Reducing Complexity in Field Force Planning
As the industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, ensuring that sales representatives are assigned the right tasks in the right geographical territory – also referred to as territory management, can be a daunting and costly task for many pharma organizations.
Across multiple brands and field teams, the process of assigning sales representatives to specific territories has traditionally been undertaken with software like Excel spreadsheets and CRM platforms. The process can become very complex when it comes to markets with huge territories and big field teams. The use of multiple platforms in silos can also cause significant inefficiencies. With the field planning process happening repeatedly, a reliable platform is needed to reduce complexity, and ensure that field teams can go about their day productively.
Optimising for territory management
Veeva Align is designed specifically for life science field force planning, providing a more efficient and effective alternative to traditional tools such as spreadsheets and CRM. Unlike CRM, which is focused on HCP engagement & field activities, Align simplifies the field planning process through dynamic alignment, omnichannel coordination and precise targeting. Specifically for territory management, Align is able to make adjusting territories, large or small, incredibly easy and streamlined (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Veeva Align vs. Veeva CRM. Note the central focus of the Territory in the Veeva Align diagram compared to the Veeva CRM diagram where the major focus is on the user.
An example on how this optimisation simplifies your processes is via Roster Management. Veeva Align is estimated to reduce the number of steps and time spent setting up new reps by at least 75%. Veeva Align does this through automated inheritance of key data for the reps to do their job. Figure 2 illustrates the data flow of Roster Management in Align.
Figure 2. Roster Member Setup in Veeva Align. By assigning a representative in Veeva Align to a territory, they automatically inherit all the necessary data to perform their job, resulting in estimated time savings of up to 15 minutes per roster assignment.
With Veeva Align, LEO Pharma found that they eliminated 85% of process steps with native CRM integration, 90% reduction in time for major realignments and up to 85% fewer territories.
Automated updates and seamless integration with Veeva CRM
Veeva Align also has an advanced rule engine, allowing for automated updates to territory structures. This ensures that they remain current and in-line with the constantly changing landscape of the life sciences industry.
The platform within Veeva Align also offers a powerful range of criteria to make more precise assignments. Additionally, the platform enables accounts to automatically be assigned to territories through a bottom-up (HCP first) or top-down (HCO first) approach, providing further flexibility and control. By combining these rules with Veeva Align's native integration with Veeva CRM, pharma companies can achieve a seamless flow of up-to-date territory information between the two systems. This ensures that all relevant stakeholders have access to the most accurate and current data (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Daily workflow of automated territory updates. The daily facilitation of information exchange between the two systems is reinforced by a rules engine that is also triggered daily. This guarantees that stakeholders consistently have access to the most accurate and up-to-date data at their fingertips.
Conclusion
Veeva Align presents a powerful and comprehensive solution for field force planning in the life sciences industry.
By offering a platform specifically designed for field force planning, Veeva Align simplifies and streamlines territory adjustments while reducing the complexity and resources required for alignment. Its advanced rule engine and native integration with Veeva CRM provide a seamless and automated flow of information, ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the most accurate and up-to-date data.
As the industry continues to face rapid changes, adopting Veeva Align can help organizations stay ahead of the curve, enabling them to focus on their core business objectives while maintaining efficient and optimised processes.
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