Did you Know?
“47% of polled CRM users said that their CRM had a significant impact on customer retention and customer satisfaction”. (Source: Capterra)
So, to achieve the above in the pharmaceutical industry, using a Pharma CRM that helps them build lasting relationships with doctors, stockists, and drug suppliers is vital.
Though the processes are made easier for the industry and offer a lot of benefits with increasing productivity, there are some CRM implementation challenges faced by many.
So, let’s look at some of the pharma CRM implementation challenges with solutions below that are listed for easy access.
Pharma CRM Challenges and Solutions
“When adopting CRM, people want specific features.” (Software Advice)
With the index clearly listing what’s in the blog below, we have briefed the challenges and solutions seen in the pharma industry below.
1. Consumes a lot of time
(Source: Accent)
Challenge: There are misconceptions about CRM software being slow and making processes longer for pharma representatives.
But, in reality, pharma CRM implementation streamlines processes and makes it easier to manage multiple processes.
SOLUTION: Many tasks on the pharma CRM can be automated saving loads of time and prioritizing other tasks that need attention much quicker.
With that, you can allocate different tasks to particular personnel which automatically switches if the people are unavailable resulting in faster task completion.
Using a pharma CRM, eliminates all of the manual errors in billing, invoicing, and reports with no more work pile-ups as well.
2. Data Imports
CHALLENGE: Importing data is one of the most cumbersome tasks and can lead to loss of the same in the process.
Recovering the loss of data is not an easy task and can cost a lot.
SOLUTION: Implementation of a cloud-based CRM software that does data transfers seamlessly and securely without any need for manual processes eases the data import process.
With that, a cloud-based CRM also offers information about the person initiating a cloud data transfer, the start and end time, and the location the data is imported to.
3. Higher Costs
CHALLENGE: For many pharma companies, CRM software may cost a lot and the thought of extra spending for upgrades and customizations might be the reason for the delay in the pharma CRM implementation.
Choosing the right pharma CRM software with features that is suitable from loads of options out there is vital.
SOLUTION: Kapture is one of the best options to consider for managing multiple data on a single platform. It is a SaaS-based service automation platform that can be customized according to pharma industries.
Having a pharma CRM can remove paperwork, errors, and stores information that can be accessed to make data processing faster and synced with tasks to make them respond quicker.
4. Training Medical Representatives
CHALLENGE: Medical representatives will find a pharma CRM easier to use for the management of tasks. But, training them to use it is a great challenge with briefing them about its complete benefits.
SOLUTION: On the other hand, pharma companies switching to CRM software and medical representatives using them in sync with the others will boost productivity.
Also, implementing a pharma CRM will speed up daily tasks for the medical representatives and ease up processes for them which in turn needs to be explained and attract them.
5. Unhappy vendor experience
Choosing a pharma CRM that is reputed and recommended by many is a difficult task but a much-needed one.
Due to the exchange of customer data and implementation with their systems, all the data that passes through the vendors can be misused.
SOLUTION: A thorough research on the pharma CRM options and it’s necessary to read all their reviews for.
You can also schedule a demo to see if the features match your work or get a free trial to see how their service teams respond to queries and check data security levels.
6. No Clear Objectives
CHALLENGE: Having no clear objectives for implementing a CRM in any business will end not using its features completely.
SOLUTION: Listing the objectives to implement a pharma CRM will result in seamless installation without any doubts and use for specific purposes.
Objectives such as ROI evaluation, problem-identification, and recognizing the overall advantages of the pharmacy CRM for the industry will make things easier and attract people to use it.
7. Type of Deployment
(Source: Cloud-based CRM deployment is on the rise)
CHALLENGE: Discussing and defining the type of pharmacy CRM deployment- legal (on-premise) or cloud systems will make it easier to choose according to the industry needs.
SOLUTION & BENEFITS: Implementation of an on-premise pharmacy CRM system will normally be chosen by huge enterprises with their own servers.
Security of the data is guaranteed with this implementation type but is expensive for installation.
On the other hand, cloud deployment of pharma CRM can save you loads of implementation costs and uses the vendor’s server. It is one of the most popular choices across industries for its features.
Accessing the system from anywhere using any internet-enabled device is its plus point.
All you need to do is log in with your user ID on the CRM and it syncs with your data in real-time.
Picking out a CRM software that perfectly fits your industry is one of the pharma CRM challenges to be addressed.
8. Setting up the App Integration
CHALLENGE: One of the biggest pharma CRM challenges is the integration of older applications onto new systems without any data losses.
SOLUTION: Choosing a reputed pharmacy CRM software vendor that details the risks and successful app integrations to a pharmaceutical company is a good decision and makes the deployment easier.
This will save costs in the longer run, avoid IT infrastructure failures, and assist the pharmacy CRM team to finish the setup faster.
Considering a CRM with mobile compatibility is important as all the pharma sales representatives and vendors need to be updated with the inventory stocks, customer data, and location details.
9. Business processes in the pharma CRM software
CHALLENGE: Documentation is one of the key tasks that is done to ease business processes and avoid repetition or having to be restarted from scratch for new joiners.
SOLUTION: After implementation of the pharma CRM software, keeping a record of even the smallest task and creating one common source for accessing all the tasks, roles and workflows for all the stakeholders would be helpful.
Initially, all the pharma companies will look like all of them have the same workflow, but there are lots of details that make every case different.
Pharmacy CRM vendors are working to offer clients many customization options that are suitable to every pharmaceutical company out there.
10. Planning for a pharma CRM implementation
The pharma CRM is implemented the most with the management solutions like ERP and payroll for many businesses.
CHALLENGE: Implementing solutions from an older CRM system to new software that offers customization options is very important.
SOLUTION: Before deploying a pharmacy CRM system it’s best to find out the department it needs to be implemented within for complete utilization and overwhelming employees with options.
So, using the pharmacy CRM for people or departments that need it the most will be perfect and result in rising productivity levels.
Adding to that, considering a pharmacy CRM with features like cloud support, mobile compatibility, and predictive analysis will be future-proof. The growth stats in healthcare CRM proves the same.
(Source: Healthcare CRM market growth based on the features)
11. Setting the right expectations
A CRM system will perfectly help you manage your data quickly, offer you automated replies, and provide reports for markets.
These are the basic features and there are trendy developments around mentioned features.
CHALLENGE: Expecting features according to the industry should be realistic and not something out of the ordinary.
Normally, most of the vendors evaluate the features list and match it according to the industry.
SOLUTION: Giving the vendors a clear list of features that is perfect for your pharmaceutical company can get a perfectly customized CRM software that will work as needed.
Choosing a vendor that allows you to customize and add integrations according to your needs is imperative.
12. Management Approval
Getting approval for the pharma CRM from your company is a difficult task altogether.
CHALLENGE: Shifting from older systems to new ones will bring up a lot of questions on its credibility and security.
SOLUTION: Explaining all the benefits of a CRM system and its ease of use for different teams can turn beneficial.
Also, talking about a pharma CRM fastening process and its detailed reporting capabilities will surely convince the big guns in the pharmaceutical company to implement it.
A pharma CRM that is built for your industry
Looking for a single CRM solution that can address all of the pharma CRM challenges?
Kapture is a SaaS-based customer service automation platform that can ease processes for medical representatives in the pharmaceutical industry.
Features like management of service orders, pharma partners, and distribution of stocks from a single mobile solution make Kapture a perfect choice.
Want to know more about the pharma CRM software? Book a demo with us.
About the Author | |
 | Sunith Ramachandra |
| Sunith Ramachandra says, “Content writing is all about using the right words for the right audience”. At Kapture he does exactly the same writing content to create conversations and conversions online. | |
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