Positioning Medical Information as a Trust Driver for Your Brand

Jenny Reid-Young

Global Vice President, Medical Information,

Inizio Engage

The evolving global healthcare landscape offers a challenge to medical information (MI) leaders with patients becoming more knowledgeable and demanding and customers requiring faster, more targeted responses. As the engagement gateway to your pharmaceutical brand, your MI service offers a critical, first-chance opportunity to set expectations and provide the personalized engagement experience needed to create trust in your brand and organization.

Delivering effective customer engagement in a global health environment requires an expanded perspective beyond the traditional view of MI as a critical compliance and regulatory activity to that of an insight-generating heartbeat of your business—a strategic business activity within your organization delivering optimum brand impact, whether alone or with an outsourced partner.

In order to optimize impact with your MI service, your organization may consider several key factors:

1. The customer experience as the guidepost.

Effective utilization of MI strategy requires pharma manufacturers to adopt a comprehensive approach, involving input from internal stakeholders to align with business priorities. MI plays a crucial role in achieving these objectives, whether through tailored content delivery, addressing customer inquiries using specific key questions, or conducting targeted surveys for deeper insights. Unlike conventional customer surveys, which often fall short in providing meaningful feedback, MI can enhance understanding by posing precise questions in customer interactions. The goal is not merely to offer answers but to create impactful interactions that leave a lasting impression, positioning MI as the gateway to the brand.

2. The importance of agility to meet global demands.

The need to expand or contract to meet requirements for each market is essential in delivering an MI solution across the globe. There is no “one-size-fits-all” for MI services. Each organization should examine their long-term goals and create scalable solutions to address them. Due to the rising need for personalized, omnichannel engagement in a global environment, more and more pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing their MI services. In order to create a strong partnership, both parties must agree on project governance to provide structure to the activities delivered and maintain compliance. It should facilitate collaboration and innovation, with continuous evolution based on the needs of clients and their customers so that goals can be met.

3. Leveraging technology to gather insights, create operational excellence, and drive cost efficiencies.

Innovative technology solutions play a pivotal role in enhancing MI service delivery, offering efficiency gains, and enhancing human interaction. Examples of current AI-enabled applications include improving call efficiency by identifying key words, displaying relevant information for agents, and analyzing customer tone for real-time adjustments. Transcription tools alleviate the need for agents to take notes during calls. While optimized pricing evolves, widespread implementation hinges on ensuring industry regulations are carefully considered, as technology advances faster than regulations evolve.

4. Quality at the intersection of customer experience and capability.

A proficient MI partner is essential for aligning customer insights with business strategy, offering well-structured and relevant strategic input. Proactive engagement is crucial, with the MI partner taking the lead in discussing trends and suggesting new directions and best practices. Leveraging their extensive MI service experience and market awareness, a truly strategic MI partner should adeptly apply insights to benefit your strategic goals.

Jenny Reid-Young is Global Vice President, Medical Information, at Inizio Engage