Medical affairs teams increasingly rely on customer relationship management (CRM) platforms to manage their interactions and engagements with key opinion leaders (KOLs). These tools can help medical affairs teams sort through different opinion leaders and find experts with whom they can interact.

Multiple CRM options are available in the market, and the best ones will have been designed with the MA team's needs in mind. To manage the KOL outreach, MSLs must use effective CRM tools to streamline communication, track scientific insights, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. 

Identify Key Influencers

Medical affairs teams are constantly looking to connect with new influencers and key opinion leaders. As their network grows, it can become challenging to pinpoint the target KOL, track their relationships, and recall previous discussions. This is where an effective CRM system or platform comes in.

A CRM system or platform enables the MSL to log their communications to see how frequently they engage with key opinion leaders. They can also add notes to cover what they discussed so they can keep the conversation going the next time they reach out.

A high-quality CRM system can help MSLs identify target healthcare professionals and develop engagement strategies to prioritize interests and add information to the profiles of various KOLs they need to engage with. For instance, it can generate a list of key opinion leaders based on their publication history or educational background. This approach yields better results than reaching out to the entire KOL list about a specific topic.

The Most Effective CRM Tools for MSLs in the Life Sciences Industry 

Below is a list of some of the most effective CRM tools specifically designed for MSLs:

1. Veeva CRM

Specialization: Veeva CRM for MSLs is the fully integrated multichannel CRM solution specifically designed for life sciences industries that enable MSLs and Pharma companies to plan, execute, and measure interactions with stakeholders across all channels. 

Features: The solution provides mobile applications with built-in closed-loop marketing (CLM) for face-to-face meetings. Veeva CRM Approved Email for compliant email, and Veeva CRM Engage for online interactions. All channels are provisioned by a single repository of compliant content. Veeva CRM for MSLs is integrated with the salesforce.com service cloud for call center capabilities and the creation of self-service portals. Enables MSLs to track interactions with key opinion leaders (KOLs), manage scientific exchange, and monitor insights from the field. It also integrates compliance functionalities, facilitating adherence to regulatory standards. 

Strength: Veeva CRM for MSLs provides a flexible framework to meet the requirements of the stakeholder-based engagement model by therapeutic area or by the portfolio of products and services with excellent integration with medical and commercial data, customizable for medical teams. The system provides Sunshine Act expense capture, e-signatures, and tracking of high-value promotional materials. Veeva CRM for MSLs is the end-to-end solution that needs to engage opinion leaders and HCPs anytime, on any device.

2. ACMA Engage

Specialization: ACMA Engage is the first medical CRM system designed exclusively for Medical Affairs and MSL teams. Convenient, web-based access on all devices. Build enduring relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

Features: ACMA Engage provides a fully searchable, relational database of information about healthcare opinion leaders associated with the treatment of a disease or the use of a pharmaceutical product or device. The system also accelerates how field medical teams collect feedback and produce market insights. Provide complete KOL relationship management, AI-powered analytics, ongoing training, and professional development.

Strength: Provide a 360-degree view of compliant interactions with thought leader identification and segmentation. Assist with Phase IV trials and investigator-initiated study management. This enables the MSLs or Medical Affairs team to nurture deeper, more insightful scientific communication by using a holistic view of each stakeholder's needs, preferences, and history of interactions with the company.

3. Steeprock CRM

Specialization: The SteepRock platform is specifically designed for managing relationships and interactions with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. It integrates external activities in real-time and adds internal activities, ad boards, research, speaking engagements, and other tasks from inside the company to keep MSLs fully informed.

Features: Focuses on KOL management, providing MSLs with the tools to track and analyze interactions with medical experts. Includes functionalities for engagement tracking, scientific insight management, and event management. Ensures compliance with regulatory frameworks.

Strength: Excellent for KOL profiling and engagement, with detailed analytics that help MSLs improve strategic planning and scientific communication.

4. Medispend

Specialization: Focuses on managing MSL-KOL interactions and ensuring compliance with regulations like the Sunshine Act.

Features: Provides detailed reports, tracks HCP engagement, and offers tools for transparency reporting, which is critical for managing legal risks.

Strength: Strong focus on compliance with global regulatory needs.

5. OCE (Omnichannel Engagement) by IQVIA

Specialization: Designed and tailored for healthcare professionals seeking effective omnichannel engagement.

Features: Facilitates seamless communication across multiple channels.  Tracks MSL activities, and gathers data-driven insights into HCP behaviors and trends to improve decision-making and manage relationships. 

Strength: AI-driven insights to personalize and optimize MSL engagement strategies, enhancing effectiveness.

6. Salesforce Health Cloud

Specialization: A CRM solution adaptable for healthcare, including Medical Affairs. Engage patients and providers efficiently with connected data.

Features: Provide MSLs with tools to engage HCPs, manage relationships, and track medical insights. It is also customizable to integrate medical compliance features.

Strength: Flexible and highly customizable, with excellent third-party integrations.

Strength: Easy to navigate with a strong focus on the needs of medical teams.

7. Cegedim Medical CRM

Specialization: Built specifically for the life sciences and pharma industries.

Features: Manages MSL interactions with KOLs and tracks medical-to-medical interactions while ensuring compliance.

Strength: Comprehensive analytics and tracking for MSL activities and medical affairs.

8. Envision CRM

Specialization: A broader, customizable CRM tool that supports multi-channel engagement and relationship management, including in the life sciences field.

Features: Offers MSLs engagement tracking, data-driven insights, and interaction management. Capable of integrating with third-party applications, allowing MSLs to link it with other platforms they might be used for medical and scientific outreach. Provides strong reporting and compliance tracking features.

Strength: Offers customization and robust integration options, which make it flexible for MSLs to adapt to their specific operational needs.

9. Zinc CRM

Specialization: Primarily focused on compliance in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry.

Features: Strong focus on content approval and regulatory compliance. Ensures that MSLs use only approved and compliant materials when interacting with healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Strength: Ideal for MSLs who must adhere to strict content and communication regulations in their interactions with KOLs and HCPs.

10. NexGen CRM

Specialization: A broader, customizable CRM solution with capabilities for various industries, including healthcare and life sciences.

Features: Tracks MSL interactions with KOLs and other stakeholders. Offers tools for data analytics, insight generation, and relationship management. Provides robust integrations with other systems, helping MSLs gather and report key insights from the field.

Strength: Highly customizable and able to integrate with a variety of tools, including third-party platforms, making it adaptable for specific MSL needs.

Survey of Utilization of CRM Platforms by MSLs:

The MSL Society conducted an online survey on the utilization of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems by MSLs. The results revealed that over 50% of respondents, both within the US and globally, rely on Veeva as their primary CRM system followed by 20% who are using Salesforce. Notably, around 10% of respondents still use EXCEL spreadsheets for managing customer relationships and are not leveraging their CRM for KOL engagements or are using alternative CRM systems. 

Primary Resources being used by MSLs to build KOL relationships

MSLs are using public data sources such as PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov as well as scientific meetings and CRM field notes to build KOL relationships (Figure 1). Interestingly, social media was not being leveraged much for building KOL relationships. The current publicly available tools such as PubMed and Clinical trials.gov are rich with data but they require complex filtering and are not built to gain business intelligence on KOLs easily.  What if we could combine several data sources to generate personalized KOL dashboards that include their publications, participation in clinical trials, social media posts plus internal CRM data?

In the US, Interestingly, >70% of the respondents are using CRM to capture and leverage KOL insights and yet ~50% say that they do not believe that their CRM data effectively helps them to prepare for their KOL meetings. There is a huge opportunity to help MSL teams leverage their CRM data. Why are MSL teams not leveraging their CRM data? Part of the issue is that the current BI tools for CRM structured data are not self-service and require data scientists to run SQL searches to uncover the data. Another huge barrier that is preventing MSLs from leveraging data is that the data sources that they need are disparate and siloed.  Approximately 70% of the respondents said that their current system does not integrate data from multiple sources which makes it much more challenging to link the data to get a 360 view of the KOLs that they are targeting. This becomes even more pertinent since face-to-face meetings through scheduled visits or scientific meetings have been nearly non-existent with the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, with the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the feedback from KOLs related to COVID-19 effects are buried within the CRM, thus leveraging machine-learning platforms can help uncover these insights that are valuable for real-time response to unexpected needs from KOLs.

ACMA offers AI tools, including MedAffairsAI, which are designed to integrate seamlessly with CRM systems, such as ACMA Engage, providing tailored insights for MSL teams while ensuring continuous compliance updates. This combination offers a more holistic view of interactions, feedback, and future predictions, allowing for strategic planning and improved communication with healthcare professionals (HCPs)​. By embedding AI into the CRM process, MedAffairsAI enhances the value of CRM data, turning it into a strategic asset for optimizing field medical activities.

Find a CRM system that benefits you

Factors to be Considered: 

As MSLs are required to look for a tool to manage KOL outreach, consider prioritizing the following valuable features:

• Integration: Ensure that the CRM is capable of integrating with existing systems (e.g., databases, marketing tools) and can connect with other apps within the organization. A lack of integration can lead to frustration for the MSLs or Medical Affairs teams, as it would create extra steps to synchronize information.

• Compliance: Look for tools that support regulatory compliance in healthcare.

• User Experience: A user-friendly interface is crucial for MSLs who are always on the go and working in the field.

• Mobile Access: Since MSLs often work in the field, mobile compatibility is essential.

Choosing the right CRM tool that aligns with both medical engagement strategies and regulatory frameworks can enhance MSL effectiveness, improve data management, and foster better relationships with HCPs.

References

Choosing a Medical Affairs CRM Platform: Key Considerations, November 9, 2021, https://www.anjusoftware.com/ingishts/crm/

Veeva CRM For MSLs https://www.veeva.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Veeva-CRM-for-MSLs-Datasheet.pdf

ACMA Engage CRM system for MSLs

https://acmalifesciences.org/acma-ai/acma-engage

Steeprock CRM 

https://www.steeprockinc.com/products/stakeholder-management

Survey of Utilization of CRM Platforms by MSLs: How can we leverage data to provide personalized engagements with KOL? December 22, 2020 Author(s): Heliana Sula https://themsljournal.com/article/1810/