This document examines issues and approaches to various business strategies focused on different clients of French pharmaceutical laboratories. The idea was to reconcile two opposing stances: the industrial way of working opposed by a need to strengthen the image that the public has of the pharmaceutical industry.
Any activity that is increasingly regulated carries with it limited scope and thus limits the differentiation between laboratories vis-à-vis its customers. Also, reduced access to medical offices, the primary venue for the promotion of the drug, due to increasing commercial pressures faced by physicians, is another obstacle to implementing the CRM policy
It is on this observation that the reasoning of a new client approach is based on; this approach is carried out via different communication channels to boost the medical profession and contribute to the development of drug companies.The discussion focuses on both the product and the client. The implementation of a CRM strategy fits naturally in the process of change towards greater customer satisfaction.
The study is organized into three parts.
The first part seeks to provide a profile of the main clients of the pharmaceutical industry and identifies all the tools that enable laboratories to know and connect with the clients. This part is also an overview of the relationship that laboratories currently maintain with their clients
The second part will examine the challenges of a new customer relationship management that focuses on physicians while studying its compatibility with the specifics of the pharmaceutical sector. It will also offer food for thought to enhance the conditions of clients/lab.
Before addressing the concept of customer relationship management in the pharmaceutical industry, it is necessary to identify the customers and understand the different targets and approaches to assess the state of their current relationship.
The industry traditionally addressed to doctors through newspaper ads and medical promotions.Yet, positioning doctors as lab customers only implies a major simplification or reduction of the customer portfolio, and casts light on the medical practitioner's role and contributions in the health system.
"A unique system where the client consumer of drugs (patient) is not the client prescriber (doctor), or the client provider (pharmacist) and very few (at least individually) customers pay (government, unions, private insurance) which is moreover a strong regulator "
(Books, "The Pursuit of Customer)
The doctor does not purchase the products, so the visitor is not the vendor , but just a consultant. The final customer, the patient, does not pay most of the time since the real paying customers are the social security bodies of the Ministry of Health.
Furthermore, pharmacists in recent years have the right of substitution, which basically means that they have the right to change the drugs upon orders by replacing them with cheaper products, generic and other drugs, as authorized by the government.
The laboratories, meanwhile, sell these products to wholesalers who then supply it to pharmacies.
[...] There should be a simple diagram of the procedure to be implemented in a pharmaceutical company before hoping to establish a procedure and operational costs .The theoretical model of "Pharmaceutical Customer Relashionship Management " "The transition from a culture product to a customer culture impacts the organization and management of the entire company" (Press, The Tribune) This type of project is structured along two major phases: The analytical CRM and operational CRM. Analytical CRM Description The analytical part of the core customer relationship management is managed through market research, customer services and a dedicated marketing department. [...]
[...] Thus, through the CRM MAC 1 approach the laboratories could test the effectiveness of customer relationship management without investing in too high additional costs. Conclusion "With the commoditization of generic drugs, the emergence of new "influencers" and new competitors, the marketing skills of pharmaceutical companies more than ever need to be of a strategic nature. The challenge? Ability to develop a new approach to the customer. The means? Gain a new understanding of the market, enhance customer knowledge and develop and implement action plans differentiated within a coherent system. [...]
[...] Thus, the diversity of the communication channels in the laboratory offer many opportunities to maintain a continuous relationship with its doctors. However, with regard to the internal organization of laboratory services, it appears that they have increased empirically, according to the operations led by some laboratories, without regard to homogenization or coordination. These independently owned and non-constructive interfaces with the client naturally affects the quality of the doctor / lab Appraisal and objectives of the doctor/lab The development of a laboratory is based largely on the prescription of the drugs it sells. [...]
[...] The only element found in the databases concerning the potential prescription market is the profile of prescription (prescribed or not).They are mainly intended for delegates to prepare for medical visits and laboratories to perform their activities Measuring Customer Value: Criteria for segmentation and targeting Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value. It is the art of helping your customers become better off. The marketer's watchwords are quality, service, and value.'' - Philip Kotler (kotler.com) According to a physician, targeting or selection of prospective customers is analyzed through a criteria derived from external quantitative data. [...]
[...] It seems necessary to interbreed with the combined experience of customer relationship management to ensure its effectiveness vivo” The reality of CRM in an enterprise 2.1 .The theoretical model in practice: Some examples of CRM strategies in enterprises Businesses, even today, are more focused on new customers when they should retain existing customers and increase the revenue they generate. Nevertheless, commercial approaches where the deed of sale is seen as an end and the client no longer seen once “conquered” tend to disappear. [...]
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