Navigating the Pitfalls of Pharma Digital Marketing Transformation: A Service Layout Centered on Virtual Representative Solutions
With the simultaneous implementation of major healthcare reform measures, such as the “Two-Invoice System” and volume-based procurement, the pharmaceutical industry’s traditional marketing model is facing significant challenges. The sudden onset of the pandemic has further prompted most enterprises to rapidly explore digital transformation. Digital pharmaceutical marketing has abruptly become an industry “hotspot,” with a flurry of initiatives—such as online conferences, live-streamed events, virtual representatives, pharmaceutical e-commerce, and commercial insurance bundling—emerging in quick succession.
However, BCG’s research shows that three-quarters of large-scale digital transformation initiatives fail to achieve their objectives. For pharmaceutical companies, digital transformation ranks among the most risky challenges. As a startup specializing in virtual representative services for the pharmaceutical sector, how has Qingyun Technology addressed several major pitfalls in the industry’s digital transformation? VCBeat has conducted an in-depth review and analysis of Qingyun Technology’s products and services.
Terry Chong, co-founder of Qingyun Technology, holds a clear stance on this matter."Business first, R&D follows; constantly encountering pitfalls, constantly filling them.". The inherent advantage of startups is that they are not afraid of making mistakes, nor do they hesitate to take action.The construction process of Qingyun Technology’s virtual representative business is an exploration and standardization process of digital marketing transformation.
“Establishing online channels to reach physicians is the foundation of digital marketing, but should the focus be on WeChat, WeCom, dedicated apps, or other new media platforms? After several years of practice, we have found that one-to-many online connections via platform-based models are often fraught with pitfalls,” Terry remarked.
What truly enables direct access to physicians and effectively drives their engagement remains one-on-one (1v1) online connectivity. Simply put, this means reaching physicians directly via their mobile phones and connecting with them as WeChat friends. Qingyun Technology has been cultivating its core service of 1v1 remote detailing for many years. Currently, it has established several dedicated teams based on physician characteristics within therapeutic areas and the detailing needs of pharmaceutical clients. These teams primarily cover chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc.), anti-infectives (respiratory infections, hepatitis, etc.), critical care (men's health, oncology, etc.), and vaccines (neonatal vaccines). In 2020, Qingyun further expanded into specialized fields such as ophthalmology, dermatology, and dentistry to meet the new trend of pharmaceutical companies extending into specialty drug markets. Meanwhile, Qingyun is actively preparing to deploy its remote detailing services in the field of rare diseases.
It is foreseeable that, leveraging Qingyun Technology’s existing physician network, establishing a one-on-one online channel for physicians will no longer be a prolonged and blind endeavor for enterprises. “We are now able to identify which physicians are open to remote visits and which constitute the brand’s target audience. The groundwork for this online channel is currently being restructured.”
The greatest distinction between digital marketing and offline promotion lies not in the ability to communicate with physicians face-to-face, but in whether objective data can be fed back. Records of phone calls and WeChat interactions during remote visits, as well as physicians’ online behavioral data, are faithfully captured by the system.
“Whether you believe it or not, whether you agree or not, these data are presenting us with another real world.” It objectively tells you what doctors want to hear, are willing to hear, desire, and do not desire. By using data analysis to arrange the digital marketing strategy for products, we take the channels, content, frequency, and timing that doctors are accustomed to as the core parameters in formulating the strategy.
Therefore, in traditional marketing, the pitfalls of physician education need to be addressed again.Reshape our new relationship with physicians through service, abandoning the entrenched mindset of “educating doctors” or “pushing information to them.” Instead, design communication content that aligns with their interests based on patient needs and preferences, and deliver it via their preferred communication channels.
The one-on-one physician connection channel established on the basis of virtual representative services is precisely the most effective means to bridge the “service shaping” gap.For example, numerous needs—such as the routine cleaning and validation of physician master data required by SFE or IT departments; the market research essential for the annual business planning (BP) process conducted by the Marketing Department; the urgent need for physician profiling prior to sales representative visits; and the MCM department’s expectation to rapidly achieve patient acquisition for enterprise digital platforms or internet hospital projects—can all be addressed through virtual representatives.
When discussing the system that underpins this suite of services, Terry first reflected on a question frequently posed by clients: “Are phone calls and WeChat messages really effective? Or, to put it another way, just how impactful is digital marketing in the pharmaceutical industry?”
Terry remarked that answering this question depends on the underlying infrastructure: whether data is effectively utilized and computable, and whether a comprehensive remote visit operational system has been established. It hinges on whether you have an SCRM system grounded in execution, a BI system and analytical models based on data acquisition and analysis, as well as quality assurance and data security systems to oversee remote visits. “It seems that the ‘system’ pit requires constant filling.”
“This system is heavily laden with managerial oversight,” remarked an executive at a multinational corporation after carefully reviewing the demonstration of Qingyun Technology’s remote visitation system.
In many cases, the relationship between systems and humans becomes inverted, leaving us frequently questioning who is truly serving whom. Qingyun Technology’s R&D strategy is relatively straightforward,"Starting from management and practice, to provide the best experience for virtual representatives."It is also essential to meet the demands of market changes. For instance, remote detailing for Volume-Based Procurement (VBP) products requires physician profiling that differs significantly from that used for other medical insurance-covered products. The logic underlying physician visits aimed at formulary inclusion differs fundamentally from that of visits focused on routine information dissemination. A more thorough understanding of physicians leads to clearer and more specific requirements for system support.
Currently, Qingyun Technology has established, includingRemote Visit System Powered by AI Recommendation Engine, Field Sales Representative Query System, AI-Powered Voice Quality Inspection System, Enterprise Data Feedback System, and Physician Behavior Analytics BI System...and other data platforms. These data platforms have been continuously iterated and updated.
Empowering pharmaceutical clients through service enablement to accelerate the digital transformation of their marketing models is Qingyun Technology’s primary focus in the current phase.While delivering service capabilities, Qingyun Technology will also provide enterprises with system-empowering SaaS services in the future to meet the surging demand for digital marketing transformation in the pharmaceutical industry. Data services are also on Qingyun Technology’s potential service portfolio. We believe that only through more extensive and comprehensive practical experience can the pitfalls inherent in digital transformation be truly bridged.