Transforming customer engagement with AI and data-driven-strategies

Summary of the key insights we heard at the event

AI’s Use in Transforming HCP Communication 

Instead of seeing AI merely as an automation or analytics tool, it can be used to develop strategies, test content, and better understand HCP needs.

AI can be used in many ways to improve how medical affairs and marketing teams communicate and engage with HCPs. It can be used to answer questions from HCPs, for testing and improving marketing material, for training and coaching purposes, and for improving the quality of insights derived from Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. 

In one example, a company built a closed LLM with an avatar likeness of a Key Opinion Leader (KOL), fed it with all the published data from this KOL, and provided it as a way for HCPs to ask their questions to one of the most highly regarded leaders in their field, as if that person were sitting in the room with them. In another example, a company loaded a closed LLM with the characteristics of prescribing gastroenterologists and used it to test and refine the quality of their marketing material by asking the LLM to review and suggest improvements. 

Similarly, another company created avatars of HCPs to use for internal MSL training, and was able to scale it quickly with AI’s ability to easily and quickly translate to many languages. They also used AI to record the MSL visits with HCPs for coaching purposes.

AI also has the ability to improve the quality and ease of use of CRM systems. AI’s ability to extract data points from natural language means that field force can have more fluid conversations with HCPs, and field force can easily summarize the relevant information back into the CRM.

To ensure that an initiative will be successful, our panellists recommended a few things to keep in mind. Data quality and integrity are essential, as any AI tool is only as good as the data with which it is fed. Collaborate with trusted strategic and tech partners, and don’t get distracted by all the companies offering shiny new tools; instead, be clear on identifying the use cases and build to that with the partners who have the right experience.

Organisational Readiness for Deploying AI Projects

To ensure AI isn’t just a buzzword, teams must be empowered to integrate it meaningfully into their daily work, and it must be part of the organisational culture.

Leadership support, change management, and the skills to know how to use AI are the most important elements towards deploying successful AI projects. 
Organisations are complex and there are many things that get in the way of AI implementation. Leadership may not agree with proposed initiatives or may not understand them. Poorly executed internal communication can lead to confusion and uncertainty. Siloed structures may lead to loss of information sharing and limited ability to work together. Onerous internal approval systems can squash the appetite to implement AI initiatives. Lack of training may mean teams don’t know how to use the tools available to them.

Leadership sets the tone for the entire organisation, and addressing their concerns to ensure support is the most important element to drive successful AI implementation. Leaders then drive change management, including identifying champions and constructing cross-functional workflows that incorporate AI capabilities. People need to feel empowered and see that AI will enhance their jobs, not replace them. That mindset shift helps create enthusiasm. 

Our panellists recommended that the key skills people need to implement AI well are the ability to input good prompts, the confidence to experiment and learn from mistakes that will inevitably happen, and to view AI successes as a reward, such as the time saved on a tedious task. 

AI of the Future

The real value of AI lies not just in automation, but in its ability to enhance strategic decision-making. 

AI’s power lies in its ability to connect disparate data and bring a continuum of information across the value chain. The field of AI is still in its infancy, and deployment within large pharma organisations faces many challenges. There is still much to learn and improve about deployment within pharma and how to ensure appropriate guardrails, however the possibilities create excitement for the future.

AI has the ability to improve drug discovery, design better clinical trials, accelerate patient identification and recruitment, speed up drug approval and reimbursement, and improve how critical information gets to HCPs when and where they need it.

Our panellists were excited by AI’s potential to bring new treatment options to patients and its ability to be used for the benefit of mankind to save lives. 

Acknowledgements

An additional big thank you to our panellists for sharing their experiences with our audience. 

For more information on this event and future events, please reach out to Rosemary Zittel-Stull or Laveshni Reddy.