The New Rules of HCP Engagement | ET Healthworld

This video provides an in-depth exploration of the evolving landscape of Healthcare Professional (HCP) engagement in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the post-COVID-19 era. The virtual roundtable, organized by ET Healthworld and Veeva Systems, features senior leaders from Mankind Pharma, Alembic Pharma, and Veeva Systems, who discuss how the pandemic accelerated digital adoption and necessitated a shift from traditional face-to-face interactions to hybrid and omni-channel models. The discussion highlights the challenges and opportunities for pharma companies in adapting their commercial operations, content strategies, and measurement approaches to effectively engage with HCPs in a digitally transformed environment.

The panel begins by acknowledging the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for digital transformation in pharma, an industry traditionally reliant on physical interactions. Speakers emphasize that while the benefits of digital (scale, cost-effectiveness, improved awareness) were always apparent, the pandemic compelled a rapid shift from "promise of going digital" to "went digital." A central theme is the transition from a multi-channel approach, where various digital and physical channels operate in isolation, to an omni-channel strategy. Omni-channel is defined as a seamless, integrated experience for the HCP, delivering a single, consistent message across all touchpoints, with the customer at the center. This shift requires a fundamental change in mindset, infrastructure, and capabilities within pharma organizations.

Key challenges discussed include the "carpet bombardment" of uncoordinated digital messages leading to HCP fatigue, the need for a customer-centric rather than rep-centric approach, and the internal organizational structures that often hinder effective digital content creation and delivery. The speakers introduce a "four R's" concept (reluctance, relevance, resurgence) to understand HCP engagement with digital content. They stress the paramount importance of credible, reliable, simple, and relevant content, delivered in easily digestible "capsules" and designed for interactivity. The discussion also delves into the critical role of data and measurement, advocating for impact-based KPIs across all channels to assess campaign effectiveness and optimize strategies. Veeva Systems' representative highlights their role as a technology provider in enabling 360-degree customer engagement views and accelerating content approval processes, which are crucial for rapid content creation and deployment in a competitive market.

Key Takeaways:

• Digital Transformation is Imperative: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated the pharmaceutical industry's shift from traditional face-to-face HCP engagement to digital and hybrid models, making digital adoption a necessity rather than an option.
• Shift to Omni-channel Strategy: Pharma companies must evolve from a multi-channel approach (isolated channels) to an omni-channel strategy, which provides a seamless, integrated, and customer-centric experience, delivering a consistent message across all physical and digital touchpoints.
• Customer-Centricity is Key: The focus must shift from a "rep-centric" model to a "customer-centric" approach, where all engagement efforts are designed around the HCP's preferences and needs, ensuring relevance and value.
• Content is King, but with Nuances: Content must be credible, reliable, simple, and highly relevant to the HCP. It should be delivered in digestible formats (e.g., 2-3 minute "capsules"), be interactive, and leverage storytelling rather than just factual data.
• Rapid Content Creation is Crucial: The fast-paced digital environment demands rapid content creation and approval processes. Traditional marketing structures designed for long campaigns (3-4 months) are insufficient; companies need agile content creation teams that can quickly adapt and deploy messages.
• Address HCP Digital Fatigue: Uncoordinated "carpet bombardment" of messages leads to HCP fatigue. Strategies must prioritize relevance and value addition to encourage engagement, as evidenced by higher open rates for credible, relevant communications.
• Formalized Digital Structure Needed: To effectively implement digital engagement, pharma companies require a formalized internal structure including a project steward (senior leadership), digital strategists, communication planners, content strategists, media buying specialists, and campaign effectiveness/measurement teams.
• Measure Impact with Specific KPIs: Beyond just measuring activity, companies must establish clear, quantifiable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each digital channel (e.g., website traffic, email open/click-through rates, virtual meeting duration) to assess effectiveness and inform future strategies.
• Hybrid Engagement is the Future: While 100% digital engagement is unlikely in India for the foreseeable future due to the value placed on personal relationships, a blended or hybrid approach combining face-to-face with orchestrated digital channels is the most effective way forward.
• Leverage Technology for 360-Degree View: Technology providers like Veeva Systems offer solutions that enable a 360-degree view of customer engagement, integrating data from various channels to provide insights into HCP interactions and preferences.
• Digital as a Strategic Imperative: Digital engagement should not be viewed as a tactical initiative but as a strategic imperative driven by senior leadership, requiring significant change management within organizations.
• Data-Driven and Evidence-Backed Communication: Pharma's communication has always been data-driven. In the digital age, this means leveraging data science, social listening, and doctor profiling to customize content and ensure it is evidence-based and without bias.
• Increased Engagement Time in Digital: Digital and virtual interactions can lead to significantly longer engagement times with HCPs (e.g., 10-11 minutes for virtual calls compared to 1-1.5 minutes for physical calls), offering a greater opportunity for in-depth communication.

Tools/Resources Mentioned:

• Veeva Systems: A leading platform in the pharmaceutical industry for CRM and engagement solutions, explicitly mentioned as a key enabler and sponsor.
• Journal of M health: Referenced for statistics on HCP engagement.
• Social Media Platforms: WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram (for reels), Doctor Network Platforms.
• AI, IoT, Blockchain, Machine Learning: Mentioned as emerging technologies that Pharma is increasingly embracing.

Key Concepts:

• HCP Engagement: The process by which pharmaceutical companies interact and communicate with healthcare professionals.
• Multi-channel Engagement: Using various communication channels (e.g., reps, email, webinars) in isolation, often leading to fragmented messaging.
• Omni-channel Engagement: An integrated, seamless approach where all communication channels work together to deliver a consistent, customer-centric message, providing a unified experience for the HCP.
• Digital Proliferation: The rapid spread and adoption of digital technologies and platforms.
• Digital Fatigue: The exhaustion or disinterest experienced by individuals due to an overwhelming amount of digital content and interactions.
• Rep-centric vs. Customer-centric: A shift in focus from what the sales representative is doing to what the customer (HCP) needs and prefers.
• Beyond the Pill Value: Providing information and services that extend beyond the product itself, addressing broader medical understanding and patient care.
• Content in Capsules: Delivering information in short, digestible, and easily consumable formats (e.g., 2-3 minute videos or summaries).
• Four R's Concept: A framework for understanding HCP engagement challenges: Reluctance (due to bombardment), Relevance (of content), Resurgence (of digital adoption).

Examples/Case Studies:

• Alembic Pharma's "Real Updates" Email Strategy: An example where a credible, trusted company (Alembic) sent simple, plain vanilla email updates for an old brand (Recofast), achieving an unusually high open rate of 18% (compared to an industry average of 3-5%), demonstrating the power of credibility and relevant content.
• Indian Pharma vs. US/Europe HCP Engagement: Data cited from a Journal of M health survey indicating that 60% of HCP engagement in India still comes from field reps, significantly higher than 8% in the US and 6% in Europe, highlighting the unique market dynamics and scope for digital growth in India.
• Content Approval Speed: A case study of a company using Veeva's solution to reduce content approval time from 8-10 weeks to 2-3 weeks, emphasizing the critical need for speed in digital content deployment.