HCPs Don’t Need Your Sales Reps. They Need Self-Serve Content.
A Modern Approach to HCP Engagement
The Disconnect: What Pharma Thinks vs. What HCPs Value
Field teams in pharma are often seen as central to engaging healthcare professionals. However, research reveals a significant disconnect between how pharma marketers perceive the value of these teams and how HCPs actually view them (EPG’s Future of HCP Engagement).
Here, we’ll explore why the value of field teams is often overestimated, the gap between perception and reality, and how we can rethink HCP engagement strategies to provide a better experience for customers and more impact for pharma.
When asked about the most important methods of HCP engagement, pharma marketers report face-to-face interactions with reps and MSLs as a priority. However, the data tells a different story. HCPs don’t outright dismiss these interactions, but they no longer find the traditional, in-person engagement models as valuable as we might think.
And before anyone starts claiming the ‘death of the rep’, the gap isn’t about the field teams themselves; it’s about how they’re deployed within the commercial model. It’s clear that the way we utilise field-based roles (reps and MSLs) needs to evolve to meet the needs of today’s healthcare professionals, who increasingly prefer self-service and digital engagement with industry.
The data from EPG’s Future of HCP Engagement survey says it all (See below).
Red = what HCPs consider critical or very important
Brown = what pharma thinks is critical or very important
Shifting the Focus: A New Model for Engagement
To adapt to these changing expectations, we need to shift our approach to both content delivery and the role of field teams. The first step is creating a content journey that empowers HCPs to engage on their own terms. Offering them tools and resources to learn and make decisions without always having to speak with a rep is key. By providing easy access to educational content, video tutorials, case studies, and other resources, pharma can help HCPs get the information they need when and how they want it.
The second shift is redefining the role of field teams. Rather than being solely focused on face-to-face interactions or pushing product information, field teams should be leveraged as a support system for broader engagement goals. Empower reps and MSLs to engage with HCPs through digital channels—social media, email, or chat—to provide support beyond just the product. Field teams can become valuable resources for ongoing education, answering questions, and offering solutions that help HCPs throughout their entire journey, not just at the point of sale, or to deliver data. Redefining their responsibilities to blend customer support, solutions management and consultancy that is available across convenient digital channels allows pharma companies to turn their field teams into valuable assets that support customer goals, as well as driving commercial success
Why We Overestimate the Value of Field Teams
The tendency to overestimate the value of field teams likely stems from years of relying on traditional, high-touch methods of engagement. For a long time, face-to-face interactions with reps were considered the gold standard. This model worked in the past because it aligned with the needs of HCPs, who were largely dependent on reps for information.
However, the landscape has changed. HCPs today are busier than ever and expect digital-first engagement. They prefer to consume information at their own pace, which is why they increasingly value easily accessible digital content over in-person meetings. The challenge for pharma is to recognise that traditional engagement models may no longer be the most effective or efficient way to connect with HCPs. Instead of putting effort into changing their commercial engagement model, pharma simply try to ‘digitise’ the traditional rep and MSL, moving their activity from in-perrson to online, but without changing the strategy.
Field Team Re-Training: Empowering Your Team for Omnichannel Success.
As we rethink the role of field teams in HCP engagement, it’s essential to equip them with the right skills and tools. One of the most important elements in this transformation is mastering the CRM system.
A robust CRM system is the backbone of an omnichannel strategy, allowing field teams to seamlessly track and engage with healthcare professionals across various touch points—whether that’s through email, chat, social media, or in-person meetings. If you have a solid content strategy, you’ll be getting regular engagement that will support field teams, helping them to engage with solutions, support or product information at the right time. By understanding the nuances of a CRM system, reps and MSLs can have real-time access to HCP data, preferences, and engagement history, ensuring that every interaction is personalised and valuable.
Mastering the CRM system helps field teams create personalised engagement, optimise digital touchpoints, and ensure consistency across channels. With a centralised CRM system, your field teams can maintain a consistent message and approach, whether interacting with HCPs online or in person. The CRM should ideally provide a view that integrates key first-party and third-party data; giving field teams a detailed understanding of how individual customers and accounts are interacting with brand content, as well as some context for their day-to-day reality. In addition, it’s a good idea to build in automated alerts and notifications in real-time so that reps can see when and how their customers or prospects are engaging with digital content.
For a better understanding of what you can do with your CRM, check out this short introduction video
👉🏻 Mastering Your CRM System Is The Key To Omnichannel Success.
Content Creation Tips for Pharma Marketers: Engage HCPs with Content That Resonates.
In today’s fast-paced and often overwhelming healthcare environment, it’s no longer enough to create content that simply highlights your product benefits, features and data. HCPs are facing more burnout, emotional exhaustion, and workload pressures than ever before. So, how can your content truly stand out and engage these busy professionals?
The answer lies in focusing on what matters most to them—themselves.
Check out our short video to help you get in a customer-centric mindset:
👉🏻 Your HCP Customers Don’t Care About Your Products… They Care About Themselves.
To build meaningful connections, pharma marketers need to create content that speaks to the personal challenges and needs of HCPs, not just the features of your products. It’s about offering value that goes beyond sales, addressing the struggles HCPs face in their daily lives, and providing insights or support that can actually make a difference.
When crafting your content, keep in mind the importance of empathy-driven messaging, offering educational value, and providing real-world solutions. Content that addresses HCPs’ day-to-day challenges—whether it’s stress management, time-saving tools, or patient care—will resonate more deeply than content focused solely on product benefits.
By shifting the focus from just promoting products to addressing the broader concerns and challenges HCPs face, pharma marketers can build trust and long-term engagement with healthcare professionals.
Moving Forward: Building a New HCP Engagement Strategy
Pharma marketers and sales teams need to be proactive in rethinking their engagement strategies, and adapting to the changing needs of HCPs. The future lies in creating seamless, continuous engagement that empowers HCPs to interact with content, products, and resources on their own terms.
If you’re ready to explore how to make these shifts in your own organisation, there are plenty of resources and strategies that can guide you on this website. Check out the ‘resources’ library via the menu on this page to see what’s on offer. They’ll help you embrace digital tools, empower your field teams to play new roles, and create content journeys that allow HCPs to self-serve and make informed decisions.
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