Reach Out to the HCP: Omnichannel Communication Channels

Marketers seem to have an affair with their customers… This type of relationship is also based on mutuality, in the sense that each of the parties must be aware of them. Marketers are also trying to spark customers’ interest with the messages to achieve interaction. In the end, all this is done in order to turn initial fascination with your brand into long-term relationships. Basically – win brand loyalty. In the process, we are trying to find an individual approach to customers and interact with them through those touchpoints that allow us to reach out to their hearts. In omnichannel marketing, we do the same thing with the help of multiple communication channels. Each of them has its own value that should not be underestimated – this is the foundation of omnichannel communication. Let’s see to efficiently use channels in your omnichannel strategy so that win HCPs’ hearts.

Top channels to reach out to the HCPs

Pharmaceutical brands maintain a dialogue with their target audience through various communication channels: emails, eDetailing, webinars, websites, landing pages, etc. Each audience is ready to perceive information through different channels according to their specific needs. You may ask which one is the most effective? The answer is to use a mix of channels that are best suited to the needs of your customers and stimulate value-based conversation. The starting point in the battle for HCPs’ hearts is to be confident in their channel preferences, and lavish them with valuable data and insights in a timely and accurate manner. Here are the top channels for HCPs engagement by the number of assets:

eDetailers

eDetailing improves the performance of medical representatives, provides relevance and high quality marketing materials. According to statistics, 46% of HCPs prefer the use of a tablet when receiving sales information from med rep. The combination of traditional and innovative methods of interaction with doctors is the key to creating high-quality long-term communication. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a need to engage HCPs at the distance. Remote detailing (online detailing sessions) has proven to be one of the best for maintaining long-distance relationships with the doctor. This solution provides a quick schedule of a call at the time that HCP finds convenient. In fact, 76% of HCPs said that remote detailing fits into their work schedule better. One of the strongest benefits of this communication channel is the interactivity, flexibility, and feedback that can be collected during the presentation from any device.

The right content sparks interest in your company. See how the team of experts in eDetailers development create content that engages HCPs.

Email

Emails assume their rightful place in omnichannel strategy as those that create a special bond with the doctor. 66% of HCPs want to be able to receive emails from life science reps. The advantage of email over messengers is that there is no pressure and no “seen” sign. Emails give HCPs freedom and exactly that much of the information they need at that very moment. In their turn, brand managers love them for a high level of personalization and clear insights about the preferences of the customer. Moreover, email easily gets along with other channels like eDetailing or remote detailing, complementing each other’s results perfectly.

Additional communication channels

Many brand managers are turning to omnichannel to combine channels in a way to ensure a consistent exchange of content and create highly personalized HCP experience across all specific devices, such as mobile, tablets, or laptops, etc. It’s no longer enough to build a dialogue with a customer through one communication channel, it is recommended to use combine a few of them. Studies have shown that using 3+ channels for communication improves your engagement performance. For comparison, using three or more channels in an automation workflow earned an 18.96% engagement rate, while single-channel earned a just 5.4% engagement rate.

To stimulate a frank and constructive dialogue between you and the HCP, you need to know the capabilities of each channel to understand the time it should be used during the customer journey. Don’t forget, the more channels, the more options HCPs have. Accordingly, brand managers also have more options to strengthen relationships with HCPs.

Messengers

Omnichannel and messaging platforms are both highly scalable which makes them a perfect fit for each other. Once, messengers replaced the good old SMS and became a primary form of communication. You can benefit from the use of applications such as WhatsApp, Viber, and Telegram since your users don’t have to download any additional applications. Moreover, no training on working with this application is needed, because many HCPs are probably using them for personal reasons, and are aware of their functionality. Messengers allow you to create message templates that perfectly reflect your brand. This ensures consistent customer interactions, saves time, and helps improve customer service.

WhatsApp has a strong position all over the world. This application is ideal for many businesses. Marketers use WhatsApp for customer care (appointment scheduling, instant communication) and notifications (reminders, follow-ups). The functionality of WhatsApp allows you to distribute text, pictures, message templates, images, documents, and audio. Moreover, WhatsApp provides active and clear opt-in messaging, and any channel can be used to start the opt-in procedure. WhatsApp will routinely check a business opt-in flows and monitor the quality signals in WhatsApp Account.

Viber makes it possible to synchronize all messages on all devices. Moreover, there are features to add a call to action button in your marketing message with a link to redirect the customer to another website.

Facebook Messenger is an instant messaging app. It provides a high level of personalization. The great thing about this app is a chatbot that allows you to minimize the time employee spent on messaging. Chatbots are programmed to respond to customer requests instantly. Besides, your platform can transfer all negative comments from social networks to private messages. This means that companies can analyze the client’s needs and inquiries thereby immediately improving their user experience. The platform is reliable and that’s why so many people choose Facebook Messenger for personal reasons and know how it works.

Telegram allows brands to communicate with their target audience using text messages, photos, location information, etc. HCP can interact directly with your brand by asking questions in real-time. Since Telegram works in the cloud, the application can be used on all your smartphones, tablets, and computers at the same time. Your messages are synchronized on all your devices, which makes it easier to keep on track of the conversation moving from one device to another.

Webinars

Even though this channel is a little bit underestimated in the pharma industry, it has shown its full efficiency potential during the pandemic. Webinars have proven to be a powerful channel in an omnichannel engagement strategy. The main feature of live webinars is interactivity: participants can discuss, ask questions, send, and receive information in real-time. Regular webinars engage HCP and improve brand performance.

This channel works perfectly in conjunction with email. Email remains the most effective channel to invite your target audience. Along with a reminder, we can also give some useful content (for example, as a teaser). Also a good idea is to use the functionality of adding events to the calendar in the email and/or on the registration page (Google, Apple, Outlook)
After the webinar, the success can also be consolidated with surveys + webinar recording (video on demand). The survey can collect topics and ideas for future events.

Mobile-push & web-push

Mobile-push notifications are sent via a mobile application that is installed on the user’s device and via a specific browser in which the user agreed to receive them. It can be a browser installed on a desktop or mobile device (shows even if it is closed and the device is not locked). 50.42%  of respondents said that push notifications are useful if they can choose to opt-in to websites or apps of their choice.
After a user subscribes to push notifications, a website can send them alerts. Subscription occurs with a visitor’s consent in one click in the service browser window.

When used properly, this channel can bring a ton of benefits to your campaign, such as low costs, quick preparation of the content (sometimes even a Content Hub is not needed), a strong focus on CTA and clicks, instant delivery, and many others. However, this channel has its drawbacks. One of the main is that the lifetime of one subscription token is relatively short (on average, up to 60 days, it is reset when the browser is updated and cleaned).

Digital Channels Synergy at the Heart of Omnichannel Excellence

Brands are looking for coherent and holistic interactions with customers. Communication channel is a powerful tool for doctors’ engagement. However, simply adding these communication channels without connecting them will not bring the expected outcomes for your company. The term ‘omnichannel’ implies the practice of combining channels (website, emails, social, apps, remote calls, ads, etc.) into an integrated system in which one channel leads to another. Digital channels synergy will make your every HCP interaction highly personalized and always relevant.
Today, many brands have already implemented a multichannel approach, which gives certain advantages over traditional interaction through one channel. However, only a few have known omnichannel excellence and understood the difference between these two approaches. Omnichannel is a completely new level of personalization providing interconnection with the information transmitted between them. In omnichannel, each channel is actually a bridge connecting your brand and the doctor in a holistic dialogue.

Think about using additional communication channels and tie them up into a single omnichannel system. Our team of omnichannel experts can assist you at every stage of building an omnichannel strategy, from selecting the right tools to the full integration of all communication channels.