You have just received final budget approval from the powers that be for your “Closed Loop Marketing” (CLM) initiative. After months of pitching and evolving the business case, all senior company stakeholders are on board, strategically aligned and eagerly anticipating the expected business benefits from this non trivial investment. As with any strategic IT endeavor, benefits can often be exaggerated and total cost of ownership can often be down played. It is no wonder that many people believe that the acronym CIO stands for “Career is over”, given the number of CIOs that have lost their jobs over a failed enterprise software investment that never lived up to the business case promise.
Rest assured that the business case for CLM is solid. A properly executed CLM strategy leads to more engaging and impactful customer interactions that ultimately drive higher sales. Documented studies show that the majority of healthcare professionals (HCPs) are awfully receptive to eDetailing because it allows the rep to better respond to HCP interests and objections, as well as more effectively bridge conversations across a wide variety of topics and products. Rep productivity and satisfaction increase significantly as the typical CLM user interface is far superior to that found in legacy sales systems. During a customer presentation, a plethora of product information is now a few clicks away. Moreover, it is much easier to complete pre-sales and post sales activities assuming the CLM system has been effectively synchronized to the relevant enterprise data sources.
Despite all of the tangible benefits, success will ultimately be determined by how well the implementation of a given CLM technology is planned and executed. Project management 101 tells us that fundamental planning will inevitably require the development of a Phase 1 scope, timeline and budget. In a typical scenario, the deployment date of Phase 1 is usually dependent on a compelling event such as a national sales meeting or equivalent, essentially fixing the phase 1 timeline once the project is started. The Phase 1 budget is often predetermined leaving scope as the only remaining pliable variable. Not surprisingly, phase 1 scope can often be the biggest risk at the onset of the project, and if not diligently managed, can also be the root cause of not delivering on expectations.
There are a number of considerations to make certain Phase 1 CLM scope has been properly determined. Specifically, you need to judge how disruptive the initiative will be to the current business practices. The key objective for Phase 1 should be to tactically ensure that sales reps are comfortable with eDetailing through appropriate change management and training. In other words, user adoption is the key metric to track. In addition, the process to digitize assets and refresh content should be well understood. Also, there should be a clear mechanism to record basic CLM data namely assets consumed, along with the frequency and order of consumption data. Finally, make sure there is time to do a pilot. The learnings and refinement opportunities from having a technology in production should not be under estimated.
Any CLM endeavor should be multi-generational. Phase 1 should be the foundation that future phases that can be built upon and should not last more than 3 or 4 months. If the project lasts any longer, you run the risk of losing corporate momentum. Phase 2 is when CLM should become strategic to the enterprise. Typical Phase 2 considerations should involve more detailed pre-call and post-call functionality and analysis. Phase 2 should also encompass some form of an alternative customer channel such as a web portal or email campaign. Finally, Phase 2 should also include Phase 1 rep feedback.
In summary, the right CLM technology can enable a well thought out CLM strategy and revolutionize the way you interact with customers. To maximize your chances of success, make certain the scope of phase 1 has been suitably architected. If you do, your CIO will thank you and the CLM project return on investment will meet or exceed expectations.
