Pharma CRM in 2024: Guide by Routine Automation

8 min Updated: 28.10.2024
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CTO, Founder | Salesforce Architect

Pavel Klachkou

The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly evolving, and customer needs emerging every year. In this complex environment, having an effective customer relationship management (CRM) system is critical for pharmaceutical companies to thrive. This article explores how pharmaceutical CRM will progress in 2024 and beyond, guided by automation and aiming to enhance efficiency across all operations.

What is Pharmaceutical CRM?

Pharmaceutical CRM refers to systems tailored specifically for life sciences companies like pharmaceuticals, biotech, and medical device manufacturers. It helps these companies manage relationships and interactions with various stakeholders like doctors, hospitals, pharmacists, patients, regulators, and supply chain partners.  

Core functions of a CRM for healthcare include:  

Maintaining a centralized database of stakeholders with details like specialization, prescriptions, affiliations, etc. This aids in targeted marketing and sales efforts. 

Providing medical information and the latest clinical updates to doctors and other healthcare professionals. It helps with proper disease management and treatment decisions. 

Tracking sample distribution along with inventory management to ensure compliance.

Monitoring adverse events and supporting pharmacovigilance processes.  

Salesforce automation tools for managing marketing campaigns, marketing spending, effectiveness analysis, etc.  

Features for call planning, email integration, data analytics, and reporting.  

In essence, embracing a Pharmaceutical CRM system tailored for life sciences can significantly bolster your success by streamlining relationships, targeted marketing, and data analytics. Our team as a certified Salesforce partner can implement personalized solutions that cater to your specific business needs, ensuring a seamless and advantageous integration for your journey in this dynamic sector.

Need assistance in optimizing CRM for your unique pharmaceutical needs?
Our experts are available for consultation to elevate your user experience. 

How CRM Works for Pharma Companies

The working methodology of Salesforce CRM in pharmaceutical companies is in 5 key steps:

Cloud computing architecture diagram showing data storage, servers, and network connections in Pharma CRM.

1) Lead generation

The CRM system sources new leads from multiple channels like events, referrals, campaigns, etc. These leads represent potential new customers and business opportunities for further nurturing.  

2) Lead qualification  

The leads are then assessed and classified based on specialization, region, prescription trends, etc. Higher potential leads identified for further targeting.  

3) Lead engagement  

Sales teams and medical representatives engage with prioritized leads. The CRM system aids this engagement by providing relevant information about the lead, drafting tailored communication, and prompt follow-ups

4) Lead conversion 

Successfully engaged leads converted into customers and regular prescriptions. Salesforce nurtures these relationships by addressing needs, solving issues, and building loyalty.  

5) Retention & growth  

Over time, the CRM system collects data, provides insights, and helps upsell and cross-sell new products and services to retained customers. This expands the business relationship.

The entire process is augmented by CRM’s centralized database, automation capabilities, and analytics features for efficient customer management. 

Integrating CRM into your pharmaceutical business can transform customer management, from lead generation to retention and growth. Our team excels in implementing Salesforce solutions, utilizing centralized databases, automation, and analytics for an efficient and streamlined process.

Benefits of CRM in the Pharma Industry

Deploying a robust Salesforce CRM strategy has benefits, spanning critical functions within pharma enterprises:  

Research & development  
CRM aids research teams to efficiently collect and analyze vast amounts of real-world patient data from engagement touchpoints. These data-driven insights effective R&D efforts toward developing novel, clinically relevant products.  

Marketing & sales
Granular customer data helps sales and marketing segment audiences and craft targeted campaigns for higher conversion rates. CRM analytics also optimizes spend allocation across channels and regions.  

A man in a lab coat laughing while discussing the benefits of CRM in the Pharma Industry, DR House character.

Medical Information  
Doctors get round-the-clock access to accurate and updated medical info through Salesforce-integrated apps and portals. This raises brand credibility and trust. 

Pharmacovigilance  
Patient safety is enhanced as the CRM system readily captures adverse event data reported by healthcare practitioners and patients. Proactive product monitoring is enabled.  

Inventory & logistics  
Automated inventory alerts and demand forecasting engines minimize stock-outs and losses. Optimized route planning and real-time order tracking reduce delivery costs.   

Regulatory Compliance   
Salesforce’s transparent database meets the stringent reporting requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. Activity logs, access controls, and encryption help ensure integrity and compliance

Authorization & access control  
Role-based access for CRM users bolsters the security of confidential customer data. Activities are logged for auditing, thereby supporting compliance.  

In summary, properly designed Salesforce CRM architecture can elevate your business efficiency, productivity, and compliance across the pharma value chain. Our team can always answer your questions about your Pharma business prospects in Salesforce.  

Are you tired of the Pharma CRM Implementation company search? Let our experts make your Salesforce journey a breeze!  
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Pharma CRM Roadmap for 2024 and Beyond

As we move toward 2024, the pharmaceutical CRM landscape is going to: 

1) Expanding automation  

CRM platforms will perform an increasing number of tasks without human intervention across functions:  

Chatbots handling customer queries

Scheduled social media posts  

AI-based document classification  

Predictive analytics for demand forecasting  

Robotic process automation (RPA) of reporting  

This intelligent automation will free up manual bandwidth to focus on value-adding responsibilities. Salesforce can help with these tasks with the Health Cloud.

A diverse group of people standing around a tablet computer, discussing the Pharma CRM Roadmap for 2024 and Beyond.

2) Integration with digital tools  

Sharing data insights across digital systems will gain more prominence. For instance, CRM dashboards integrated with:  

Telemedicine apps showing real-time patient interactions  

IoT-embedded devices monitoring drug shipments  

AR/VR applications highlighting product demonstrations 

Patient portals displaying prescription refill alerts  

Such digital synergies will shrink data silos and enhance interconnected decision-making.  

3) Hybrid/cloud deployments  

On-premise CRM systems migrate to hybrid or public/private cloud-hosted solutions. Benefits would encompass:  

Anytime, anywhere mobile access with enhanced security  

Quick provisioning of storage and computing resources 

Faster rollout of system upgrades and patches  

Pay-per-use billing as per usage rather than upfront licensing  

Salesforce Cloud adoptions will infuse more flexibility and savings for end users.

4) Patient-centricity  

Historically, pharma CRM has focused heavily on healthcare professionals. But the tide is now shifting toward patient-centricity by engaging patients, caregivers, and advocacy groups. Patients are participating in their own health journey:   

Monitoring treatment progress  

Reporting outcomes and side effects  

Providing feedback on medical apps/devices  

Participating in support communities and trials  

Biopharma companies are hence prioritizing patient engagement features within their CRM roadmaps.

Conclusion

The promising future of pharmaceutical CRM signals an exciting journey ahead for industry players. If you’re in the process of evaluating CRM solutions, we recommend Salesforce for its proven excellence in providing robust and scalable solutions. Known for its innovative features, easy-to-use interface, and ability to adapt to evolving industry needs, Salesforce is a top choice.   

Navigating the implementation of a CRM system can be complex, but fear not – our experienced team is here to guide you through the process seamlessly. From understanding your unique business requirements to configuring Salesforce to align with your specific needs, our experts ensure a smooth and efficient implementation.  

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