The Greek philosopher Epictetus said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” In the business world, however, the balance between listening and speaking is sometimes off-kilter. For instance, a Doximity report found that nearly seven out of 10 (68 percent) of physicians feel overwhelmed by the amount of new research, clinical trials, products, treatments and procedures. Data suggests many pharma companies are doing too much speaking, leading to noise for healthcare providers (HCPs).

In marketing terms, a more effective strategy would be to optimize listening to inform a more targeted, omnichannel approach. Prioritizing deeper customer insights, specifically the voice of HCPs, helps life sciences marketers understand how to engage their HCP audiences effectively with the right message, through their preferred channels, from their preferred source.

The voice of the customer (VOC) isn’t a new concept. Leaders, pharma sales reps, product managers and marketers, who all benefit from understanding their customers, know that the VOC can reveal a customer's needs and preferences. But is the voice of HCPs consistently at the center of pharma engagement strategies? And is collecting the voice of HCPs achievable by all pharma marketers? Let’s dive in to answer these questions.

Current dynamics in omnichannel marketing and HCP preferences

For many years, pharma organizations have faced hurdles when it comes to collecting the voice ofHCPs and integrating it into omnichannel marketing strategies to execute effective, precision marketing. These include:

• Analyzing large amounts of complex data quickly: Pharma companies have often been challenged to draw insights from data. For example, organizations might have received valuable verbatim comments from hundreds of doctors about their exposure to and retention of marketing content—and how that experience changed from channel to channel. Maybe the same message delivered by a key opinion leader (KOL) at a conference sticks with doctors more than seeing it in a newsletter. Or perhaps doctors trust a drug that promises “superior efficacy” over “efficacy.” But the unstructured nature of this data means it needs cleaning, quality control and could also need translation. This previously rendered unstructured data may be too resource-intensive and impractical to use for timely insights that could inform the decision to adapt messaging and channel deployment.
• Keeping pace with the latest technology advances: The pace of technology – particularly AI – innovation can be daunting for organizations to keep up with. But being a late adopter leaves commercial pharma teams at risk of losing competitive advantage and HCP loyalty because other companies will use advanced AI to accelerate and scale how they capture the voice ofHCPs.
• Internal coordination: Beyond knowing a doctor’s preferred channels of engagement, there’s also a question of their preferred source. Overall, doctors are less likely to open and engage with a mail shot from a pharma company than a thoughtful email from their trusted sales rep. There is a valuable opportunity for marketers and sales reps to collaborate more closely on engagement strategies. By working together, these teams can leverage their unique strengths and relationships to create a more coordinated and effective approach. This collaboration can lead to clearer and more impactful communication with HCPs, enhancing the overall experience and reducing unnecessary noise.

Selecting the right partner

Finding the right partner who understands the complexity and volume of life sciences data has held some companies back from advancing marketing with precision. Collaborating with the right external partner who deeply understands the industry and can keep pharma organizations up to date on best practices. Technological innovations ensure commercial pharma teams continuously advance HCP marketing with the most modern precision techniques, not adding to HCP marketing noise.

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Ideally, omnichannel engagement requires not only multi-channel orchestration, but also orchestration that transcends department lines. This remains a challenge, yet recent advancements in AI are paving the way for life sciences marketers to prioritize the voice of HCPs and reach them with an orchestrated, tailored omnichannel approach.

The promise of agentic AI to better understand the voice of HCPs

The latest AI advancements can empower life sciences companies to better understand the voice of HCPs when making channel investment decisions and adapting their marketing strategies. Life sciences commercial teams face the challenge of determining when to engage HCPs on digital channels versus in-person channels to maximize impact. Agentic AI can analyze vast amounts of data, including unstructured forms, from disparate or previously siloed sources—across CRM systems to market research. The technology can identify the channel preferences and behaviors of HCPs, quickly, and at an unprecedented scale. This allows organizations to make informed decisions on channel choice and deployment.

A few examples

AI-powered insights could show that a certain group of HCPs is doing their own research online. Investing in digital ads linking to an interactive, self-guided presentation on a new drug in these HCPs’ areas of research, is therefore an opportunity for pharma marketers. To achieve the right channel mix and optimal sequencing at scale, pharma companies must look to AI.

Conclusion

With access to the right data, today's advanced AI technology, and internal alignment, organizations can enhance their HCP-centric omnichannel marketing strategies. Regardless of their progress in integrating AI into HCP engagement, it is imperative that all pharma organizations listen to the voice of HCPs. With the understanding gained, executing a precision marketing approach will not only enhance the relevance and impact of marketers’ engagement strategies, but also help build stronger relationships with HCPs, ultimately leading to better outcomes for both.