With the increasing launch of new drugs each year, pharma companies must make their customers’ experience as seamless as possible. And that starts with being there at every stage of the customer’s buyer journey.
Each year over 50 drugs reach the market. Intensifying, in that way, competition in the field. This trend has forced companies to change behavior and adopt new strategies in which the consumers’ experience takes center stage.
So, here are 4 things that have already changed in customers’ buyer journey:
4 Changes in customers’ buyer journey
1. Physical VS. Virtual – A blended HCP approach
Physical interactions were once the rule in the pharmaceutical industry. Sales reps would wait for HCP to be available to promote a brand’s new drug. However, such interactions were quick. Failing, then, to be effective, as competition in the market increased.
In only 6 minutes (the average duration of physical interactions) sales reps struggled to explore the full potential of a product. There was not enough time to share insightful information that could add credibility to the service and convince the HCP. So, a new approach had to be considered and tested.
The blended HCP approach is a combination of physical and virtual interactions that aim at maximizing engagement with physicians. For instance, virtual meetings are seen as a good complement to in-person interactions. Because these last on average 14 minutes (Veeva). Allowing, in that way, sales reps to move beyond the product and respond to the customer’s specific needs.
So, by combining both virtual and physical meetings, sales reps and pharma companies can provide better customer service. Which is both engaging and informative.
2. Service personalization
As more drugs are available in the market, pharma sales reps must understand needs and personalize service. By knowing your customer, you save time from promoting products that are not of the HCP’s interest.
So, pharma companies have recognized the worth of providing a customer experience that is educational and poignant. According to a McKinsey & Company study, such can unlock a boost in loyalty and credibility.
But how have companies been doing this? By exploiting the potential of a blended HCP approach.
Many are the stages that make up a customer’s buyer journey. And one of them is research (aka consideration). In this part, HCPs strive to know more about a drug and its MoA (mechanism of action). As well as risks and contraindications.
Sales reps have been facilitating this process. How? By following up on physical interactions with virtual meetings, you can share insightful reports with the customer. They have even gone a step further and put the HCP in contact with Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) that detain certain credibility in the field that is easy to follow.
Overall, pharma companies and their sales reps have been striving to personalize their service, as a way to boost sales and success rates. If the customer raises questions, you are ready to follow up with insightful information that will generate a seamless, engaging experience.
3. Continuing digital engagement
Once a customer is aware of your brand, it is important to maintain interest. And, to do that pharma marketers ought to continue engagement with patients and HCP alike, digitally.
In 2020 a study by Eurostat concluded that 55% of European citizens used the Internet to search for health-related information. So, online search engines have become part of a customer’s buyer journey. And, it is through these digital platforms that pharma marketers are targeting their audience.
Considering this, companies are taking their efforts in turning their websites, more user-friendly. They are equally attempting to fight against misleading information on the Internet, by providing customers with fact-checked data. Such is in engaging and captivating tools that aim at capturing the customer’s attention. Such as:
4. Innovative sourcing of factual information
From the interest to the consideration stages, customers are overwhelmed by a wealth of digital information. Which is more than often complex and hard to understand. Thus, pharma companies have started to consider innovative sourcing of factual information that makes scientific data, accessible.
According to a study carried out by Arkadin, 95% of people retain more information conveyed through a video. Compared to a mere 10% when that same information is in a text. Then, to effectively target customers, pharma marketers have been allying their strategies to digital tools and trends in the field. Some of these are interactive graphics and videos.
Videos and interactive graphics are a growing trend in the pharmaceutical industry that has positively impacted customers’ buyer journeys. All due to their functional and captivating value. By understanding information, one can, then, make more informed decisions.
Want to start today?
BlueNovius presents MedExplainer as the right solution, by promoting a seamless customer experience where your complex scientific data is turned into interactive animations. Aiding you in supporting patients throughout their buyer’s journey, by making your message clear all the way through.
