical review officer for review and verification, it could take a little bit longer also. So those things happen.
Speaker 3:Oh, and then the next one is definitely going to be so how much is this drug test? How much is it going to cost me?
Speaker 2:Well, what drug test are we talking about, Char?
Speaker 3:And that's the question.
Speaker 2:Right, if you go into Macy's and you say how much is a dress, what do they tell?
Speaker 3:you. You're going to get a funny look. Actually, what are you looking for? What kind of dress can I show you?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So there's lots of different kinds of drug tests and there's lots of different prices that go with those drug tests. So it could be a urine test, it could be a five panel, a 10 panel or more. It could be a hair test, it could be maybe up to a 17 panel. It could be an oral fluid test. So we need to know the information of what you need before we can give a price. Now if someone just calls up today and says, hey, I need a DOT drug test. I'm a driver, I just need a DOT drug test, it's going to be a simple answer because there's only one DOT urine drug test. But if it's non-DOT, there can be multiple panels. And when we talk about a panel, like a five panel, that's five drugs being tested, a 10 panel being 10 drugs being tested.
Speaker 2:Which do you think costs more Char?
Speaker 3:You would think it would be the 10 panel. Yeah.
Speaker 2:When we get over 10 panel. We actually need to know what are the specific drugs that you need, because there are no standard 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, or 18 panels. We need to know what drugs you're looking for and those tests can get very expensive, particularly if it's a hair test. And those tests can get very expensive, particularly if it's a hair test 18 panel. You're looking at multiple hundreds of dollars. The baseline price for a typical five panel drug test on a one-off test is $69. For employers that set up accounts that may have some volume.
Speaker 2:Those prices can get reduced, so next question when are you located? Well, I'm right here. Well, I shouldn't say that we're located everywhere, right?
Speaker 3:Absolutely. We're all over the country.
Speaker 2:It doesn't matter where we're located, where are?
Speaker 3:you located Charla, Sorry.
Speaker 2:So we can find a drug test anywhere in the US. We're located here in Melbourne, Florida, and we answer the phone and we find out what your zip code is and our system tells us the nearest drug testing facility that we can put you at at the best possible price. And maybe it's in network and it's going to be the best possible price Not very often, but it could be a little bit of out of network and it could cost a little bit more. Very similar when you go to a doctor's office. You've got an in network price and you got to add a network price. So we're located everywhere, right?
Speaker 3:Absolutely everywhere.
Speaker 2:Okay, even in Puerto Rico.
Speaker 3:And Alaska.
Speaker 2:And the Virgin Islands.
Speaker 3:And the Virgin.
Speaker 2:Islands. There we go Okay. What's next.
Speaker 3:So I just took an instant drug test. Where's my results?
Speaker 2:Okay, why don't you take this one, char? Oh, thank you.
Speaker 3:So you just took your instant drug test. Where's your results? That again is going to be a couple of questions. How long ago did you take that test? A typical clear, negative instant drug test you're looking about, you know, two to four hour turnaround time till it's in your inbox, things like that. So we want to know exactly when you took it. If you don't have that result within that same day, it's quite possible that it needed some additional confirmation and it may have had to go to the lab. Let us take a look at that for you and then we're going to do a little bit of research and be able to provide an answer for you.
Speaker 2:Okay, and we'll typically call them back the same day, char.
Speaker 3:Same day.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that's kind of our model we call them back the same day. The other question I see, char, that maybe you could answer also. It says the other question I see, char, that maybe you could answer also it says, are my results private and can those results be sent to another party?
Speaker 3:Great question and it's also one that we get quite a bit. Yes, you order that drug test with our team here. Without your permission, we're not going to send that drug test result to anyone else. You could verbally give permission to someone and they'll call and ask for it and we will not provide it. That permission must come from you. So, yes, those are private. They're for your use. If you order that drug test and if you'd like to give permission for that to be released to anyone else, you're going to have to provide that to us in writing and we'll be happy to help you.
Speaker 3:And that does happen often doesn't it, it really does, it does.
Speaker 2:Because these individuals need to get their results sent to their attorney or to their probation officer, or to their mom, or to their going to.
Speaker 3:Maybe to school.
Speaker 2:To schools exactly Admissions, interns and stuff like that. So individual drug testing is a big part of our business. We have a whole team of folks that handle that Calls daily. We can get a drug test done for anybody anywhere in the USA. So I want to switch gears to talk about what we call the National Drug Screening or the NDS Reseller Program. And Char, how would you describe the NDS Reseller Program?
Speaker 3:All right, so here we go. The Reseller Program is sort of a business model for folks who want to step into the drug and alcohol business. We provide the framework and the lab accounts for you to go out and do drug testing and, depending on the program you choose, maybe more than just drug testing.
Speaker 2:Okay, so folks might be brand new and don't know what to do or where to go. We can help them.
Speaker 3:We can, we can, we can, Through a series of discussions we're going to find out what you're trying to accomplish with this new business venture, provide you the you know, the options for the best program starting out for you. And, like I said, it's not just you know, here's a lab account, here's some collection cups, but it's also going to be able to provide you with some support from my department and maybe others, depending on the program that you choose, so that you can run your collection business, if that's what you choose or more. But we provide all of that.
Speaker 2:Okay, excellent. So we actually have two versions of our reseller program. Can you discuss those two versions briefly? The clinic mobile drug testing reseller and the TPA reseller program.
Speaker 3:Sure. So the clinic mobile reseller program is sort of like the starting point for a lot of these new businesses. Maybe you are already doing background checks or fingerprinting and clients have been asking you about drug testing. Could you take care of this for us too? That's this is something we hear a lot of and, yeah, you are provided with the national lab accounts that you need, the collection supplies that you need and hope and guidance on the training you may need to do these collections so that your clients can come to you for those collections. You send those samples into the lab and then you're able to report the results to your client. That's kind of the beginner level of it. You take care of your collections, whether it's brick and mortar or if you specialize in after hours or mobile drug testing. That's what this program gives to you the resources to add that to your testing. That's what this program gives to you the resources to add that to your options.
Speaker 2:That's the first one. All right, so before you go to the TPA reseller program, on the first option, the clinic mobile reseller program as you mentioned, maybe somebody just getting started or somebody who has an existing background check or fingerprinting or DNA paternity testing business and they're trying to get set up with lab accounts and with supplies and with a medical review officer in a way to get their results back and they're calling around all over the place.
Speaker 3:And what's their experience? It's kind of the full range, Joe. It's either they've never collected a sample in their life or they've done this for years and want to do it on their own.
Speaker 2:So we hear it from both ends of the spectrum, to be honest. Ok, and when those folks get with us and we provide a lab account, dot, non-dot we provide an MRO, we provide software that delivers their results to them, do we send them clients?
Speaker 3:We do not send you clients, we do not put you in a database to pick you, pick you. It's really just the resources to do the collections.
Speaker 2:Okay, so whose responsibility is it to do marketing and sales and get new clients?
Speaker 3:Well, as a new business owner, I'm very pleased to tell you that is also part of your role running your new business Right.
Speaker 2:And will the lab send them clients?
Speaker 3:You know, it's not that they'll send you clients, but you could possibly be listed as a collection facility for particular labs.
Speaker 2:Okay, so very clear and we talked about this, I believe, also in the Starting the Business podcast which we did, I think episode three or four that folks are getting into this business and sometimes they hear some incorrect information that somebody's going to send them clients all the time, every single day, and that's absolutely not true. But with that Char, let's talk about what's the difference with the TPA reseller program.
Speaker 3:The TPA reseller program is collections, sure, but it really has an emphasis on providing an overall drug and alcohol testing program for your clients. So not only would you possibly also do collections, but you would have the ability to handle employer accounts that need help. So they want to set up a drug and alcohol program you can provide those services. They want to set up a drug and alcohol program? You can provide those services. Maybe they're looking to put their employees in a random program? You can provide those services. So you can also provide training. You can provide policies, so you're able to really just encompass the full needs of a client for their business.
Speaker 3:When you take on the TPA program, that is also an MRO for your results. That's a software program, a dynamic software program that will allow you to order drug tests across the country. It will allow you to track those results. As long as they're ordered electronically, those results come in, your clients can have full access to the same portal to get those results as well. In that same portal you can manage a full range of random programs, whether they're DOT, non-dot, consortium services or even standalone programs.
Speaker 2:So that's all available to you with the TPA program that's a great, awesome service and, char, the way you described that, I think we should have you on the phone selling this program to folks what would you say is the biggest benefit to drug testing providers that are that are using the NDS TPA reseller program.
Speaker 3:The biggest benefit using our program is you have access to us to be really honest with you. You have access to a team of individuals, not just my department in customer service, our randoms program coordinator. You have access to people that can provide you with resources, support, the training. When you need guidance on what to do next, we're there for you. We really do provide not just sort of the here's this and hope it works out for you, but you've got ongoing support. We are considered your back office. When you bring on that new customer, you're going to send that information over to our support team. We're going to make sure that client gets their national lab accounts. Those individuals working for your client that need access to the portal they're going to be set up. You don't have to do it. You get to run and manage and market your business and the sort of admin work comes over to us to get those new clients into there for you the training program, resources, videos, things like that. So you have support that will make sure that TPA program is working for you.
Speaker 2:That's an awesome answer, char. You do a great job with explaining that and implementing that, so we appreciate all you do for the customers, because I know you work hard and your team works hard. So some of the questions that come from resellers I know some of them are the same questions about results that they ask about.
Speaker 3:For a lot of folks. They may have never seen a final result that says something like canceled or invalid and that's going to bring in a question, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Okay, and so canceled results can be. You know, maybe you didn't even send the specimen in. Sometimes that happens. Maybe you didn't send the lab copy of the custody and control form. Sometimes that happens. Maybe the specimen got to the lab and they were getting ready to do the testing and it got knocked over. There's no specimen to test. So there are things that can happen that can cancel a test. Fedex truck breaks down and all the specimens are in the river, as you mentioned earlier. Don't want to swim in that river, but then we also can get an invalid, and an invalid is the lab can't figure out if it is negative or positive. They cannot provide scientific supportable evidence of a positive or negative. And since they cannot provide scientific supportable evidence, that is legally defensible, they're not going to provide a result. So it's going to be an invalid. That may be a do-over, depending on the MRO after they review the situation, and if a negative result is required for this person, such as a pre-employment test for DOT, a negative result is required for them to get into the job. If it's post-accident reasonable suspicion, random invalid is just going to be. It ends there and it's invalid.
Speaker 2:So, as you mentioned, char, one of the biggest benefits.
Speaker 2:And I tell people all the time because we do new business training and 100% of my new business training clients actually ask us to be their back office and provide them our TPA reseller.
Speaker 2:And I tell them well, that's a great decision because you now become part of our family and you get us and we help you and we want to help you grow your business and we will give you the tools and the techniques to do so. And that kind of leads into the second question that you mentioned, char, that you get a lot is where can I get help marketing my business? And so we do provide that help and you know, if it's a quick question, everybody on our team will help you answer the question. But if you want detailed marketing assistance, it can be as little as one hour of consultation for marketing, it can be a half a day, it could be a full day, it could be multiple days. We are very flexible and we have custom programs to help folks market their business. A lot of it is about what do you do to market your own business.
Speaker 2:And that's your job as the business owner. You got to get out there. You got to tell people about your business. Jesse, you've been a small business owner for a while. What are some of the things that you've done to promote your business?
Speaker 1:Oh, join a chamber. Get in rooms with a lot of decision makers, get some one-on-one time with some of these people who are natural partners, you know, just kind of align yourself with them and say, hey, you know, we're kind of in the same industry. How can we help each other? Excellent?
Speaker 2:excellent, and Char. Let's go to the final two questions here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so this is one that comes in from our new clinic mobile reseller folks. Why is my name in the employer section of the forms? I'm not an employer. That happens and we always answer this for the sake of that customer coming into your business for a drug test. You are the employer. That's why your name is there. That's your account. We commonly call it a house account. So they walk in and need a one-off test. You're going to provide that service to them. That's why your name is there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and they're not actually the employer, but there has to be a name and that field is actually called the employer field. So there has to be a name there that relates to the particular account and as Clinic Mobile Resell, you have one account with the lab for DOT, one for non-DOT, correct and your company will be listed there as the company that is basically sponsoring that drug test.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:So good stuff there, and I think there's one more question there is.
Speaker 3:Why can't I add my own customers or contacts to my account? And that's in reference to the software program provided by National Drug Screening for our TPA users, and we answer that as gently as possible. But to understand the software program and how that data has to go in there, it has to be very detailed in a lot of small little places, and that's what my team does all day and we're going to get that data entered properly where it needs to be, so that it matches all of the other systems that we need to manage your TPA account. So we're going to provide you with a form to fill out. You're going to send it to us. We're going to make sure that information gets in there properly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's critically important because there's so many moving parts to getting a drug testing account set up for an employer where they're going to be able to order their own drug tests at facilities all across the United States, and if there's one little box unchecked or one little piece of data left out, it's not going to work right. Char.
Speaker 3:Correct, it will not work and you'll call us anyway.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and sometimes customers have tried to add their own accounts to our software, and it's not something they do every day and they mess it up, and it's a lot harder to clean it up than to have had us do it right in the first place.
Speaker 2:And again as Char mentioned, the most important thing is they do it every day. They set up accounts in the software every day. It's their job, day in and day out, and if you only do it once a week or once every other week, you're likely to miss something. So really important there. And so what's one big question that might come from any of our customer types?
Speaker 3:Hmm. So this is a new one. With the updates to some DOT agencies, but particularly FMCSA, it has resulted in this question what is a split specimen retest? What is this happening? What is this on my bill? What is the second test in my portal? What is this? And this comes in to play when you have not necessarily just DOT but primarily DOT. That initial specimen has come back non-negative. That individual has had an interview with the MRO and has requested that the split or the second specimen vial be sent for confirmation testing.
Speaker 2:Char, do you mean they tested positive for cocaine and they said they've never used cocaine?
Speaker 3:You know that's a common one. But yes, yes, I have no idea how that meth got into my system at all. I demand that this other sample be sent to the secondary lab.
Speaker 2:Okay, so they're going out to another lab to verify the first lab didn't make a mistake. Correct All right, so how does it usually come back?
Speaker 3:Oh, it's going to come back the same Most of the time. Most of the time, if it doesn't?
Speaker 2:you might read about it in the newspaper.
Speaker 3:It would be in the newspaper that a major laboratory screwed up a direct test result for an airline pilot. Yeah, I've never heard of one coming back different, but it's possible. It's certainly possible.
Speaker 2:Okay, and how much does this cost?
Speaker 3:It's going to cost you $225.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it does cost a little bit of money because the first lab has to go get that specimen and this is a manual process. They typically have it stored in a freezer. Then they've got to ship it to the second lab. Then they got to do a manual process of testing it, Then they got to get the results to the medical review officer. So it is kind of costly. Who?
Speaker 3:pays for it. That's going to be the employer for DOT and in cases where it's non-DOT, you need to check with that donor.
Speaker 2:Okay, but if the employer pays for it, can they then charge their employee?
Speaker 3:Yeah, certainly Okay, I recommend you do.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So they probably should tell the employee that you're going to end up paying for this if you want to order it, and if you don't pay us, we're going to take it out of your paycheck. And so do you want to proceed with this? And what do?
Speaker 3:sometimes they say when we see that string of emails, the answer is usually cancel this request.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's never mind Okay, because they'd rather take that $225 and maybe get some more drugs rather than pay for something where they know it's not going to come through. Now some people are gamblers okay, to be quite honest and they may pay for their split specimen retest and they're praying to God that the FedEx truck breaks down.
Speaker 3:Or the hurricane hits yeah and that could potentially happen.
Speaker 2:So, shark, great job. You can probably do the next podcast with one of your team members. I don't think you need me anymore. You've done a great job answering these questions and explaining things and, as our customer service manager, we have a great department there that's providing great service to our clients. It's one of our main priorities and you know lots of companies say customer service is our main priority and you don't always see it, do you? Char?
Speaker 3:Unfortunately no yeah.
Speaker 2:But what do you hear at National Drug Screening?
Speaker 3:We hear really great things from our clients. We hear great things from our vendors, which is always a big surprise, but welcome as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as a matter of fact, we just asked our team in August this past month to ask our clients for a Google review, and it was a great experience. The majority of the team really went ahead and asked people and I think we ended up with 180 reviews Google reviews in one month, so we're really proud of that. We're really proud of the team that did that. So, char, as we close out, you mentioned in the opening that we do a lot of trainings, so what's the significance of that?
Speaker 3:I think it is. You know it sounds a lot like our sort of company motto here, but the significance of that training is we are able to guide our clients through just the run-of-the-mill drug testing. But where it really counts is when you get that call and there's been a terrible accident or serious situation and they have no clue what to do next and they count on us and we can guide them through that process, whatever it may be audits, things like that. That's where the early mornings and the trainings and the training material come into play that when we're needed we have the resources, we have the training, we have the knowledge to assist those clients.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And it reminds me of a discussion I had with somebody a few years back where they said you know, I had my old drug testing provider. I would call them up and ask them a question. And, for example, I would call up and I'd speak to somebody there and I'd say we got this result back and it says negativeute, and really not sure what that means. And the representative at the company would say well, hold on a second. And then they would hear them yell out across the office does anybody know what a negative dilute is? Nobody knew.
Speaker 2:So we pride ourselves in. One of the parts of our mission is that we maintain ourselves as the leading experts in drug testing, and it's not just me, that's Char Yu, that's our teams, all of our teams, and that's why we do weekly meetings and that's why we ask people to attend webinars and attend conferences and really go the extra mile to actually know what we're doing. So my last question for you for today, char, is can you tell me what this statement means to you? And the statement is listen with intent to understand, not to reply.
Speaker 3:Yes, I can, because you spent the first year of my employment making sure I learned it what that really has come down and we use this every day, multiple times a day it is when we are on the phone with that client video meeting. However, we're speaking with that client. You need to set your mind to understand what that client is trying to accomplish. You may think you know where they're going, you may think you know where this is headed, but if you have the mindset that I'm going to listen so that I understand what they're trying to accomplish, my reply will be correct. You can just reply to a standard question and it could possibly be right, but maybe not addressing their concern or what they're trying to accomplish. So it's definitely something that we spend a lot of time talking about in the office. When you're getting that information from that client, it's not just you know the technical terms coming at you as you're mentally sorting through that information. What is that client trying to accomplish? And that's what you want to listen for.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and it's okay to ask them back a question. What kind of question would you might ask them back?
Speaker 3:Oh, my gosh Tom is going to be so proud of me. It's going to be some clarifying questions, right?
Speaker 2:We need to clarify what the Tom is going to be so proud of me. It's going to be some clarifying questions, right? We need to clarify what the issue is, and you mentioned one of my favorite statements, which is at the end of you know a minute or two. If I'm not really understanding them, I quite frankly say can you tell me what you're trying to accomplish? And that helps me then to understand where to go from there. So great response there, char Jesse, you want to talk about our sponsor before we close out?
Speaker 1:Yeah, once again we want to give a shout-out to National Drug Screening. They've been a great partner with us over the course of our episodes and, as a quick reminder, they offer nationwide service, so drug and alcohol testing nationwide. They have 10,000-plus drug testing facilities available. Employment drug testing and random consortium services are also available testing for individuals, of course, and known for their expertise and awesome customer service called National Drug Screening.
Speaker 2:Today, for any of your national or any drug screening questions today, yeah, and also visit the National Drug Screening website which is wwwnationaldrugscreeningcom and take advantage of our web portal for test ordering, randoms, consortium and results, our lab and MRO services, our TPA reseller support, support and expertise in consulting and training. So, Jesse, I wanted to just ask the audience to if you're listening on a podcast we're on all major podcasts please like and share. If you want to watch this on YouTube, go to YouTube and watch it If you like it. It. If you like it, ring the bell, subscribe, tell your friends, give us comments, ask us questions. I think I'm supposed to say all those things. Did I do it right, jesse?
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And of course, we do get a lot of engagement, including questions, and I promise Joe will reply to those. So yeah, leave questions and comments. We absolutely love to see those in our videos.
Speaker 2:All right. One last question for you, jesse. Did you learn anything today? A whole, lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you guys are committed to customer service.
Speaker 3:Thank you, that's one thing.
Speaker 1:I definitely can tell. And yeah, it sounds like you guys offer a lot of services and so it was a nice little kind of update, kind of getting a little bit more reacquainted with what National Drug Screening does Absolutely Awesome.
Speaker 2:So come back and check out our next episode. Jesse, it's been a good one today, and I'll let you close it out 100%.
Speaker 1:Thank you once again. Again, click that subscribe button, Click the bell so you get all those notifications as soon as we drop a new episode. And once again, thank you so much for tuning in and until next time. Have a great week.