Training Medical Representatives to adapt to the New Normal with a Learning Experience Platform

How do you sell your product to customers without meeting them? This question has been plaguing multiple industries, but for pharmaceutical companies, convincing doctors to prescribe their products has gotten even more difficult. 2020 changed the business of medicine forever, and while medical representatives (MRs) are still trying to get used to the new normal, it is not all bad. In fact, the only action required at the moment is to adapt to the situation and do it fast. In this article, we will discuss the role of a learning experience platform in bringing the desired revolution.

In research conducted by Accenture in 2020, it was found that 61% of physicians are interacting more with their reps during COVID-19 than they did before the pandemic, despite the restrictions. However, the main factor that drives the market is the capability of MRs to pivot from face-to-face to remote methods. This is the difference between a ‘great’ MR and a ‘good’ MR. While 64% of meetings were previously in-person, now 65% of them are virtual. 28% doctors in the survey said that the restrictions on physical meetings they have implemented may be permanent, while another 44% said they would keep the restrictions “for the foreseeable future.” In this situation, creating the same level of trust and accountability between a physician and a medical rep in the virtual environment requires certain efforts on behalf of the pharma company.

Not only the environment, but also the kind of knowledge expected from a MR has changed. According to reports, moving forward, physicians expect reps “to be skilled in addressing clinical and scientific questions beyond the product detail, as well as represent multiple products.” The Accenture survey says that 82% of physicians said they have seen pharma companies change how they communicate during the pandemic, specifically broadening their communication beyond product information to “support that meets their most pressing needs.” Therefore, it can be inferred that with the expectations of physicians rising, pharma companies are making strategic changes in their approach to MR training.

Training in the pharma industry has always been critical, from both a product and a compliance point of view. However, the current shift in the business model calls for a revision of tactics to enable the MRs of the future. The role is evolving to become less of an individual relationship manager to a knowledge curator and change enabler. While physical meetings meant that the MR had to take multiple appointments to answer all physician questions, virtual meetings have created the scope for conference calls with Subject Matter Experts.

To enable MRs to become more than their current version of a sales rep trying by hook or by crook to get the doctor to listen, training plays an important role. Here are a few things that a Learning Experience Platform (LXP) has to offer that can help pharma companies in delivering the right training to medical reps:

              1.Personalized Learning Paths

Allow MRs to learn through personalized learning paths as per their specific job roles and projects. Training for the individual responsible for selling a product and boosting customer retention will be different from the one with the role of creating demand for a newly launched product. As they become custodians of knowledge, it is important to create a learning path that compliments their existing knowledge base.

               2. Search Engine

A query resolved is a customer satisfied. With the robust search engine of an LXP, featuring automated content tagging and segregation, MRs are better equipped to find the answer to any question that might come their way. This allows MRs to stay updated and access product information when they need it. It also helps employees to develop the curious mind necessary to keep up with the information age in business.

               3. Recommendation System

Much like OTT platforms, AI-enabled LXPs have the capability to recommend content based on the learner’s previous choices. To develop comprehensive knowledge about a particular product necessary to serve the physicians in the current scenario, learning recommendations are of great help to MRs.

The LXP provides critical and cutting-edge support above and beyond the regular functions of a learning management system. Leveraging the offerings of the latest technology is a way that pharma companies can bring agility to their frontliners driving business and ushering in a new era. The G-Cube Learning Experience Platform, compliant with 21 CFR part 11 according to FDA guidelines, has the right features to enable the MRs of the future.