Life science marketing: why CX matters most

Life science marketing is a tough gig. Aggressive competition, demanding shareholders, a cut-throat market and strict regulatory bodies make it hard to stand out.

Meanwhile, today’s consumers expect incredible CX. Hell, even you expect incredible CX. So, why not make it your top priority?

Defining CX

CX, or ‘customer experience’, is how customers perceive their interactions with your company. It considers every touchpoint along the purchasing journey (or not purchasing, as the case may be), and how they feel treated.

As a marketer, you probably know your 7 P’s. Think of CX as ‘process’; the full psychological journey when buying something.

And how does CX differ to UX?

Imagine CX as an umbrella that encompasses UX.

While UX defines our experience of a product, or using a website or app, CX considers the wider interactions with the company, like advertising, customer service and general communications.

For example, UX is a customer’s experience of using your website to order a conjugation kit; CX includes the message to say it’s left your Cambridge depot. Capeesh?

Why is CX so important?

Your customers expect amazing CX; it’s no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’.

A CMO Council study found that 47 percent of loyal customers will stop doing business with a brand that provides “poor, impersonal or frustrating” experiences.

As consumers with the world at our fingertips, we’ve experienced amazing CX and it’s made us entitled bast*rds. Why? Because we expect to buy with minimum clicks, and we love being made to feel special. If you don’t do it for us, your competitor will, and once we leave, we’re not coming back.

On top of that, customers will tell everyone about how you treated them. And people will listen. When was the last time you bought something online and didn’t check the reviews?

How can CX revolutionise life sciences?

70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated (McKinsey). As tech evolves and businesses discover new ways to please their customers, that percentage will grow. There’s a huge opportunity for pharma and biotech companies to follow suit, get creative and take advantage.

Implement a CX strategy; reap the rewards.

First, expect your conversion rate to increase. Your website does all the heavy lifting to convert once your consumer lands, so give it the power to do so. UX can lead a horse to water, CX can make it drink.

With the analytics and primary-research required for world class CX, you will have a better understanding of what’s happening across your business. Reduce operational efficiencies at the bad touchpoints and find out first-hand why a customer didn’t buy, or what they feel could be improved.

For example, primary ordering dictates that by putting your best sellers at the start of your customer’s journey, you stand a good chance of decreasing time to conversion. So, back to our friend, the 7 P’s; follow individual user journeys, present them with relevant products and influence their buying decision.

A successful CX strategy will also boost your brand reputation, helping you attract higher quality strategic partners, investors, medical trialists and staff. Excellence breeds excellence, after all.

So, if you’re a challenger brand, now’s your chance to steal a piece of the pie. Differentiate yourself through amazing CX and disrupt a whole industry.

Got a question? - Feel free to drop it in the comments below!