Let’s get right to the point. If your digital health initiatives aren’t building better patient relationships, the problem isn’t defective technology. It’s a defective strategy.
Digital health strategy involves a lot more than technology. The healthcare industry is transforming due to changes in policy, consumer expectations, and non-traditional entrants, all of which are impacting this strategy in addition to technology. The policy shift to a value-based care model places unprecedented importance on improving outcomes and experience at a reasonable cost. Meanwhile, non-traditional players such as Google, Apple, Uber, and Under Armour are all using their access to consumers to stake out their roles in the healthcare ecosystem and are partnering with traditional players, including life sciences firms, to meet shifting expectations and create new value.
In this dynamic landscape, life sciences firms whose sole focus has been on selling medications have realized a need to develop a “beyond the pill” strategy that is insulated from patent cliffs, traditional expenses of drug discovery, and the downward pressure on prices from wholesalers, insurers, and regulators.
Recognizing that today’s patients (as well as their doctors and care teams) are also consumers who regularly use technology to accomplish a variety of goals, many life sciences firms have tried to deploy companion solutions to their medications through digital channels; however, they have found limited success in their efforts. Patients are just not as engaged with these solutions as hoped.
So what’s wrong?
The majority of pharma companies have built digital health strategies as companions for their brands, not as companions for the patient’s health challenge. Patients find it more compelling to engage with a solution that appears to care more about their problems than the brand’s promise. Furthermore, patients have come to expect targeted, accessible, responsive experiences from digital channels – just like the others they receive as consumers throughout their day. Most solutions have failed to meet these expectations, giving patients even more motivation to disengage.
So how do you bring a patient’s world view into your digital solution so that it is engaging? Here are four proven best practices that will significantly improve your solution’s impact:
We believe that addressing customer challenges gives you opportunities to delight. Using our proprietary Friction Reports and strong industry expertise, we dig deep into customer sentiment and create action plans that remove engagement roadblocks. The end result is seamless, relevant experiences that your customers will love.