| |May 20199CIOReviewand mobile apps over smartphones and iPads at 4G speed to perform their jobs much more efficiently and seamlessly. Pfizer India started providing iPads to the field force in 2014 so that they could perform their scientific product detailing and demonstrations effectively in the doctor's chamber and also capture the HCP's feedback real time. This was a pioneering move in the Indian pharma industry, way ahead of industry peers. This initiative allowed Pfizer field colleagues to truly partner with the HCPs to share relevant scientific information in an engaging and interactive way. Additionally, there is a large base of field force that manages sales made by distributors to retail chemists or hospitals. This is called secondary sales. The impact of digital tools in secondary sales is even more, with the usage of app based ordering mechanism, that allows the secondary sales team to sync the orders directly to their billing systems and manage the cash collection and schemes over these apps.Field Force is the moment of truth for any pharma company, while the IT team is the backbone that supports this moment of truth.Field Force Effectiveness ­ The pharma storyThe pharmaceutical Industry has a long standing tradition of investing in sales, not just in increasing sales force numbers but also in processes, HR interventions and IT enabled tools for FFE. Sales force is a significant investment for pharma companies. Yet study after study shows that there is enough head room for sales force optimization, improvement and effectiveness.Pharma companies worldwide are deploying highly sophisticated CRM systems in areas like product detailing, route planning, predictive analysis for prescribing trends and competition benchmarking.At the end of the day IT systems are not of primary importance but the process and ease of doing things which gives desired results to the organization plays a vital role in success of the field force in the overtly crowded market place. Face to face selling may be a thing of the past in developed markets where e-detailing is replacing the classic physically driven visual aid based format. As more and more doctors are pressed for time owing to their demanding schedules, the need of the hour is to up the game by providing knowledge driven, scientifically relevant information to them, that too in an "on demand" model. There are cases where HCPs want to use their commute time by reading medical journals or updating themselves about a new drug in the market. Pharma companies thus need to consider other evolved engagement models rather than just adding more strength to their existing field force. There are markets which are experimenting with Alexa and Google Assistant for detailing to HCPs and that is very exciting to note as HCPs can ask any question and get the answer immediately.It is estimated that 200K reps are using iPads in India across companies. India FF is growing at 9% whereas developed markets are de-growing by 2%. So, the need of the hour is to have novel interventions in digital space to connect with HCPs in a more efficient, engaging and sustainable manner. eRep, rep triggered emails, webinars, virtual classrooms, CHATBOTS and Whatsapp are now increasingly being used in developed markets.Indian pharma industry as a whole can also benefit from adopting these progressive digital engagement methods. However, some current regulatory frameworks would require a public private dialogue for these interventions to be implemented here. We need to work with the Government in a true spirit of partnership to see how we can go digital and still be compliant. Field Force coaching is also very essential and companies are increasingly investing in their employees so that they can win in the market place. ConclusionThe pharma industry is a more mature industry in terms of FFE as compared to other sectors in India. However, given that the margins are declining due to several reasons ranging from an over cluttered and competitive marketplace to pricing of essential medicines; the industry as a whole is not able to invest as much as they would like. Companies are thus implementing global CRM tools and going digital to increase the reach to the HCP and the future looks exciting. Hopefully the pharma industry will be able to reap rich benefits from digital and CRM initiatives. We are waiting with bated breath for the future to unfold. Field Force is the moment of truth for any pharma company, while the IT team is the backbone that supports this moment of truth
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