Better Customer Data Means…More Productive Reps

This video provides an illustrative case study demonstrating the critical importance of accurate customer reference data for pharmaceutical commercial operations, specifically focusing on the challenges faced by field sales representatives and the strategic solution offered by Veeva OpenData. The narrative centers on Selma, a Sales and Marketing Director at Virtio Biopharma, whose team repeatedly struggles with operational inefficiencies and missed opportunities stemming from poor data quality.

The core problem is vividly illustrated through a common field scenario: one of Selma’s sales representatives visited St. Vincent’s Hospital intending to see Dr. Bowen, only to discover the physician had recently moved to a new practice in another city. This situation resulted in immediate negative consequences: the rep was embarrassed, appeared unprofessional to hospital staff, and wasted valuable time and resources. Furthermore, the outdated system prevented the rep from identifying Dr. Bowen’s replacement or appropriately documenting the outcome of the failed visit within their system. This recurring issue led Selma to lose faith in the trustworthiness of the foundational data driving her team's customer interactions, directly impacting commercial effectiveness.

The video positions Veeva OpenData as the necessary solution to restore data integrity and optimize field force performance. By switching to this platform, Selma and her sales representatives gain real-time access to a comprehensive, full database of customer information. This new approach immediately addresses the pain points of inaccurate targeting and wasted effort. The improved data quality ensures that reps are better equipped with the correct customer details, allowing them to eliminate unproductive calls and visits to incorrect targets. The ultimate outcome is a significant boost in rep productivity, reinforced trust in the underlying data infrastructure, and the ability for the commercial team to focus exclusively on meaningful engagement with the right healthcare professionals (HCPs). The presentation concludes by highlighting Veeva OpenData's attributes as being "open, easy, and global," positioning it as the standard for maintaining high-quality customer reference data in the life sciences sector.

Key Takeaways: • Data Inaccuracy Cripples Commercial Efficiency: The failure to maintain up-to-date customer reference data (such as HCP location or status changes) directly results in wasted resources, including rep time, travel costs, and missed opportunities for meaningful engagement. • Rep Productivity is Directly Tied to Data Quality: When field representatives encounter outdated information, their productivity plummets because they spend valuable selling time correcting data errors or traveling to incorrect locations, rather than interacting with target customers. • The Rep Experience Impacts Professionalism: Arriving at a location only to find the target HCP has moved makes the sales representative appear unprofessional and unprepared, potentially damaging the company's reputation with office staff and future interactions. • Data Trust is Essential for System Adoption: When sales directors like Selma lose faith in the trustworthiness of the data driving their CRM and commercial systems, it undermines the entire technology investment and leads to reduced user adoption and reliance on manual workarounds. • Documentation Requires Accurate Reference Data: The inability to accurately document visit experiences, find replacement contacts, or update system records due to poor reference data compromises regulatory compliance tracking and future strategic planning. • Veeva OpenData Solves the Reference Data Challenge: The platform is presented as a solution that provides real-time access to a comprehensive customer database, ensuring that field teams are always equipped with the most current information. • Focus Shift from Logistics to Engagement: By eliminating the logistical hurdles caused by bad data, accurate reference data allows sales representatives to shift their focus entirely onto high-value activities: interacting with the right customers and delivering relevant information. • The Need for Global, Accessible Data: The solution emphasizes that high-quality customer data must be "open, easy, and global," suggesting that pharmaceutical companies require a standardized, easily integrated data source that works across different territories and commercial systems.

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

• Veeva OpenData: A customer reference data solution designed specifically for the life sciences industry, providing accurate, real-time information on healthcare professionals (HCPs) and organizations.

Key Concepts:

• Customer Reference Data: The foundational, non-transactional data about healthcare professionals (HCPs), organizations, and their affiliations, which is crucial for accurate targeting, segmentation, and compliance within the pharmaceutical commercial model.
• Rep Productivity: A measure of the efficiency and effectiveness of field sales representatives, often quantified by the number of successful, documented interactions with target HCPs versus time spent on administrative tasks or failed calls.
• Commercial Operations Data Trust: The confidence that commercial leadership and field teams have in the accuracy and reliability of the data residing within their CRM and business intelligence systems, which is necessary for strategic decision-making and efficient execution.