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Impact of COVID-19 on Field Sales Force of Pharmaceuticals

Impact of COVID-19 on Field Sales Force of Pharmaceuticals

With the COVID-19 outbreaking wreaking havoc worldwide, there is a huge impact of slowdown in businesses in pharma companies and history has been a proof that in any economic slump, one of the primary expense cuts is advertising and marketing.

Field Sales Force who were meeting the customers face to face for product briefing are now working from home due to which it becomes difficult for them to perform their routine activities of customer meet. The existing model of sales force detailing could be tossed on its head. If product sales didn’t suffer from, they not being in the field, do pharma companies need to send them back? Not at all.

Going digital is a solution to this situation.

Typically, a day of a field sales force starts with the daily calls (meetings) with clients or doctors according to the specialty assigned to them. On visiting the doctor, the field sales force pitches a sample and the product. Depending on how the call goes, the ‘sale’ is made. In other words, the doctor agrees to prescribe the medicine. The field sales force later verifies with local chemist or distributor whether the doctor is prescribing the medicine or not. The field sales force will update all his meetings in the digital portal of his company. His incentives depend on how many calls he can make and the sales outcome for a product. The field sales force is also monitored on the quality of interaction he had with the physician.

Now with the representatives working from home, companies have asked them to use digital channels to communicate with doctors. While moving to digital platforms, there are plenty of options for them to work from home and perform the other fruitful activities apart from product sales.

They now have started using digital tools and platforms for making remote calls to customers, distance learning and playing quiz, upgrading their skills etc. We now have solution enhancement patch to support such digital transformation and helping actions of social distancing and break the chain.

Stay connected with us to see how FForce is being a helping hand in such situation.