Major shifts in the way that healthcare professionals (HCPs) interact with pharma companies present a challenge to the traditional commercialisation model, with its reliance on face-to-face meetings with physicians
A survey conducted by McKinsey showed that the average number of in-person contacts between healthcare professionals and pharma sales reps fell by 70% during the pandemic. This has accelerated the trend towards online engagement
Sources: McKinsey, Accenture and Indegene
A recent IQVIA study showed that although some HCPs view increased online engagement as a temporary solution during the pandemic, most want to continue with fewer in-person rep engagements than pre-COVID and use more digital contact
Whilst face-to-face meetings are still viewed as essential to building and maintaining trust in the industry, HCPs are increasingly favouring digital and remote interaction channels due to their increased convenience, efficiency and flexibility
Companies therefore need to rethink their customer engagement strategy and work to maximise the effectiveness of the blend of digital and face-to-face contact that is the ‘New Normal’
Sources: IQVIA and Veeva