New cloud solution empowers pharmaceutical sales teams with integrated email to maximize productivity

Veeva Systems’ new Approved Email solution is set to radically increase the productivity of life sciences sales teams by enabling users to email approved content to customers directly from iRep and Veeva CRM. Veeva CRM Approved Email represents a technology and business breakthrough in the industry as the first end-to-end solution to enable regulatory compliant email communication between sales reps and healthcare practitioners. The pharmaceutical industry can now increase the number and quality of rep-to-customer interactions, reach more low-access and no-see healthcare practitioners and deliver more relevant drug information to customers – without increasing the size of the sales force.

“The pharmaceutical industry is one of the last to equip its sales teams with non-personal promotion channels. In every other industry, reps communicate with their customers via multiple channels, especially email. However, Pharma has been limited due to the risk of non-compliance by making an unapproved claim or off-label communication. Giving companies a controlled way to distribute content electronically will transform the customer interaction,” said Eric Newmark, program director for IDC Health Insights.

Veeva’s email solution comes at just the right time for the life sciences industry since the ability to traverse multiple communication channels is now required. According to an AccessMonitor™ report, the number of physicians willing to see reps has declined 20% in the last five years, making alternate forms of communication like email a must. “Even among rep-accessible physicians, 94% of primary care providers do not see even their best reps more than twice a month,” the report stated.

The key to Approved Email is the focus on both regulatory compliance and user experience. The solution combines Vault PromoMats, a leading solution for the management of promotional materials, with the market leading Veeva CRM and iRep solutions for managing customer relationships. Together, Approved Email ensures only the right, approved content is sent to customers every time, while storing the full history of every interaction in Veeva CRM. Built-in controls – such as physician opt in/opt out management and off-label restrictions – help to further ensure regulatory compliance. And, because Approved Email is built into Veeva CRM and iRep, it’s quick and easy for users to send personalized and compliant email from any device.

“Why is Veeva the first to solve this persistent problem?” questioned Paul Shawah, Veeva Systems’ Vice President of CRM Strategy. “Because it’s a surprisingly complex problem to solve. Many different elements need to come together, including the right hardware, mobile connectivity and the right software solution – one that seamlessly combines CRM, CLM and content management functionality. When Veeva’s customers deploy this new solution, I believe their overall rep productivity will increase by at least 20%.”

“Across the pharmaceutical landscape, companies are making it part of their corporate strategy to improve sales productivity while becoming more customer centric,” added Dana Maiman, CEO and president at DraftFCB Healthcare, a global integrated marketing communications agency focused on healthcare. “Approved Email supports both of these goals by enabling reps to communicate more efficiently to more physicians through their preferred channels.”

Veeva CRM Approved Email is planned for general availability in Summer 2013.

About Veeva Systems

Veeva Systems is a leader in cloud-based software for the global life sciences industry. Committed to innovation, product excellence and customer success, Veeva has over 150 customers, ranging from the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechs. Founded in 2007, Veeva is a privately held company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Philadelphia, Barcelona, Budapest, London, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo.

For more information, visit www.veevasystems.com

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