Key trends and innovations

The enormous competition, the rapidly growing market and the degree of its complexity require companies to adapt to the new situation. As a result, many pharmaceutical companies focus on opening new markets by acquiring other companies or creating dedicated departments for specific business activities.

It would not be possible without IT systems enabling the implementation of such a strategy and efficient building and servicing of a sales funnel (installation and servicing sales segments and markets, managing key clients). Agile project delivery in CRM systems plays a fundamental role here. These systems must directly respond to the requirements coming from the business. Skilful analysis of needs and implementation of business processes based on them is the key to success. The agile approach allows you to deliver ready-made system components in an iterative way. From the very beginning, users work on the prototype, which allows for quick system adoption and shortens the time to market.

The catalyst for change was also the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced companies to act in a new way. One of the industries most affected by the pandemic is life sciences. The pandemic caused the digitisation of many processes, including switching to online communication, which required companies to expand their existing contact channels.

This trend will continue because customers appreciate the comfort of online communication; on the other hand – there is a risk of a return of restrictions related to the pandemic. This means that only systems that will enable multi-channel communication and provide the customer with a choice of how they want to contact the company will work. In addition, considering the complex legal regulations in the life science industry, it must be possible to enable/disable channels in specific markets /  particular countries.

A CRM system dedicated to the life science industry must enable efficient communication with clients (regardless of whether they are patients, doctors or healthcare professionals). For example, there must be an option to report information about adverse events easily.

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Deal with strict regulations thanks to the fully compliant system

In the life science industry, one of the critical issues is compliance with the above-mentioned strict guidelines and regulations related to broadly understood safety at many stages of the company’s operations. Patients’ data security should be taken care of by developing proper procedures at the IT level, whereas patients’ health security processes should be related to the production. In the pharmaceutical industry, we deal with the so-called GxP, i.e. a set of good practices, regulations, provisions and processes for this business area and the validation of IT systems. Therefore, the CRM system must be implemented and tested under these procedures.

An additional difficulty is that the regulations mentioned above frequently change, requiring the company to react quickly and adapt to new standards and also take them into account in the existing system.

If a company operates in many countries – and this is usually the case with life science companies – it also means the need to adapt the CRM system to the regulations in force in a given country.

The Salesforce platform perfectly addresses the above requirements. It not only meets the compliances and legal requirements of the Life Science industry but also allows you to quickly implement your own solutions. This potential, together with an experienced implementation partner, guarantees success.

Companies representing the life science industry operate in a vertical model. For this reason – much more than in other business models – it is essential to “connect” all areas of the company in one place, not only marketing and sales but also production and distribution.

They no longer only use IT systems and smart devices but also operate in the smart factories model. Connection of all elements in such a network is essential, as well as ensuring a continuous data exchange and analysis. These issues can be addressed with a Salesforce integration platform called Mulesoft. A holistic view of individual business areas – from customer data through the production line and distribution information – is crucial when making decisions. An indispensable tool for this purpose will be an integrated CRM (Salesforce) platform and back-office systems such as ERP and SCM. Such an architecture will provide a solid foundation for digital transformation while providing an appropriate source of data for analysis. Quick decision-making, sales and production forecasting and response to changing regulations are the main tasks facing BI tools.

The future of Life Sciences is going through faster than ever before a digital transformation. The COVID-19 epidemic has confirmed that companies in this industry can undergo the digital revolution much quicker than previously thought. There is no going back from this path. Integrated CRM, combining various data sources, process automation, and AI capabilities will be key to success.

The described situation also showed how important it is to focus on the end customer as much as possible. Many companies understood that they expected better and faster service and fostering relationships. Companies see that efficiently addressing their specific needs translates into increased satisfaction and improved health outcomes for their patients.

A new perspective on CRM emerges: moving from CRM to CXM (Customer Experience Management). The systems will be enriched with functionalities, enabling the building of a better customer experience and more personalised interactions. Modern technologies will also allow for precise prediction of customer expectations and, as a result, provide them with an integrated and personalised experience. An example of such technology is the Salesforce Platform and products from its family.