You need to learn a lot about you employees. You may not have to time or the ability to do everything on your own. By using a DOT consortium, you can maintain a significant amount of compliancy. The third party administrator can do virtually everything that you need them to - saving you both time and money.
Finding the right consortium will make it easier for you to get the help where you need it. There are some tips to help you find the right one.
Ask Questions
You should plan on making a list of questions to ask a DOT Consortium. These should be the same with each administrator so that you can make adequate comparisons between them. What you need to know may not be found on the website, and therefore it is important to have the questions so that you can really dive into what they can help with. Questions include:
- How have you helped companies in the past?
- What size companies are you used to working with?
- How experienced are you with DOT rules and regulations?
- What partnerships do you have that could be beneficial?
- Have you set up drug testing programs in the past?
Look at Services
The services offered by the consortium should be explored as well. Some companies will manage the entire testing program while others will manage certain parts. You may want them to implement the program, help maintain compliancy, and manage the random testing of employees. Various medical review officer services may be provided as well, ranging from chain of custody tools to expert testimony.
Find Out Their Background
Take the time to learn about the background of the company. How long have they been in business? What industries do they typically work with? You can get a lot of information from the "about us" on the consortium website. However, you may also have a few other questions, and this is yet another reason why you want to make a phone call or a Web inquiry in order to learn more.
Explore Pricing Models
Various pricing models may exist for using the consortium. This will often depend upon how much you have them managing the drug and alcohol testing program. If you have them implementing and managing everything, you can expect to pay more, though you can also save a significant amount of time.
Look at their Team
Finally, take the time to look at their team. The larger the team, the more customer service you are likely to get. They may have an array of medical review officers to assign to your company and assist in all that you do.
Finding a DOT consortium for your company can be a great asset. You simply have to take the time to put in the research.
