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Redefining the future of customer relationships in biopharma

High five:

Crucial models for connected engagement

Aaron outlines five connected engagement models which reflect differing levels of market complexity and value.

1. Marketing-centric engagement, designed for lower-complexity markets where scale and awareness are priorities. This model leverages digital channels and automation to reach large audiences with personalised messaging.
   
   
2. Service-oriented models, that introduce a human element in a more efficient way. Digital-first teams and pooled channels enable HCPs to initiate contact and receive timely support, without over-reliance on traditional field visits.
   
   
3. Field-based partnership models, where representatives evolve into orchestrators of value. Rather than promoting products, they build trusted partnerships and connect clinicians with resources, services and expertise.
   
   
4. Account-based selling, suited to complex environments with multiple brands and stakeholders. This model brings coordination and strategic focus across key accounts.
   
   
5. Strategic account management, the most sophisticated model, reserved for highly complex, high-value markets. Here, deep, long-term partnerships are formed to jointly address system-level challenges such as pathway optimisation and service redesign.

A complex landscape

Over the past two decades, the industry has witnessed remarkable advancements in science. Yet as therapies become more specialised and patient populations smaller, bringing treatments to market has become increasingly difficult.

The high cost and complexity of many modern therapies place even greater emphasis on clearly communicating value – not just to payers, but to clinicians operating under immense pressure.

In the UK, this challenge is particularly acute. The NHS is navigating significant system-wide strain, from workforce shortages and rising demand to financial constraints and administrative burden.

Fundamentally, healthcare professionals are focused on delivering better consultations, supporting patients appropriately, collaborating with peers and staying up to date with the latest scientific developments.

They are also expected to contribute to clinical research and innovation, often alongside already stretched workloads.

For pharmaceutical companies, the question is not simply how to reach clinicians, but how to genuinely support them in these roles. Engagement that fails to recognise the realities of clinical practice risks adding to the noise rather than delivering value.

Internal pressures within biopharma

At the same time, biopharma organisations themselves are experiencing a ‘perfect storm’ of internal pressures. Product portfolios are diversifying rapidly, launch volumes are increasing and therapies are becoming more complex.

Where new products once enjoyed long periods of market exclusivity and sustained growth, competition now arrives faster and in greater numbers.

Data illustrates the scale of this shift. The window for achieving double-digit growth has shrunk from around 14 years to just four. Competitive intensity has increased dramatically, with the number of rival products entering markets rising sharply within just a few years of launch.

This creates pressure not only on healthcare systems competing for limited budgets, but also on pharmaceutical companies striving to differentiate their offerings.

Compounding this challenge is the persistence of traditional operating models. Many organisations remain structured around product-first thinking, with sales, marketing, medical and market access teams operating in silos.

The traditional large field force model, built around door-to-door access, is becoming increasingly ineffective – particularly in the UK, where access to HCPs is among the lowest in Europe.

Veeva Pulse data shows that while approximately 53% of HCPs across the EU are accessible to industry, in the UK that figure drops to just 25%. Even more striking, among those clinicians that are accessible, the vast majority engage with only three or fewer pharmaceutical companies.

In such an access-constrained environment, winning and retaining meaningful relationships depends on delivering an outstanding, differentiated experience.

Cutting through the noise

The reality facing clinicians highlights why relevance is critical. A UK GP may see an average of 37 patients per day, alongside managing up to 100 pieces of secondary care correspondence. Specialists can be contacted hundreds of times per year by pharmaceutical companies – equating to an attempted interaction every few hours.

Against this backdrop, engagement that is poorly timed, generic or misaligned with clinician needs is likely to be ignored. To cut through the noise, biopharma must focus on quality over quantity, aligning interactions with what HCPs value and when they need it. This requires a shift away from isolated touchpoints towards connected, personalised engagement over time.

Crucially, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Most organisations will require a blend of these models, deployed dynamically depending on product life cycle, market dynamics and customer needs. From the HCP’s perspective, these engagements should feel seamless and connected, rather than fragmented or repetitive.

Technology as an enabler

While digital channels and data play a central role in enabling connected engagement, it is clear that technology alone is not the answer.

The real opportunity lies in using data to understand customers better, anticipate needs and guide next-best actions that genuinely add value.

Pilots of pooled digital channels, such as live chat, demonstrate this potential. When clinicians are given convenient, responsive ways to engage, overall interaction frequency increases rather than replacing existing channels.

Faster response times, higher content engagement and improved follow-up all contribute to a more positive experience.

Human dimension

At its core, the future of customer engagement rests on two pillars: mutual value exchange and enhanced customer experience.

Mutual value exchange means offering propositions that truly support clinicians in their roles – whether through education, service support, evidence generation or peer connectivity. Trust is built through transparency, relevance and a clear understanding of what matters to each customer.

Enhanced customer experience is about convenience, coordination and relevance. It requires organisations to move beyond internal silos and present themselves as one connected partner.

Sales, medical and marketing teams must work together to create coherent journeys rather than disconnected interactions.

Putting patients at the centre

Ultimately, connected engagement serves a broader purpose: improving patient outcomes. Healthcare professionals are constantly connecting patients to treatments, carers to support networks and multidisciplinary teams to each other.

Pharmaceutical companies must mirror this connectivity internally to enable it externally.

When done well, connected engagement unlocks opportunities for shared value – from pathway optimisation and innovative contracting to value-based agreements that improve access to treatment.

The goal is not simply better communication, but better collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem.

Looking ahead

The future of biopharma engagement will be defined by those organisations willing to modernise, adapt and put the customer – and the patient – at the centre of their strategies.

By embracing connected engagement models, breaking down silos and focusing on meaningful value exchange, the industry can build stronger relationships with healthcare professionals and play a more impactful role in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape.

As science continues to advance, it is the way biopharma connects – not just what it develops – that will determine long-term success.