21 | HS&M JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
dIgITAL ROUNdTABLE
Michelle Keefe: We see the
role of field sales representative
changing to that of a “quarterback”
who strategically manages a
variety of in-field and virtual
channels used to engage HCPs
through the channels and
times that are preferred by each
individual physician.
Kylan Stuck: As sales
representatives have the most
face-to-face visibility in the field,
they can showcase and direct
customers to available online
and offline options. As a multi-
channel “quarterback,” the rep
must know all the potential plays
in advance and be able to select
the best solution based upon the
individual physician’s needs. This
is why field rollout and orientation
to new digital resources and tools
is essential: if they don’t know the
item exists, or when best to share
it, they’ll never use it.
Drew Desjardins: It’s about
the customer and how we drive
stronger engagement, better
relationships, and greater
customer satisfaction. The first
step is to stop reproducing paper
sales aids for the iPad. By the time
you apply your creative concept,
claims language, and Important
Safety Information (ISI), the font
size just becomes too small even
for one-on-one detailing. A better
approach is to design a tool that
starts a conversation, with either
a large chart of a graph or some
sort of survey question, and allows
the rep to bridge to their paper
sales aid where all the claims and
ISI can be found. The benefits of
this approach are multifold: you
can create the graphic that’s easily
seen from a normal detailing
distance, and you can capture
response information, which can
then be aggregated and shared
in person or via email so the
HCPs can see how their answers
compared to their colleagues. All
of this can be built in to the app,
so that marketers can get more
actionable analytics enabling tool
optimization. Furthermore, this
approach puts reps back in control
Moving Forward