E-detailing: COVID-19 Makes it More Important Than Ever

COVID-19 has had a drastic impact on what was already a challenging situation for drug and medical device manufacturers: maintaining face-to-face detailing visits. Physician interest has been dropping, and healthcare product brands are fighting for increasingly limited available time. The pandemic has, in fact, led 38% of professionals to eliminate in-person rep visits altogether.

Now, e-detailing has become the go-to method of connecting physicians with sales presentations and materials through digital channels.

Prior to COVID-19, physicians were skeptical of e-detailing because the practice was often carried out by call centers. However, studies showed a positive reaction from physicians and other healthcare professionals when it comes to e-detailing around complex situations. For example, a 2012 pilot study conducted by Pfizer revealed 97% of physicians felt e-detailing experience was superior to paper-based details for explaining complex issues.

Whether complex or not, brands are turning to e-detailing in a more advanced form these days. Now, improved technology has enabled pharma and medical device brands to reach doctors with precious little time and not much of an appetite for face-to-face meetings.

E-detailing can be an improvement for drug makers and physicians alike. Take one-to-one visits, for example. Instead of lengthy waiting periods in doctors’ offices before being given a few minutes to present a product, sales reps can now work more efficiently. And physicians can allow for a little extra time because offices aren’t full as they were pre-COVID, so interactions can be extended.

E-detailing Methods

Three primary methods of e-detailing are virtual live e-detailing, e-detailing via online portal, and scripted e-detailing, typically provided through a dedicated app.

• Virtual live e-detailing enables HCPs to interact with sales reps through video conferencing delivered via desktop or mobile device. The timing and duration of the sessions are typically controlled by the healthcare professional.
• E-detailing through an online portal allows HCPs to access product-specific messages, order samples, and other activities. This technique can work well with hard-to-reach specialists.
• Scripted e-detailing uses interactive screens where HCPs can engage with content at their pace and is a great way to deliver messaging in an easily digestible format.

Benefits of E-detailing

The advantages of electronic detailing have never been more apparent than during the pandemic. Some of the top benefits are:

• Audience measurement. Actions such as downloads or clicks can be measured and used to inform brands about anything from how your content is perceived to which products generate the most interest.
• Access flexibility. Apps, portals, and recorded presentations are easily accessible to HCPs, allowing them to save and view content at their convenience and giving brands more ways to connect at any hour.
• Sales optimization. With the disruption of traditional sales rep activities from COVID-19, e-detailing enables brands to continue advancing their narratives with fewer rep visits.
• Marketing synchronization. E-detailing blends nicely with other digital marketing activities such as online and off-line advertising campaigns, social media campaigns and email marketing. So brands have a much easier time connecting HCPs to other sales and marketing content.

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Article Written by: Alex Brown