{"id":69840,"date":"2023-03-09T10:46:30","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T09:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veeva.com\/eu\/?post_type=resources&p=69840"},"modified":"2026-01-27T14:26:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:26:30","slug":"creating-digital-impact-three-steps-to-smarter-faster-field-planning","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.veeva.com\/eu\/resources\/creating-digital-impact-three-steps-to-smarter-faster-field-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating Digital Impact:
Three Steps to Smarter, Faster Field Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

Better channel enablement is now the priority<\/p>\n

Pharma companies that advanced their use of technology in the last few
\nyears improved engagement with healthcare professionals (HCPs). Market leaders in the region who focus on video
\nmeetings are also seeing tangible benefits, including more time with their
\ncustomers and effective message delivery for field teams.<\/p>\n

European pharma companies have embraced digital (and reverted to inperson) channels at different rates<\/a>. What was a necessity during the pandemic has now become a choice. Commercial operations leaders will need to decide the
\nrole hybrid engagement should have in HCP-rep interactions.<\/p>\n

This White Paper offers three steps for pharma companies to convert their
\ndigital capabilities into a competitive advantage: generating new channel
\ninsights, enriching customer profiles with data, and changing the approach
\nto field plans. By using data more efficiently, companies could reduce their IT
\nspend and enhance customer satisfaction. A simplified, integrated approach
\nto CRM in their field strategies would also boost agility.<\/p>\n

Leaving behind the manual approach <\/h2>\n

Field teams are often the number one spend item in commercial life sciences, and
\nmaximizing return on this investment is critical.
\n Embedding omnichannel
\nexcellence\u2014a seamlessly integrated customer experience across distinct
\ntouchpoints\u2014within the organization can help overall business performance:
\nfor example, by improving customer engagement and productivity.<\/p>\n

Most pharma companies have access to many tools and a digitally enabled
\nfield force, but back-end processes are often a stumbling block. It\u2019s important
\nto measure past performance to inform field plans but it\u2019s not always
\nstraightforward. For example, field teams struggle to access consistent, timely,
\nand accurate data. Some lack the capability to measure KPIs or are not trained
\nto analyze data.<\/p>\n

Field forces also rely heavily on manual solutions, particularly spreadsheets.
\nAlthough helpful for some elements of team coordination, they are inefficient
\nand fail to provide a single view of either field activity or customer interactions.
\nThe manual approach to planning is a lose-lose, burdening teams like IT and
\ncommercial operations while increasing time out of the field for reps and
\nsales directors.<\/p>\n

Rather than improve efficiency or accuracy, the manual approach adds layers
\nof complexity just to keep information current. Reps cannot be sure they have
\nthe latest territory information, resulting in more time spent on field planning
\nthat could be focused on customers. As they are standalone tools by design
\nand highly tailored to the needs of each organization, it can be difficult to
\nintegrate spreadsheets with CRM tools that track field activity.<\/p>\n

Conversely, a digitally enabled commercial operations team can shorten cycle
\ntimes and collaborate efficiently with the field. If reps are sick or off work,
\nteams can quickly move the roster to cover vacancies. If they are working on
\nCRM-integrated solutions, they can update resource allocations within the
\nsoftware at the click of a button.<\/p>\n

By leaving behind the manual approach, field forces gain access to a goldmine
\nof customer insights that they would otherwise struggle to use.<\/p>\n

Reach and frequency are no longer enough <\/h2>\n

The old model of field planning was built on reach and frequency. Pharma
\ncompanies assessed reps based on their outbound activities\u2014such as the
\nnumber of HCPs they managed to visit in a given month and how many times they
\ncontacted each one.<\/p>\n

These measures are a helpful estimate of rep productivity. But they overlook other
\nindicators that reflect the quality of those touchpoints\u2014the duration of the meeting,
\nfor example, or progress in the customer journey.<\/p>\n

The reach and frequency model is still relevant for many pharma companies
\nplanning their sales, but is it sufficient to move the dial on customer engagement?
\nIn the hybrid era, field forces must be empowered to identify the right journey and
\nchannel mix for each HCP.<\/p>\n

The opportunity of doing things differently is significant. The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Pulse Field
\nTrends Report<\/a> shows that video meetings are more impactful than traditional calls
\nor in-person meetings as they facilitate longer, deeper conversations centered on
\ncompelling content [Figure 1]<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Calls using closed-loop marketing (CLM) are twice as effective at driving
\npromotional response than those without. This is because CLM allows reps to
\ncapture real-time feedback from HCPs during their meetings, which they can later
\nintegrate into CRM software. CLM is even more effective when combined with
\nremote channels.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

Commercial operations can improve field effectiveness by showing reps how to use
\nthe available insights to determine the best next actions. Face-to-face interactions
\nare still critical to building relationships with customers, but a hybrid approach that
\nuses these insights produces an even better customer response.<\/p>\n

Figure 1: Trending Content Usage by Channel<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Three steps to more effective field planning<\/h2>\n

Step 1: Generate and understand channel insights<\/h3>\n

Before making changes, it\u2019s important to compare the performance of different field
\nexecution channels across markets and product areas. These insights set the baseline
\ntoday by addressing fundamental questions. Are all markets equal in their adoption
\nof multichannel engagement? Are approved emails and calls more effective for some
\ncustomer segments than others?<\/p>\n

This is where benchmarking activity between channels and across markets can be
\nhelpful, as the level of advancement may vary widely [Figure 2].<\/p>\n

Global field team activity Weekly activity per user by engagement channel Figure 2: Activity by region, global<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Figure 4: Activity by user type, global<\/h3>\n

\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n

\n

Figure 5: Activity by company size, global<\/h3>\n

\t\t\"\"\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In some markets, activity may persistently lag behind the industry. By
\nbenchmarking against industry peers, it is possible to pinpoint a performance gap
\nin the use of approved certain channels where share of voice may be muted.<\/p>\n

As you manage change and disruption in parallel, you need actionable
\nperformance insights to boost effectiveness in field enablement. By using
\nindustry-level data on field engagement activity, you can compare company
\nperformance relative to leaders in each market.<\/p>\n

As you manage change and disruption in parallel, you need actionable
\nperformance insights to boost effectiveness in field enablement. By using
\nindustry-level data on field engagement activity, you can compare company
\nperformance relative to leaders in each market.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Build data-led customer profiles<\/h3>\n

Once equipped with channel performance data, the next step is to deepen your
\nunderstanding of individual HCP preferences. Sophisticated insights empower
\nyou to tailor the approach for each customer.<\/p>\n

Field planning that relies on basic profiling\u2014whether your customer is an early
\nadopter, for example\u2014is unlikely to advance the strategy. Instead, enrich your
\napproach by layering CRM data onto the existing customer segmentation. Start by
\nseeing if you can answer these questions:<\/p>\n