With so much data available, identifying the right blend of information and optimising its potential to shape the go-to-market strategy for pharma’s customer-facing teams can be challenging.
There are many issues to consider, from where the data originated and how up-to-date and complete it is to how and where it can really add value in better understanding and supporting customers.
It is also important to have the right platform on which to store the data and other supporting information, with metrics in place to monitor progress and inform decision-making.
Quality and relevance
Quality is a key criterion for data that must, of course, come from a trusted source. It should be validated and, if necessary, completed through further research to fill in any gaps. It is also important to note how frequently the sources are updated.
The next issue is relevance and when deciding what data to include in a strategic plan, it is worth getting a taskforce to review how it could be used, interpreted and combined to enable thoughtful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and analysis.
Also, ask end users to consider their business case and how data can help them deliver the right messages in conversations with customers.
Building datasets
The next step is to build data around the core segments of your plan, including key information on the customer’s organisation, its people and the clinical challenges it faces. What are its goals by therapy area and how is your company approaching them in terms of its activities, sales, formulary status, investments and relationships?
Look at the trends you want to track going forwards. For example, could you map trends among patients identified and treated in a particular therapy area versus the potential patient population that could be targeted?
It is also important to be open to change. So many great ideas have fallen by the wayside due to COVID-19, so take time to consider what needs to be reviewed and reinvigorated to get a return on investment.
Agility and analytics
Having determined the optimal mix of information to include within the go-to-market strategy, it is important to have the right platform in place to ensure that the data remains live and is supplemented with ongoing activities and other related information that support the customer-facing team.
Set measurements, KPIs and reporting that are user group specific and ensure that their value can be determined and shared across the whole organisation from development to marketing. Also, consider future pipeline needs and create building blocks of information that will be invaluable at launch.
Avoid overloading users with data and reports they do not need. Try to be as focused as possible, and ensure access to KPIs, charts and trackers are based on the users’ business plans, therapeutic focus and personal objectives, and are quick and easy to use.
Finally, keep an open mind about new data as it becomes available, challenge what you have built and allow users a direct channel for feedback. By constantly evolving your platform and sharing the right mix of real-time data across your organisation, you can provide a solid return on investment and deliver positive change as COVID-19 continues to pose unprecedented challenges to the healthcare industry.
For information on Wilmington Healthcare and its cloud-based strategic healthcare insight and strategic account management offerings, visit wilmingtonhealthcare.com/interactive-medica
Download our white paper: “Strategic thinking: how can data help to navigate the way ahead in 2021?”
Lisa Alderson is Business Development Director at Wilmington Healthcare
