DCR format for medical representatives, with a free template
A daily call report (DCR) is the record a medical representative files for each working day: who they met, what they detailed, what they left behind and what came of it. This page sets out a practical DCR format field by field, explains why each column is there, and gives you a free template that opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
The DCR format, field by field
One row per call. A doctor met in the morning and a chemist in the afternoon are two rows on the same date. Keeping it one-row-per-call is what makes the sheet usable for coverage and frequency reporting later.
| Column | What goes in it, and why |
|---|---|
| Date | The day of the call. Not the day the report was typed. |
| MR name and employee code | The code, not just the name, so rows join to the hierarchy for manager roll-ups. |
| Headquarters | The representative's base. Needed to judge whether the day was local or travel. |
| Day type | HQ, ex-station (EX) or outstation (OS). This decides the daily allowance, so it belongs in the report, not only in the expense sheet. |
| Route / beat | The beat worked, from the approved route list. This is what tour compliance compares against the plan. |
| Customer type | Doctor, chemist or stockist. |
| Customer name and code | From the customer master. The code matters: free-text names cannot be counted reliably. |
| Speciality | For doctors. Lets marketing see which specialities each brand reaches. |
| Visit time | When the call happened. Without it, there is no way to tell a real day from a reconstructed one. |
| Worked with | The manager on a joint working day, if any. |
| Products detailed | The brands discussed, in the order discussed. |
| Samples given | Product and quantity, so sample stock can be reconciled. |
| Gifts / inputs | Promotional inputs left with the customer. |
| Order booked | The order value at a chemist or stockist, where the call produced one. |
| Outcome / remarks | What the doctor said or committed to. The column most often left blank, and the most useful to the next visit. |
Rules that keep a DCR sheet useful
- Fill it on the day. A DCR typed at the end of the week is a reconstruction, and the timestamps in it are guesses.
- Pick customers from a fixed list. Every spelling variant of the same doctor becomes a separate doctor in any report built later.
- Never merge calls into one row. "Met 8 doctors on Aminabad beat" cannot be checked, counted or followed up.
- Record samples by quantity. "Samples given" without numbers makes sample reconciliation impossible.
- Keep the format the same across the team. A manager rolling up ten representatives cannot reconcile ten layouts.
Where a spreadsheet DCR stops working
A spreadsheet is a reasonable start for a small team, and the template above will get you there. Its limits show up as the team grows: nothing proves the representative was where the row says, rows can be edited after the fact, sample and gift stock live in another file, and the expense sheet is typed separately from the calls that justify it.
Those are the points where teams move the DCR into an app — so the visit time and location are captured on the device, the customer comes from the master list, samples draw down against the representative's allocation, and the expense is calculated from the calls rather than claimed alongside them.
How PharmaMonitor captures the DCR
In PharmaMonitor each call is filed at the point of visit in the Android app, against a doctor, chemist or stockist from the customer master, with a geo-fenced check-in and optional photo. Products detailed, samples, gifts, orders and retail audits are captured in the same record, and it works with no network, syncing when the connection returns.
The fields themselves are configurable per company — labels, which fields are mandatory, and the vocabulary your team uses — so the app can match the DCR format your team already knows rather than forcing a new one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the full form of DCR in pharma?
DCR stands for daily call report — the record a medical representative files each working day listing every doctor, chemist or stockist visited, what was detailed, what samples and inputs were given, and what the outcome was.
What should a DCR format include?
At minimum: date, representative, day type, route, customer and customer type, visit time, products detailed, samples and gifts given, order value, and the outcome of the call. One row per call keeps it usable for coverage and frequency reporting.
Is there a free DCR format in Excel?
Yes — the template on this page is a free download. It is a CSV file that opens directly in Excel or Google Sheets, with the columns described above and two example rows.
How often should an MR fill the DCR?
Every working day, ideally at or right after each call. Reports filled at the end of the week are reconstructions and are the main source of inaccurate reporting.
What is the difference between a DCR and a tour plan?
The tour plan is what the representative intends to do in the month, approved in advance. The DCR is what they actually did each day. Comparing the two is tour compliance.
Read next
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