Embracing a New Way of Engaging with HCPs at Unprecedented Speed

This video provides an in-depth case study of how the pharmaceutical company Grünenthal rapidly transitioned its global customer engagement strategy to a digital-first model in response to the initial COVID-19 lockdowns. Florent Edouard, SVP, Global Head of Commercial Excellence at Grünenthal, details the immediate realization that medical representatives and medical science liaisons (MSLs) would lose the ability to engage physicians face-to-face, necessitating a broad and immediate deployment of digital tools across all continental geographies in Europe and the Americas. The central achievement highlighted is the incredibly fast launch of Veeva Engage Meeting, moving from a limited pilot to a comprehensive global deployment in less than one month. This initiative was driven by a decisive organizational commitment to maintain connectivity with Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) and patients worldwide.

The progression of the discussion centers on the successful execution and the resulting impact of this rapid digital pivot. Edouard notes that in some countries, the company achieved up to 80% of pre-COVID interaction levels, now delivered entirely through Veeva Engage Meetings. This success was attributed to a combination of three critical factors: looking eastward and realizing the necessity of an early, broad move; organizational empowerment to "just decide, let's go, let's do it everywhere"; and a robust partnership with Veeva that allowed Grünenthal to challenge conventional timelines and scale a pilot program globally in a matter of weeks. This shift demonstrated that digital engagement was not merely a temporary solution or a "buzzword," but a fundamental change that needed to be integrated into the core fabric of the organization's commercial operations.

Furthermore, the speaker emphasizes that this transformation was welcomed by the target audience, noting very good feedback from both the HCPs and the field force. The physicians, in particular, are seeking a change in how pharmaceutical companies engage with them, demanding more focused, high-quality content delivered when and how they want it. This initiative has taught Grünenthal a valuable lesson in innovation: the ability to go live very quickly with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), test it, and iterate. This approach is set to deeply impact the company's future commercialization strategy, ensuring that innovation is brought to market faster and that digital tools provide mutual benefits—allowing the company to operate efficiently while providing HCPs with tailored, dedicated digital engagement sessions.

Key Takeaways: • Achieving Near-Total Interaction Recovery: In some geographies, Grünenthal successfully recovered up to 80% of its pre-COVID customer interactions by rapidly transitioning engagement to digital channels, demonstrating the effectiveness of the new model. • The Power of Decisive, Global Action: The success hinged on the leadership's early realization of the impending crisis and the immediate decision to deploy the solution globally, rather than attempting phased rollouts or extensive internal debates. • Three Pillars of Success for Rapid Deployment: The speaker identifies the core success factors as: 1) Early realization and commitment to a broad move; 2) Organizational empowerment allowing for rapid, decisive action; and 3) A strong, collaborative partnership with the technology provider (Veeva). • Leveraging Technology Partnerships for Speed: The relationship with Veeva was crucial, enabling Grünenthal to move from a single-country pilot deployment of Veeva Engage Meeting to a global launch across multiple continents in less than one month. • Digital is Foundational, Not Temporary: The experience solidified the organizational realization that digital engagement is not a temporary fix but a permanent fixture that must be built into the core "fabric of things" and the standard way of working for the benefit of patients and HCPs. • HCP Demand for Focused Digital Engagement: Physicians are actively seeking a change in engagement, preferring dedicated, high-quality digital sessions that allow them to focus on content when and where they choose, confirming the long-term viability of the digital model. • Adopting an MVP Approach to Innovation: The project demonstrated the effectiveness of launching a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) quickly, testing it in the field, and iterating based on real-world feedback, accelerating the pace of commercial innovation. • Deep Impact on Commercialization Strategy: The success of this rapid deployment is expected to fundamentally change Grünenthal’s commercialization approach, shifting the focus toward faster innovation cycles and deeply integrated digital processes. • Mutual Benefits of Digital Transformation: The digital shift is framed as a win-win scenario, benefiting the company through operational efficiency and benefiting HCPs by providing them with high-quality, on-demand content and dedicated engagement time.

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

• Veeva Engage Meeting: The specific digital platform used by Grünenthal to facilitate remote interactions between their field force (Medical Representatives and MSLs) and Healthcare Professionals (HCPs).

Key Concepts:

• Commercial Excellence: Refers to the optimization of commercial operations, including sales, marketing, and customer engagement, to achieve superior business results and efficiency within the pharmaceutical sector.
• Minimum Viable Product (MVP): A product launched with just enough features to satisfy early adopters and provide feedback for future product development. In this context, it refers to the strategy of quickly deploying the core functionality of the digital engagement tool globally before perfecting every feature.
• Digital Customer Engagement: The strategy of interacting with customers (HCPs) through digital channels (e.g., virtual meetings, email, portals) rather than traditional face-to-face interactions.