Digital Content Production: Cutting Pharma Costs and Ensuring Compliance Posted on September 18, 2024November 21, 2024 by Marta Fetsatchyn Have you ever felt that no matter how much you optimize content creation efforts, there is no use since you either must spend a lot of money on producing content of at least decent quality or compromise on compliance to shorten the time spent on proofreading and additional checks? Well, this is a problem that probably every business in the pharma industry has encountered at least once. Luckily, there is a solution to it: a digital content factory. Learn more about how it can enhance digital content creation in our guide. The Cost Challenges in Pharma Content Production The content cost in pharma is much higher than that of other industries. What causes this? Let’s review some of the biggest cost challenges in producing pharma content: Complex regulatory environment Pharma content must comply with industry regulations regardless of its scale and format. This adds an additional layer of compliance checks, legal reviews, and delays that increase the price of the content production process. Moreover, pharma content must be regularly updated, as whenever regulations or product offerings change, content must be revised, adding to the cost of producing content. Content complexity Pharma is a very demanding industry, where even a single mistake could result in critical financial and reputational losses. Content should be created in accordance with all regulations and standards. However, this is not the only thing that makes pharma content so difficult to produce; it’s also how technical and specific it can be. Just one blog post might be created by the whole team, involving subject-matter experts, marketers, regulatory specialists, and medical writers. Content fragmentation Most departments in many pharma companies still face siloes, which harms content production. People responsible for creating and publishing processes must jump through extra hoops to get necessary information and approvals, often resulting in postponed deadlines and escalating costs. Extended time to market Due to approval bottlenecks, siloed production processes, and other issues, it’s much harder to deliver content quickly. Two possible solutions are to continue publishing content less frequently than preferred or expedite the content production process by outsourcing, using additional content creation tools, and investing in powerful solutions like AI-based software and automation platforms. Lack of digitization Companies that have yet to reach the right level of digital maturity often struggle to move away from manual labor and traditional content formats. This is why it usually takes longer for them to finish content-related projects and optimize content production. As a result, these pharmaceutical companies spend even more time and money delivering content to their audience. The Need for Compliance: Why It’s Non-Negotiable In pharma, content marketing efforts are worth nothing if the content doesn’t comply with industry regulations. And it’s not just about being a lawful company; there are many reasons why compliance is so important in the content creation process: Patient safety. In the pharma world, anything any pharmaceutical company does is carefully monitored by regulatory bodies in case it poses a risk to patients. Just the smallest mishap and one single mistake could cost lives. And it’s not just about medicine and treatments; even content can be harmful. When the content team adheres to the regulations and creates all materials with industry standards in mind, they can be sure that patients will get only safe, valuable, and reliable information. Data integrity. Compliance ensures that the data organizations work with is accurate. Without data integrity, no one would be sure that the research is valid, the medicine is safe, or that the claims made by pharmaceutical companies are trustworthy. Data integrity issues might result in serious consequences, but such risks are minimized with compliance. Reputation. According to Trustpilot, 90% of online customers choose not to purchase from a company if its reputation is bad. Most customers decide whether to engage with a brand based on what they hear or read about. Patients are more likely to trust you if you have a good reputation. If you are an organization that has problems with compliance, investors, patients, distributors, and other stakeholders will probably try to avoid working with you. Striking the balance between compliance and agility in content production is one of the biggest challenges for companies of all sizes. This is why a solution is needed to create content at scale without compromising compliance—and fortunately, one exists, which we’ll explore next. Introduction to the Digital Content Factory: What is a Digital Content Factory (DCF)? A digital content factory (DCF) is a system designed to streamline the processes of creating, distributing, and managing content across multiple channels and platforms. The goal of DCF is not to replace the work of the creative team but to enhance it by automating, standardizing, and organizing the whole content production process. Digital content factories facilitate better content promotion, faster business growth, and more data-driven decisions. Key DCF features A digital content factory offers a set of unique features that can be customized to each company individually. Some of the key DCF features are: Automation Digital content factory helps automate at least half of the tasks related to creating content, if not the entire process. With DCF, companies can easily automate content distributions, personalization, and compliance checks, reducing manual labor and time to market. Agile content production DCF decouples content production from creative processes while ultimately enabling the ideas of creative teams through systems that facilitate smooth and effective content production and delivery. Instead of one being responsible for every single step in the content process, the digital content factory fosters cross-functional collaborations across different departments. Availability of content formats The digital content factory is a versatile solution that allows for creating all types of content, including blog posts, emails, presentations, landing pages, and even videos or content for augmented or virtual realities. With DCF, you can create high volumes of content while maintaining consistency and compliance. Modularization Modular content is much more reusable and cost-effective than traditional content. Modularization is a significant part of the digital content factory, as it allows content to be broken down into smaller parts and repurposed across various channels. For example, in most cases, whenever there is blog content like articles, many companies just publish it and forget about it. However, if you switch to modular content, you can reuse content, ensuring that the written piece of content offers as much value as possible. Compliance DCF supports regulatory requirements in multiple ways, ensuring adherence to legal, regulatory, and industry standards. Here is how compliance is integrated into a digital content factory: A DCF is the right solution for companies ready to improve their content marketing and speed up content creation while maintaining adherence to legal and ethical standards. Even though a digital content factory can look different for every company, its capabilities to enhance digital content creation and embed compliance into every stage are undeniable. How Does DCF Help in Reducing Pharma Content Production Costs? One of the main purposes of a digital factory is to help cut down costs when it comes to creating and managing content. A digital content factory can help reduce content production costs in several ways, including: Streamlining content workflows Companies can reduce manual labor and boost content production by automating key content processes. Moreover, there is no need to create every single piece from scratch; by switching to modular content, companies can save a lot of time and money and scale up and down easily should the need arise. Centralizing content assets for easy reuse and localization Digital content factory unifies all content production processes in one system, making it easier to do many things, starting with version control and ending with quick access to any piece of content that was ever created. Instead of having to spend time accessing different materials, it can be easily done. Leveraging AI and automation for faster approvals and compliance checks Artificial intelligence is a big part of digital content factories, as it allows for better analysis, content creation, and approvals. Modern AI-driven solutions encompass various processes, such as content generation, plagiarism checks, MLR reviews, content personalization, and even translation and localization. The AI-powered digital content factory has the potential to significantly accelerate content approvals, ultimately reducing time to market. Reusing and repurposing modular content A digital content factory enables the creation of modular content that can be reused multiple times without the need to create anything from scratch. This reduces both the time and expenses needed for content production while also ensuring that content brings as much value as possible. Case Study: Pharma Brand Success Using a DCF A Belgium-based biotechnology company specializing in developing and commercializing innovative drugs was looking for a solution to standardize its content delivery process. Their goals were the following: Scale up the content production process; Reduce time to market; Cut operational costs. Another big goal our client had was to gain a competitive advantage in new markets. Why would a customer switch to the services of a new company if they already can rely on local biotechnology companies? This is why the client needed someone to assist them with launching persuasive and engaging content campaigns, capable of convincing healthcare professionals to consider partnering up with them. The task was quite challenging, but the Viseven team succeeded, helping the client gain more customers and outshine the competition. To do that, we built a content factory that was fully customized to the client’s needs and produced personalized, easy-to-scale content. Our approach heavily relied on modularization, as it alone can reduce content production costs, improve the content marketing strategy, and speed up the delivery of high-quality content right to the target audience. We utilized different channels and content formats to achieve an effective content production process. This way, the client was able to connect with the content consumers on a much deeper level. Our team provided the client with a comprehensive suite of e-Detailers, banners, landing pages, and emails. So, what was the result of our cooperation? Here is what our client received: Standardized and robust content production process; Fewer mistakes thanks to pre-tested templates; Sped-up time to market; The number of distribution channels increased from two to five, which allowed the company to reach a wider audience and engage with it better; A single ecosystem that connects all channels; High customer satisfaction rate (4.9 out of 5); Peak volume requests went from 28 to 217 in just one year. We understand how hard it can be to just switch to digital, how much effort and time it takes. It’s not easy to move every content workflow to a new space while ensuring that every employee is on the same page with the rest of the team. This is why we are ready to assist any business, regardless of its size and digital maturity, by finding solutions to help the company create amazing content, drive organic traffic, and build unique digital customer experiences. Final Thoughts Adopting a digital content factory in pharma is an important step toward reducing costs and improving compliance. A DCF might require some time to integrate into usual workflows, but as soon as the company does that, its content-related workflows start to change completely. With the help of DCF, even the smallest business can start producing content at scale thanks to streamlined processes, a better content strategy, simplified localization, modularization, and automation. Without innovation, it’s impossible to move forward, which is why it’s crucial to implement such solutions as a digital content factory. Are you ready for a change? Explore how a DCF can transform your content operations. Contact us now for a personalized consultation on how a digital content factory can help your business grow.
Cloud Computing for Pharma: The Road to Digital Transformation Posted on September 18, 2024November 14, 2024 by Marta Fetsatchyn Massive challenges like the global pandemic forced many industries to rethink how they handle data storage, and pharma was no exception. When COVID hit, the urgent need to accelerate drug development meant shrinking timelines from years to months, with no room for compromises on quality. Cloud computing was one of the facilitators of this shift. Cloud-based tools allowed pharma companies to capture and share clinical data between research teams both securely and quickly. The rest is history: vaccines were delivered worldwide in record time, saving millions of lives. In this article, we will explore the main use cases for cloud computing in pharmaceutical industry, its benefits, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. Intro to Cloud Computing in Pharma Cloud computing gives life sciences companies a flexible way to handle data storage. Instead of pouring money into physical data centers and servers, they can access remote, on-demand, storages as needed. This allows them to scale quickly, gain a competitive edge, and save money for more important things like research and development. Let’s not forget the massive amount of data the life sciences industry generates daily. Cloud-based systems help eliminate data silos, allowing companies to better use their data to drive business growth. Cloud computing empowers life sciences organizations to transform various business processes and adopt innovative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Why Cloud Computing is Crucial in the Pharmaceutical Industry Cloud technologies have revolutionized the life sciences industry. Let’s explore the areas that have seen the most significant changes. Cloud computing accelerates drug discovery The gap between companies investing in cloud technologies and those avoiding it is set to grow. For example, AstraZeneca, which relies on cloud solutions to accelerate drug research and development, will likely get products to market faster than any company that has resisted this digital transformation. “Ultimately, the cloud is the latest example of Schumpeterian creative destruction: creating wealth for those who exploit it; and leading to the demise of those that don’t.” – Joe Weinman, Senior VP at Telx. This innovative approach has brought more than 40 successful drug discovery projects to AstraZeneca. Thanks to its partnership with AWS, it can conduct 51 billion statistical tests in less than 24 hours. By the end of 2026, the company will be able to analyze two million genomes. Isn’t scalability one of the most important goals each drug manufacturer is striving for? Thanks to cloud computing, research teams can collaborate and share their findings securely and efficiently. This allows scientists to analyze lab results and draw conclusions more quickly. Life sciences companies can adopt third-party software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for drug discovery or build custom tools in collaboration with a cloud provider. For instance, many pharmaceutical companies use cloud-based platforms for remote research and development labs, regulatory compliance, and clinical trial data management. Cloud computing facilitates effortless collaboration Cloud computing makes it easier for life sciences companies to communicate and collaborate globally. With cloud platforms, professionals can share ideas, seek second opinions, and fill knowledge gaps faster, speeding up breakthroughs in healthcare. Today, cloud-based collaboration tools help stakeholders keep communication open at every product lifecycle stage, from discovery to manufacturing. Cloud applications also let healthcare providers (HCPs) cooperate with patients, track their side effects, and prompt patients to seek care when needed. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) teamed up with Oracle to develop a cloud-based health check system that allowed the reporting of COVID-19 vaccine side effects. This quick reporting helped the CDC gather crucial data on the vaccine’s effectiveness, contributing to its further improvements. Medical journals then used this data to debunk myths about the vaccine circulating online and raise public awareness about the deadly virus. Cloud computing provides secure data sharing for clinical trials High dropout rates in longitudinal trials are a big concern for drug manufacturers. An analysis of 71 randomized controlled trials published in leading medical journals shows that 18% of trials have a dropout rate of 20%, which leaves room for biased clinical results. Why do so many patients leave the clinical trials? Many are still designed with life sciences companies in mind, requiring patients to make frequent hospital visits without compensation for their time or effort. Cloud computing is helping to change this by enabling decentralized clinical trials. Source: Pharma Technology Focus Cloud solutions have shifted the burden away from patients. With decentralized trials, patients can now report their health status from the comfort of their homes. With less time commitment and fewer scheduling conflicts, it is no surprise that dropout rates have decreased dramatically. Besides, cloud computing pairs well with AI, allowing scientists to analyze clinical trial data with surgical precision. This is especially helpful in recruiting participants and designing the trials. The cloud also merges with other technologies like electronic health records (EHRs), wearables, telemedicine, and mobile apps, enhancing patient engagement and communication. Sano Genetics is a great example of a cloud app that connects patients with clinical research opportunities tailored to their genetic data. Its Virtual Waiting Room provides personalized content to keep users engaged between trial stages, which helps boost compliance rates. Cloud computing helps to comply with regulations Cloud technology helps life sciences companies navigate a heavily regulated industry without the need to gather physical dossiers. The regulatory submission process has become much smoother and quicker. The regulatory bodies can now access company data directly from cloud servers and track drug safety in real-time. Traditional pharmacovigilance leads to time-consuming manual reporting. Cloud computing makes real-time monitoring possible, allowing timely detection of drug safety signals. The data submitted to the cloud lets regulators perform instant analysis and expedite approvals. What’s more, pharmaceutical regulations change and evolve rapidly, making compliance quite tricky. Cloud technology empowers companies to trace regulatory changes and revise processes and procedures accordingly. Cloud computing improves supply chain resilience Counterfeit products are a serious issue in the life sciences industry, posing a significant threat to patient health and safety. Cloud computing enhances transparency in the supply chain by enabling drug manufacturers to trace every component back to its origin. Real-time monitoring of a drug’s location drastically reduces the possibility of errors and prevents counterfeiting. Cloud-based systems collect data at every stage of the drug’s journey, combating the grey market and ensuring product authenticity. Cloud computing enhances pharmaceutical marketing efforts It is no secret that great marketing starts with having complete, high-quality data. Traditional on-premises systems often struggle with data silos, making it hard to share information and perform solid data analysis. This stifles effective customer segmentation, personalization, and omnichannel marketing efforts. Cloud computing solves this by allowing brands to centralize terabytes and petabytes of data securely. Marketing teams can easily collaborate with other departments and clients, sharing documents and files to create compelling campaigns. Additionally, advanced cloud analytics provide key insights into how to guide HCPs and patients through the sales funnel. It gives marketers a clear view of what really matters to customers – and what is holding them back. Let’s say an HCP browses a pharmaceutical company’s website. Cloud data analytics can monitor the pages they explore, the links they click, and even the areas where they linger. Marketers can then leverage this data to tailor personalized content that meets their specific needs. Not to mention, this kind of personalization is possible in real-time. Cloud technology coupled with AI data analytics helps life sciences companies gain data-driven insights and create engaging, relevant content on the fly. Example of real-time content personalization By analyzing the HCP’s actions on the website, AI-driven cloud analytics can choose the most relevant pre-approved modules and create content that is tailored to their immediate needs. Since customer preferences can shift rapidly, this gives pharmaceutical brands a significant competitive edge in engaging their audience. Let’s Talk Numbers The cloud market is piping hot right now. According to recent statistics, 95% of companies in sectors like public services, manufacturing, IT and technology, retail, and finance now use cloud solutions. It is no surprise that the global market is growing at a compound annual rate of 20%. Another key finding: 96% of respondents said cloud-based systems have exceeded their expectations. However, the survey also shows that only 42% of companies have fully moved to the cloud, while 55% still rely on on-premises solutions to some extent. If the cloud is so effective, why are so many companies digging in their heels and resisting innovation? Let’s explore this further in the section below. Cloud Computing in Pharma Today: Challenges & Solutions Anything connected to the Internet can be vulnerable to cyberattacks. Moving your data from in-house servers to the cloud exposes your system to potential security risks. In addition, this change shifts responsibility for security from your organization to a third-party cloud provider, which can be difficult, especially if there are trust issues. However, if you choose a reliable cloud vendor like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure, these extreme worries are often overblown. Leading providers typically have hundreds of experts dedicated to data security, ensuring your data remains safe and is not accessed by unauthorized third parties. Data sovereignty is another key concern for most pharmaceutical brands as they decide whether to move to the cloud. Personal data is subject to the legal regulations of the country where the individual resides, which can make cloud adoption painful. For instance, if you are based in Greece and want to work with a trusted provider like AWS, you could run into data sovereignty issues, as AWS does not have a data center in your country. To address this, many major cloud providers set up data centers in various countries to enable local data storage. Yet, they must navigate different internet governance regulations to make this happen. Moving to the Cloud with Ease These days, nearly every sector has its own success story of moving to the cloud. However, this shift did not happen overnight. It has brought significant changes to companies of all sizes, impacting everything from business operations to internal processes. If you want to change your infrastructure, the Viseven team is here to guide you through the entire journey. We have over a decade of expertise delivering our cloud-based content experience platform, eWizard, and helping numerous pharmaceutical companies make a smooth move to the cloud. Our cloud services also cover cloud architecture design, consulting, management, DevOps as a service, and cloud cost optimization. Ready to turn the page to the cloud-based future? Get in touch, and we will reach out to you soon.
Essential Steps to Customer-Centric Digital Transformation to Consider Posted on September 13, 2024November 14, 2024 by Marta Fetsatchyn Just having great product offerings is no longer enough. Product centricity is a relic of the past, and a customer-centric approach has emerged as the leading strategy for attracting, engaging, and retaining clients. Modern-day consumers want customer-centricity personalization, but few companies are ready to deliver it. In our guide, you’ll discover how to effectively meet customer needs and achieve a successful customer-centric digital transformation. What is Digital Transformation in Customer Experience? Digital transformation, in short, is the process of implementing and integrating various digital tools into a company’s workflows. This often means switching from usual solutions to new, more advanced ones. For example, going “paperless” and moving all of the documentation to the cloud and keeping only electronic documents from now on can be considered a part of digital transformation. However, there is a lot more to it; such transformation is not just about using different technologies but also digitizing customer experience and finding the proper channels to contact your target audience. Technological advancements go hand in hand with ever-changing customer needs. When something new emerges, people want to try it out first-hand. Once they get used to it, they also want to see the technology used by their favorite brands. One example is TikTok, a platform many people had mixed emotions about. Still, it became a massive platform for boosting user engagement and improving the online experience. Many similar digital solutions and technologies can play a significant role in creating an outstanding customer journey, so accepting this transformation, rather than resisting it, is essential. Why Everyone Should be Customer-Centric? Being customer-centric means prioritizing the customer’s perspective and needs as much as the company’s, consistently placing the client at the heart of all operations. Customer-centricity offers numerous benefits for both customers and businesses. Let’s explore them: A deeper understanding of your customers and their needs. Higher profitability: customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable. Increased customer lifetime value, where the customer is far more likely to come back for repeated purchases instead of seeking business elsewhere. Improved customer retention rates. Stronger brand perception. Reduced likelihood of customers leaving for a competitor. More chances that the business will stand out. Better overall customer satisfaction. Key Stages of a Customer-Centric Digital Transformation Process We define six stages of the customer-centric transformation process: Business as usual The need for change is understood and accepted. However, existing digital tools and solutions are not being used to their full potential, and the current customer experience strategy is often fragmented. At this stage, insights from analytics are not used for further decision-making, and all measured efforts from different departments are isolated. Present and active The business starts to explore the capabilities of customer experience analytics. The company researches, experiments, and tries out new approaches and channels. Employees now realize that change is coming, and more are taking action within their departments to promote test-and-learn programs, experiment, and learn. At this point, resistance to change is the biggest challenge. Formalized The digital transformation journey has begun. The company can identify measurement gaps, find more opportunities for digital transformation, make informed decisions based on analytics, map out a customer journey through various touchpoints, and create digital learning programs. Strategic As the company focuses on integrated experiences across all channels, omnichannel, content, and loyalty metrics gain increased importance. Customer experience and digital customer experience have become top priorities. Employees across all departments and company leaders realize and appreciate the importance of change. Change agents have more impact on decision-making processes. Technology roadmaps are synchronized with overall digital roadmaps. Converged The digital revolution within the organization is already in full swing. New business models help break down silos, unify processes, and streamline operations. Teams use analytics to make data-driven decisions, and improvements are made in real time. Digital transformation goes beyond creating a customer-centric digital transformation and now includes the lifeline of the business. New talent is attracted, with more people being hired and trained. Innovative and adaptive The company is now entirely digitally transformed, and the customer is at the heart of all processes and operations. All employees have the skills to create fulfilling customer-centric journeys and are ready to innovate and experiment if necessary. 7+ Steps for Effective Customer-Centric Digital Transformation How can you create an engaging customer journey that has a real impact? These are the seven steps for achieving effective customer-centric digital transformation: Set your goals Digital transformation has many benefits, but do you understand its advantages for your organization? Such a huge change is guaranteed to have a big impact on an organization’s processes and workflows, which is why it’s crucial to have an understanding of why it’s implemented in the first. Doing something just for the sake of it is not going to bring any success, even if it’s portrayed that way. If you are not sure about your goals for digital transformation, use these questions to set the course for your digital transformational processes: How do we envision the customer-centric future of our company? What should customer engagement look like at our company after digital transformation? Who is our target audience, and how will our digital transformation benefit them? How can digital transformation aid the company in solving customer’s pain points? How can digitization enhance your personalization and omnichannel strategies? What digital products, services, and content can we offer our clientele to meet emerging needs and demands? What key performance indicators (KPIs) will we use to measure the performance of our digital solutions and the success of our digital transformation? How will we incorporate new technologies into our workflows, and how comfortable is our company with experimenting with emerging tech? These questions are a good start for defining digital transformation for your business. Of course, there is more to it, and it’s best to explore this topic with a team by your side, learning more about digitization and its benefits. The most important thing is to know your goals and how customer-centric digital transformation fits into them. Foster customer-centricity in your organization What makes a company customer-centric is that it is those who genuinely care about customers and keep them in mind during every interaction. Everything depends on the mindset, as the best way to provide a client with excellent service is to have first-hand experience of customer-centricity. Start with inner interactions, activities, and processes, ensuring that every employee understands the principles of a customer-centric company and is treated in line with those principles. Educate your employees and regularly update your learning programs, adding more information about new tech, trends, and practices. Another thing you can do is empower employees to perform better and pay more attention to their customers. Reward them for their efforts and provide honest feedback and recommendations on enhancing their skills if you see areas for improvement. By engaging with your teams and creating positive experiences inside your organization, you turn your workplace into a space where everyone can be inspired to get better versions of themselves. Build omnichannel experiences In the modern age, people have profiles on at least 2-3 social media channels while watching news, reading books, and talking to others to get information. What does this mean? Having just 1-2 channels for interacting with customers won’t be enough. Instead, it would be best if you created a seamless transition across the channels your clients prefer to use. 75% of consumers want a seamless omnichannel experience, while only 25% are satisfied with the experience they currently receive. According to Google, omnichannel consumers have a 30% higher customer lifetime value. When building your omnichannel strategy, focus on finding the right channels and connecting them instead of using those channels to share some content and facts about your brand. Don’t force your audience to read the same thing twice. Instead, ensure a smooth flow between channels, where everything you share across them complements one another rather than repeats. Personalize customer journeys 76% of consumers state that they are more likely to shop with a brand that personalizes, with 78% saying that they would make another purchase from a business that offers personalization. A personalized customer journey is critical to customer-centricity, which makes it a huge part of your marketing strategy. First, you need to understand who you will personalize your content for. Learn more about your audience, their likes and dislikes, what they look forward to when they open social media, and what kind of content they usually read or watch for over a few seconds. Gather data non-intrusively through surveys, questionnaires, and even just talking sessions on different platforms. Engaging with your audience and discovering more about them is the first step toward successfully personalizing the customer’s experience. Choose the right tools It’s impossible to have a transformation journey without proper instruments and solutions. To know what kind of tools are best for your business strategy, determine your goals first. By asking the right questions, you can clarify your vision and gain a clear picture of where your company is headed. With a strong understanding of your future objectives, you can then choose the best tools to drive digitization and enhance customer centricity. Here are some of the digital tools and solutions you can adopt at your organization: Digital solutions (e.g., Digital Content Factory). CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce and HubSpot). Communication platforms (e.g., Slack and Microsoft Teams). Content management systems (e.g., WordPress, HubSpot, and eWizard). Knowledge management platforms (e.g., Confluence, Notion, and Sharepoint). Cloud storage systems (e.g., Google Drive, Google Cloud, Dropbox, AWS, and Microsoft Azure). Applicant tracking systems (e.g., HiBob). Social media marketing tools (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok). Data analytics tools (e.g., Microsoft Power BI and Google Analytics). AI-powered tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Secoda, Jasper AI, and DALL-E). There are so many incredible tools that the list can go on for much longer. It’s important not just to choose a couple of tools and implement them into your company’s workflows as quickly as possible but also to make sure that the chosen software is the best pick specifically for your business. Do all of these tools help you tackle some of the business challenges you’ve been facing? Can these instruments aid you and your employees in achieving your goals? Can these tools be smoothly integrated into already existing systems and processes? Do they offer scalability as your business grows? Consider all of these questions before making a final decision. Evaluate your progress Your digital transformation won’t be just a straight road to success. You will deal with difficulties, your teams will sometimes resist the change, and not all of your efforts will reciprocate. And that’s to be expected; what is important to do is ensure that you find the most effective methods for achieving customer experience along your journey and know whether something works or not. To do that, you will need to have clear key performance indicators (KPIs). Here are some of the metrics you can measure: Customer satisfaction; Customer retention rate; Churn rate; Customer effort score; Digital engagement; First contact resolution; Click-through rate; Customer lifetime value. Offer an effortless onboarding process According to Salesforce, 74% of consumers will switch to another brand if the chosen company doesn’t provide a smooth and clear purchase/checkout experience. If you want your client to feel valued, make sure you value their time as well. There are many tactics you can implement to ease the onboarding process, such as: Personalized guidance based on data entered by a customer; AI-powered chatbots; 24/7 live chat; Accessible FAQ section; Automated account creation; Interactive walkthroughs; Simplified registration forms. Remember to use as many visuals as possible to make this process easier for all types of learners. Just plain text or a ton of images won’t do, as some users may find this approach irritating and opt to switch to a different brand instead. Closing Thoughts Digital transformation and customer centricity are the two pillars of business success in the modern landscape, and they are most effective when fully aligned. If you are ready to embrace customer-centric transformation, your focus should shift from “How much can we earn this quarter?” to “How can we provide value to our customers today?”. Soon, you’ll start to see notable changes. To learn more about customer-centric digital transformation, visit our website for exclusive guides, webinars, and events. And if you would like to take your customer-centric strategy to the next level, let us know, and our experts will contact you back in no time.
Data Integrity in the Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Industry Posted on September 6, 2024November 14, 2024 by Marta Fetsatchyn Data is everywhere. No matter how big your company is or what its main services or products are, it’s likely that it relies on data for daily operations. Good record management practices, quality risk management, and robust compliance frameworks are standard procedures in industries like pharmaceuticals and life sciences. All of it is done to assure data integrity—the glue that holds together all measures and actions performed to keep the data safe, error-free, and complete. In our new article, you will learn more about data integrity in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry and why maintaining it matters so much. Understanding Data Integrity and Its Relevance Data integrity refers to the concept of keeping data accurate, reliable, and consistent throughout its lifecycle. It is a critical aspect of any organization, as data integrity makes data valuable, enables informed decision-making, and ensures adherence to life sciences and pharmaceutical regulations. Data integrity isn’t a software, service, or product; it encompasses various solutions contributing to improved data maintenance and quality. Importance of Data Integrity in the Pharma Industry It takes just one wrong data entry, breach, or incident for patients and clients to lose your trust. Data integrity is more than just data protection; there are many reasons why it should be a top priority for anyone in pharma and life sciences. Here are a few more reasons why it is so important to maintain data integrity: Patient safety Accurate and reliable data is a cornerstone of the healthcare industry. Achieving effective communication between a healthcare specialist and a patient is impossible if data the healthcare provider relies on data that can be misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misused. Data integrity is a way for healthcare institutions, life science companies, hospitals, and other healthcare providers to ensure that the information their employees utilize won’t lead to incorrect diagnoses or inappropriate treatments and, instead, positively impacts patients’ health and safety. Ensuring the quality of products and services Data integrity equals compliance with all legislations, regulatory requirements, and standards. And when all of these boxes are ticked, it means the products and services are safe for consumers. Even if they’re not the highest quality, they at least pose no risk to anyone’s health. When it comes to improving the quality of products and services, there is another reason why data integrity is so important. Many companies use data insights to better understand their customers and develop better engagement strategies or more customer-centric solutions. With data integrity, companies can be sure that their data is 100% accurate, empowering businesses to be even more proactive with their decisions instead of taking too long to introduce any changes and improvements. High-quality data equals better patient experience, making data integrity’s role even bigger in the pharmaceutical industry. Compliance with regulations Maintaining data integrity is often intertwined with regulation compliance, which is why paying attention to both is even more important. Pharmaceutical companies work with data regularly, and the best way to protect both pharmaceutical industry workers and patients is by achieving full compliance with data integrity requirements and pharmaceutical regulations. This is why it’s so important for companies to utilize proper software for storing and retrieving data, even for processes like content creation. With tools like eWizard, you can guarantee regulatory approval of all your content without needing to go through content manually every time you create something. Proof of data quality Data integrity is a direct reflection of data quality. Maintaining one is impossible without maintaining the other, and only if both are preserved can data be trusted and used to make informed decisions. But how can you be sure that your data is of high quality? This is why data integrity principles exist. Adhering to them guarantees that all of the data you work with is accurate, easy to understand, consistent, and properly collected and stored. Key Principles of Data Integrity In the 1990s, the FDA developed a list of principles of data integrity, which still serve as a framework for working with data and documenting it. These are so-called ALCOA+ principles, and although there are 5 main ones, it’s continuously expanding, and some experts and companies add more guidelines to the list. Let’s take a look at the core principles used by businesses worldwide to this day: Attributable Each piece of data should be attributed to the person who generated it. This information should cover when the piece of data was created and who did it. This can be done with either a physical signature or an electronic one. If every record, document, and any other form of data indicates who was involved in the generation or creation process, it becomes much easier to trace back to the original source in case of any anomalies, errors, or inconsistencies. Legible All data pieces are supposed to be easy to comprehend, readable, and coherent. This principle emphasizes the importance of ensuring that data remains understandable at all times, regardless of when it is accessed and by whom. If only a few individuals can read and understand the data, its utility significantly diminishes. For data to consistently remain valuable, it must be kept accurate, easy to interpret, and safeguarded against misinterpretation. Contemporaneous According to this principle, any data recording should be made in real time. For example, if an event occurs and needs to be documented, it should be done at the moment it happens to ensure that all findings and observations are accurate and represent a real picture of the events and their correct chronological order. With contemporaneous data documentation, it becomes possible to easily avoid any errors and inaccuracies that might come up after data recordings take place. Original All data should be preserved in its original form, and copies should not be used as primary sources. If any piece of data is used after its documentation or creation, it’s crucial that it be attributed to the original source. This principle helps protect data, especially in the long term, by pushing companies, researchers, and manufacturers to create conditions where it is possible to safely store data for longer periods. Accurate All data should always reflect real events and conditions and be complete. All data presented, recorded, and stored should be error-free and complete. At the moment of documentation, data should be recorded without any changes to prevent falsifications and misinterpretations. To achieve data accuracy, every piece of data should be verified and only modified by authorized personnel with proper access. Note: the “+” in the ALCOA+ abbreviation stands for extended principles created after the original ones. Some of these principles are Avaiable, Enduring, Complete, and Consistent. Possible Challenges in Maintaining Pharmaceutical Data Integrity Most data integrity issues are caused by a bad quality culture, poor behavior at the company, bad leadership, disorganized processes, or improperly used technology. In other words, there are quite a few challenges when it comes to implementing data integrity and maintaining it, such as: Too much reliance on legacy systems Many companies in the pharmaceutical industry are still using old, outdated systems to store and manage data. Most businesses realize this is a problem, but due to the inability to retrain staff or invest in better software, no changes have been made. The use of legacy systems might not necessarily be a bad thing, but consider the fact that every year, the use of data continues to increase, and with outdated software, it’s going to get harder to properly store and manage data, which could potentially lead to leaks and breaches if not taken care of. Manual processes Manual processes take a lot of time and are more unreliable and prone to errors. This has nothing to do with the level of expertise or experience of people who work with data. The human factor plays a significant role in gathering and managing data, and with the large volumes of data today, making manual processes error-free is more challenging than ever before. Minimizing human intervention is the best way to achieve maximum data collection and analysis effectiveness, leading to fewer mistakes and safety issues. Poor and infrequent audits Data auditing is a process of reviewing and evaluating a company’s data to guarantee its accuracy, reliability, and compliance with modern standards and regulations. Frequent auditing allows for better control of data and quick identification of any inconsistencies, anomalies, and errors. Data integrity inspections are a normal procedure, and businesses that desire to protect both their employees and patients should be ready to conduct regular audits to monitor and verify the entire data lifecycle. Data integrity breaches and cyberattacks Cyberattacks are probably the biggest enemy of data integrity. Hackers who get their hands on valuable data can do a lot of damage to it and the company that owns the data, such as distributing it to third parties, tampering with it, deleting critical information, etc. This is why it’s so important to implement access controls—cyberattacks can happen to even the smallest companies, so protecting data and its integrity should be a top priority for any organization. Lack of proper training It is true that some, if not most, data-related activities can be automated, but it’s not possible to eliminate human intervention completely. This is why it’s crucial to properly train everyone who might have to work with the company’s data; mishandling data or neglecting safety measures when accessing corporate information that’s not meant only for inner circles can lead to serious issues, including data integrity violations. Current Key Trends in Pharma Data Integrity As both life sciences and pharma industries continue to evolve, data integrity changes as well. New ways to achieve data reliability are already emerging, making once unbelievable technologies a tool for battling hackers, data loss, and other dangers that pose a risk to data integrity. Let’s take a look at 3 biggest trends in pharma data integrity right now: Blockchain technology Blockchain is one of the best solutions for maintaining and ensuring data integrity. Here is a thing: as said before, one of the biggest challenges of data integrity is cyberattacks and data breaches. Blockchain technology almost entirely solves this problem, as when data is recorded on the blockchain, it cannot be changed even slightly without all participants agreeing to the changes. Moreover, blockchain offers much-needed decentralization, where there is no control by a single entity, which leads to increased transparency and minimizing data manipulation. With blockchain, companies can rest assured that their data is protected, properly recorded, and can be easily verified. AI and ML technologies Data has always been prone to errors, and with the rising amount of data in the world, it’s become harder to control data quality. With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, it is now possible to detect any data integrity issues at early stages, allowing for corrective action to be taken before any anomalies or errors significantly impact. Artificial intelligence can help manage data quality and safety and reduce manual workload, thereby mitigating human errors and inconsistencies and lowering the risk of cyberattacks. And when it comes to security, adopting AI and automation solutions can actually cut breach costs and improve data protection, helping companies deal with data breaches more effectively. Data governance frameworks According to Gartner, 80% of organizations trying to implement digital transformation will fail because they do not take a modern approach to data governance. Data governance frameworks are crucial for standardizing various data documentation and management processes, including established procedures for gathering, storing, accessing, and retrieving data. Even small businesses today are building data governance frameworks to improve data management, as nearly every modern company collects and stores data in some form. Final Thoughts The role of data integrity in pharma is still evolving. With Pharma 4.0, it will become much easier to integrate good documentation practices, AI-powered tools and systems, blockchain, advanced analytics, and other important technologies to safeguard data and maintain its quality at high levels. If you are ready to learn more about maintaining data accuracy and integrity and the best tools and solutions, leave us a message, and we will contact you immediately.
