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Innovating new ways to enhance the customer experience has never been so popular. And in the life sciences industries, it’s never been more important. Yet, while medications, treatments, and research have taken incredible leaps over the last few decades, too many developers in the healthcare world are still stuck in their old ways.
With modern web technologies giving us new capabilities in CLM (Closed Loop Marketing) across industries, it’s time your team stepped up. Here are 7 top tips to take your CLM development for Pharma to the next level this year.
1. Don’t Limit Yourself to One Platform
Developers, if you’re still stuck on the old saying, “Jack of all trades, Master of none,” it’s time to let it go. In today’s world of continuous digital advancement, staying open to new technologies is a surefire way to put you ahead of the competition. While platforms like Veeva have dominated Pharma CLM, it’s no longer the only option out there — and the scene will continue to get more crowded. IQVIA, Veeva’s rising competitor, has been a popular alternative for Pharma companies, while other platforms like Showpad and Pitcher are newer operating systems being implemented by clients around the globe.
When it comes to developing with HTML, CSS and Javascript, your clients have options. So if you can be flexible enough to at least have a solid understanding of the basic requirements for each, you can say ‘yes’ to a lot more opportunities that come your way. When it comes to big Pharma companies with hundreds or thousands of sales reps using CLM as interactive, visual aids to sell their products, limiting yourself to one platform can close a lot of doors. Stay flexible, and focus on developing your skills across more than one platform.
2. Take Advantage of New Tech
Similar to Tip #1, keeping your stack as full and updated as possible is a must. High-end developers are in high demand these days, so what is going to set your company apart from all the others looking to recruit the very best? The answer: your tech.
When it comes to front-end technologies used for CLM platforms, the bigger the stack, the better. If you’re still using outdated libraries like Jquery, we recommend you join us here in 2024. Just because something isn’t broken, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t replace it for something even better.
By incorporating newer Javascript technologies (ie., View, React) or Styling CSS frameworks (such as SaaS or Tailwind), you can make your projects more appealing to new talent who are interested in newer frameworks. They’re not only going to pick and choose the latest tech that makes their daily work more enjoyable, but the ones that also make it a lot more efficient. Any quality developer knows that older technology is more likely to be bogged down by larger memory and CPU (central processing unit) resources, slowing rendering and other functionalities that impact deadlines and cost. So do yourself, your clients, and your team — both current and future — a big favor and start growing that stack asap.
3. Stay on Top of Trends
One of the best ways to tackle Tips #1 and #2 is doing your research! With the ever changing digital landscape and its impact on industries like Pharma, it’s a huge mistake to assume any tech is here to stay for good. Putting all your eggs into one basket and getting complacent is a great way to get left behind. We’ll make a little shameless plug here, but at Assemble, research and investigation is part of our daily job description. Sharing tech articles and new product updates in our Slack channel is just one way we keep each other in-the-know. If we’re unsure of the best way to complete a task in a certain platform, we not only seek the solution through inquiry, but we also explore a better alternative.
Being able to adapt to varying client requests and jump into new tasks and technologies starts with being informed. No matter how much of an expert you may pride yourself on being in any one product or area, there’s always the opportunity to fall behind as new tech emerges. Allot even just 20 min a day to do your due diligence, and your future self will thank you.
Here are a few places to get you started:
FE Frameworks. E.g., React, Vue, Angular, SolidJS. As web companies keep finding new ways to create content for the web that performs better and faster, these are great tools to optimize your build.
CSS Utilities. Tools like Bootstrap, Tailwind, Sass incorporated into your build will allow you to create stylesheets that are easier to read and maintain.
Automation. Task runners, such as Gulp or Grunt. Or create your custom solutions with NodeJS or other languages that allow you to automate tasks (i.e., copy folders, replace variables with data, generate zip packages, etc.)
4. Invest in Your Own Framework
Pre-CLM presentation development is a multi-step process; one with a lot of repetitive tasks. So anything you can do to cut down the steps and take advantage of that repetition is going to make a big difference in workflow. In the past, PowerPoint’s basic functionality made it easy to get by with copying pages and templates, but it was also very limited. In the case of HTML5 development used in platforms like Veeva and Showpad, you have endless opportunities to create interactive and engaging components. Since each slide is its own HTML document, 10 slides may not be a big deal, but 100 slides — that’s a totally different story.
You need a framework that makes automating some of these repetitive tasks — for example, creating dozens of .siv files to customize your CLM — effortless. As a result, what may have taken you hours to generate multiple copies, will take only a minute or two. Investing in your own framework means analyzing the tasks that can be broken down by similarities and repetition and creating programmatic functionalities that allow you to make them much more efficient.
Get educated in the platforms and frameworks you are using and make the time initially to set yourself up for success. The faster you can create hundreds of files for CLM, the quicker your turnarounds and higher your ROI will be.
5. Get Gamified
The question developers and designers should always be asking themselves is how can I make my content more appealing and engaging to my audiences? Right now, gaming is providing the answer. That’s right; even in a traditionally risk-averse industry like Pharma, gamification techniques are making their way into CLM presentations in order to offer more interactive and memorable experiences.
For example, we recently developed an application for a producer of cancer-treating medication. With their main campaign theme focused on how theri drug destroys cancer-causing tumors, their agency developed a concept similar to the Whack-a-Mole arcade game — where instead of moles, the targets were tumors. The HCP audience was tasked with smashing as many tumors that popped up as they could within a certain timeframe, but throughout the challenge, if they stopped to answer a quick question, they could receive a 10-second bonus. Questions were focused on their knowledge of the medication and the disease, which offered valuable insight into their audiences. We collected all this data in the backend and displayed it in real-time graphs for their analytics team to consume and interpret, helping them drive new initiatives in the future.
What was valuable data collection for the Pharma company’s advertising efforts was an engaging and informative game for its HCP audience. With the right balance of strategy, entertainment, and value, gamification can be the next wave of opportunity for marketers.
6. Get Certified
This is SO important — for a couple of reasons. For starters, certifications are a fantastic advertising tool for your company. In a market like Pharma, the endless list of regulatory requirements, compliance restrictions, legal revisions, etc. make something like proving your experience and knowledge a big differentiator in the industry. Getting VEEVA or IQVIA certified gives clients complete confidence in the level of expertise and support they are going to get with the CLM campaigns.
In addition to better marketing your teams, certifications also help your teams better themselves! There’s a reason why they look so good to clients — because they require specific, and sometimes intense, training that can take a teams’ individual and collective skills to another level. By dedicating a little time and money into these processes for the CLM platforms your clients are using, the more resources and opportunity will come from it.
7. Think Outside of the Box with UX
Our previous gamification tip should get you on the right track for this one; it certainly puts the user experience (UX) at the forefront. So for our final tip, we want to challenge developers and marketers — especially in Pharma— to push the boundaries of traditional CLM techniques and invest in UX designs that may just redefine the industry as we know it.
It’s no secret that in today’s digital world, consumer and user expectations regarding speed, enjoyment, and convenience are at an all-time high. Pharma audiences are no exception. Yet, too many brands are staying true to the corporate mold because they once again think if it isn’t broken, why fix it? Well, that philosophy also won’t bring you new results either. If your goal is to evolve and improve on previous performances, then consider your audience's modern expectations and the areas that other marketers are investing in: AI, machine learning, virtual reality, etc. How can these automations help create more personalized experiences? At the very least, consider the visual and navigational components that can strengthen the connection to an audience and evoke more positive emotions and behaviors — from everything down to shapes and colors.
The drivers behind a positive user experience is not only making their lives easier, but also stimulating the right emotions. And in Pharma, that trust and confidence means everything.
Interested in learning more about how to take your Pharma CLM campaigns to the next level this year? We’d love to chat. Assemble is here to support your brand with the latest and greatest in production and help you bring your visions to life.