Clinician selectivity drives digital channel engagements

Findings from the latest industry benchmark on healthcare professional (HCP) engagement showed that access to HCPs has become more limited. Companies are rethinking their targeting and channel mix and how to best equip the field force to deliver the most relevant and impactful engagement across specialties.

Digitally enabled commercial teams are using HCP time more effectively than those who continue to use only in-person interactions, according to the data.*

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant shift to digital. Organisations have been re-evaluating their field force strategy to find better ways of maintaining successful HCP relationships.

The Asia Pacific data, which includes Australia, revealed that the addition of video increases the duration and frequency of meetings for more meaningful engagement.

HCPs have become more selective about which companies they engage with. In fact, about 80% of accessible HCPs limit meetings to three or fewer companies each month. Nearly 50% of accessible HCPs limit meetings to only 1 company per month, including within Australia.

Accessibility varied by specialty where urology, psychiatry, oncology and internal medicine were the most selective specialties.

While in-person engagement made up 77% of the channel mix in the Asia Pacific region, digital channels, such as videos and emails grew to 18% this quarter. The region incorporated more chat or text messages into its channel mix compared to other regions, representing 2% of total activity.

Content usage in video meetings also increased by 10%, while in-person content utilisation reached up to 59%.

Digital engagement resulted in longer and more frequent HCP meetings. The use of digital channels gained approximately 67% more HCP meetings for the commercial teams. This also results in longer meeting durations with a 30% increase in Australia, 105% increase in Korea and 57% increase in Singapore when comparing in-person only interactions with hybrid interactions.

The benefits are clear that combining in-person and digital interactions drive better outcomes. The growth of digital channels will be driven by commercial teams building effective relationships and adding value through more use of relevant content.

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*Veeva analyses over 600 million HCP interactions and activities annually from more than 80% of commercial biopharma field teams worldwide.