In the immediate aftermath of lockdown measures and travel restrictions, pharma teams initially relied on video calls to meet and collaborate. But this quickly became unwieldy due to the ongoing, multi-stakeholder nature of work across medical affairs, clinical, and commercial divisions. And the pharma strategy in 2021, one-off meetings via video platforms quickly dropped off as schedules became packed with more of the same.
By adopting hybrid engagements – a combination of real-time virtual and asynchronous elements – teams not only drove higher participation and more efficient workflows, but were also able to obtain more meaningful insight and priorities convenience for themselves as well as KOLs, patients, and other audiences.
There will be an ever-increasing number of virtual meeting options and for some, web conferences or traditional virtual meetings will meet both their objectives and budget. But those who value the interactions and connectivity of in-person meetings will expect more, i.e., an opportunity to connect with the speakers, the content, and each other in a dynamic environment. To accomplish this, speakers will need to embrace new skill sets and get comfortable interacting with remote participants, speaking with them as if they were in the same room and including them in the discussion.
The biggest challenge in the migration from in-person to virtual will be keeping the integrity of the meeting or event. It will not be sufficient to simply jump on a computer to talk — virtual programs are going to require planning and production in the same way as in-person meetings, giving thought to show flow, real-time interaction, and using tools that facilitate engagement. Hybrid meetings will need to seamlessly integrate the virtual and in-person audiences to create one master event where all participants share the same experience and results.
Enhance customer experience with hybrid engagement.
Once in-person access to HCPs resumes, face-to-face selling will continue to be important, but blending onsite visits with digital interactions will improve customer experience, and, ultimately, commercial performance.
One global life sciences company conducted a two-year analysis to determine the most effective engagement channel in one of their emerging growth markets. The test compared the performance of three separate segments: reps engaging with HCPs using only in-person visits; reps engaging solely via digital; and reps who combined face-to-face and digital interactions.
The group that used a hybrid approach improved cost efficiency by 80 percent, surpassing the combined sales growth of the two stand-alone segments by three percent. This shows that when done right, using digital as a supplement to in-person visits can result in significant financial benefits after the pandemic. Plus, HCPs prefer it as well.
In a recent survey of 720 HCPs, 87 percent of respondents said they wanted either all virtual or a mix of virtual and in-person meetings even after the pandemic ends. A hybrid engagement model – one in which reps split their time between in-person visits, virtual meetings, and email – will be key in helping companies better meet HCP needs and improve customer satisfaction.
Leverage data to optimize digital engagement.
Like content, data is another critical component to effective digital engagement. Without insight into channel preferences, customer reach, engagement frequency, and cross-channel engagement history, field and headquarter teams won’t have the insight they need to identify the next-best engagement opportunity.
Sharing digital engagement data with reps and field managers can also help teams identify cross-channel anomalies across customers, territories, and districts. It’s important to remember, however, that raw data alone isn’t what will improve digital effectiveness and sales outcomes; it’s the ability to transform that data into simple and actionable insights – often through easy-to-understand dashboards and suggestions – that will lead to better decisions and follow-through.
Pharma strategy in 2021 teams should use data to make digital channel considerations when evaluating customer segments, territory design, salesforce size, structure, and sales models as well. Key inputs to decision making should include promotional response by channel, channel specific access data, and channel preference observations.
