5 things you will definitely love about the new Veeva CRM Sunrise interface and how they will make reps’ life better
Veeva currently has more than 625 customers, including pharma companies active around the globe. That’s breathtaking. In fact, it’s enough to speak of a whole world of Veeva users – and this world is, right now, witnessing a huge facelift. The new Veeva CRM Sunrise interface is already here to replace the old one – and yes, it’s a good thing.
The Veeva Sunrise UI comes as a free update, aiming at a more intuitive user experience, notably on iPad and (yes!) iPhone. The general idea is, all the functionality stays right in place, but usability improves.
Of course, even while it’s all about interface and styling, the change is considerable. Looking at Sunrise vs. the traditional UI left us with an impression one gets when comparing a historical photo of one’s native city with today’s street view. So naturally, there have been some who worried and already felt nostalgic for the “good old” – but the early users of the sandbox versions are unanimous: Sunrise is an improvement.
There was initially some anxiety, especially from our international teams, when they heard about the new user interface coming in 18R2… To date everything has been well received. Early on we created a short video preview for field teams that focused on the new interface as well as some of the high level benefits such as the ability to work more efficiently. Everyone got it right away.
William Corso, Associate VP, Commercial IT, US Sales and Commercial Operations at Allergan
Being directly involved in what happens in the “Veeva world”, we at Viseven, too, have thoroughly analyzed Veeva CRM Sunrise– and in many aspects. Here, we’ll consider why, of all users, reps will be the first to benefit from the renovated interface. What does it change in the representatives’ working day?
1 “Ergonomic fit”: no chances to feel clumsy
The old left-sidebar menu is gone, and replaced with a more convenient launchpad-style navigation at the bottom of the screen. This is a relief for many of those who always tended to hold the tablet device in their (typically left) hand – and also, the new bottom menu is more readily available.
Expert opinion:
“…with the [old] menu on the left, I have heard stories from reps who subconsciously avoided touching the screen with their thumb while holding the tablet, and they actually dropped the thing down on the floor…”
The placement of the menu is also smarter because it provides more free space on the screen. In the new UI, the “working area” can accommodate up to 9 widgets for information like updates, etc. (Typically things no one wants to look up intentionally, but they are still quite important). This means a quick look at the screen will update you on what’s going on – the widgets are, after all, big enough to be noticed quickly.
With the Sunrise interface, you will be able to see the native bar whenever needed and be aware of the battery state, etc.
2 Everything is truly intuitive: no need to study the UI
Turning back to that menu on the bottom – another good thing about it is that it brings you all the major pages in the system upfront. For lesser-used options, there’s now the More button on far-right, which opens the full menu, full-screen.
And there’s the traditional close button. This may seem barely worth attention, but we’ve all experienced situations where we wanted to “close” some view – not “be redirected” or anything. The new interface, thankfully, has the close button exactly where non-accustomed users are expecting it. In general, transition between dashboards and views is much more intuitive.
Expert opinion:
“I was instantly optimistic when I saw the calendar mode. In the past, having to exit the calendar NOT by closing it gave a sort of uneasy feeling. Did I just change anything there and not notice? Now that you can simply switch from one page to the other, reps will be encouraged to use the system more readily.”
In general, the new Sunrise UI is far more like what you’d expect from an app. Over the past several years, a lot of “unwritten” (actually written – in tech magazines) rules for UX in apps have been established. Veeva CRM Sunrise adheres to them, so it will almost instantly look familiar.
In other words, there’s no need to teach/study the new UI – which makes the transition a welcome one.
3 Sync!
The synchronization button is still there – but the necessary synchronization happens automatically in the background once a call/visit is closed. For reps, this means sparing extra effort on one of those multiple minor things.
4 Designed with reps’ workflows in mind: the new UI respects users’ time
The Sunrise interface was clearly developed based on how the field force actually think while using it. Not the visuals for visuals’ sake. This becomes clear when you look at the uninterrupted sequences of actions that can be performed. By “interruption” we mean, e.g. having to switch over to a different mode to perform a subtask (look up info, check something) – and then go back to the previous page to resume working on what you had been working on prior to that.
Practically no such inconveniences here! For example, there’s the possibility to view – and then update – profiles when needed; a rep can also look up the upcoming call on the map, look up the neighboring relevant locations to work – and plan calls, while being able to look up the profiles and details on the spot.
Another “utility” trying to “guess” your next step is the Sunrise bar. The contents (possible actions) of this one are different depending on where in the CRM you are currently at. This saves yet more time for the rep.
Expert opinion:
“…the whole user experience now feels more like playing a musical instrument (that you can play well) than using tech equipment. Once you’ve got used to it, and that skill comes after the second time you launch it, you don’t think about buttons and taps. You think about what you are doing.”
Yet another example of this workflow-based accessibility is, you can quickly view the media (e.g. eDetailing presentations) for the upcoming calls. No filters required, the selection is just there. Perfect for catching up with the topic while in the waiting room or underway.
5 Don’t like table view? Choose whatever representation you prefer
There are people who like their items to be displayed as lists. Others prefer tables. Still other people absolutely loathe both and want tile view. Some artistic minds will say “woah!” each time there’s possibility of a carousel representation.
It turns out, tastes matter in a job like that of a rep, where your moods are contagious. Things like having to scroll/swipe (any direction whatsoever) distract and upset – subtly enough that the rep won’t even try to rationalize the feeling. Some SFE’s worry about providing more convenience and personalization to sales force – and are right.
That’s where Veeva CRM Sunrise’s segmented control bar comes into picture. This is basically a tactful suggestion by the system to choose in what way to view the information currently displayed. For example, the media can be displayed in a carousel if you want to see, e.g., texts or smaller details (like package depiction), or more traditionally if you want a quick helicopter view. With the other options for customization and personalization in the new interface, this is also a big plus – in terms of both user psychology and effective time management.
Conclusion: the new interface will become the interface very quickly and painlessly, while giving reps the opportunity to focus on their job, not the tech.
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