Major Change for Field Forces - Christine Spiteri

Posted 6 September 2021 AM

The pandemic is driving major change for field forces - not just in the way they do business - but in the composition of teams with the number of medical affairs staff?likely to grow and headcount in sales dropping, according to an industry expert.??

Already the shift in the way field forces engage HCPs has been profound with lockdowns forcing an about-face in communications - switching from mostly in-person to virtual.

60 Seconds founder and CEO Marcus West said communication with HCPs is no longer about how often you connect but what you say when you do.

"Everything has changed in the short term and longer term there will be residual effects," he said.

"The days of racking up X number of visits and that number being a measure of success are over - it's all about quality over quantity.

"And that's why we are seeing medical affairs teams grow and rep teams reduce head count."

West works across healthcare to help companies optimise customer engagement through the development and delivery of consistent, clear and compelling messaging.

He said sales staff need to be "finely tuned" and capable of communicating well on any medium.

"Reps need to be more flexible and more incisive. They need to be able to communicate really well on the phone, on Teams and in person and put it all together into a workable continuum which leverages their omnichannel strategy," he said.

"Again, it's quality over quantity so having compelling medical content, delivered with passion and verve is crucial. Taking a genuine interest in the doctor, their practice and the patients - vital. Regurgitating a standard product pitch won't cut it.

?"Sales teams need to understand why their best performers are their best performers and try to develop ways to lift the rest to that level. This requires really good coaching, sharing of best practice and the use of technology to speed that process up."

Key takeaways

Change is clearly already underway - this month Roche switched to a new customer engagement model called Primary Point of Collaboration, with general manager Stuart Knight acknowledging that stakeholders "need different things from us than they did before" but it resulted in 21 voluntary redundancies.

Also fuelling transformation is the extent of lockdown with Sydney entering its eleventh week and Melbourne enduring its sixth round of stay-at home orders.?

"The length of lockdown is a killer for everyone. It produces a universal fatigue," he said.

"I think the two key takeaways are this: a more imaginative, flexible approach is required and it''s quality over quantity."

West is urging pharma companies to equip their teams with the skills they need to thrive in the new pandemic healthcare environment.?

"Doing more of the same won't work and it won't work post-pandemic," he said.

"Companies are sitting on lots of money at present - we've had two years of zero travel, zero conferences, Covid has allowed businesses to streamline their workforce - the savings are astronomical and that surplus must be invested in improving the skills of field force teams for 2022/23.

"Rep communication skills need to be tight and compelling. MSLs need to be able to bring the medical science to life when they talk."

The future, West predicts, is more than just a hybrid field force but a switch to more scientific engagement.

"I believe we'll see a move to a hybrid field force with bigger numbers of MSLs driving that "peer to peer dialogue" with KOLs," he said.

"Covid has given the medical fraternity a great opportunity to shine and be listened to like never before. As a result we need to create teams who can meet that responsibility and be wonderful ambassadors for their organisations and for the saving power of medicine more broadly."

Christine Spiteri

Pharma in Focus?is the only independent source of local news for Australian and New Zealand pharma professionals. To find out more, go to?www.pharmainfocus.com.au

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