CONTEXT:
In the pharmaceutical industry, effective resource allocation is essential to maximise both business impact and patient outcomes, especially when resources like budget and personnel are limited. Targeted outreach is critical, ensuring that specialised drugs reach the healthcare providers who are most likely to adopt them and positively influence patient care. To achieve this, companies need a robust customer segmentation model that can define provider engagement and behaviour, enabling strategic focus on high-potential segments.
The RFM model—used in various industries for its ability to segment customers based on key behaviour patterns—offers a framework well-suited for this purpose. By identifying healthcare providers most likely to engage and prescribe, companies can allocate resources efficiently, ensuring that limited outreach efforts yield the greatest possible impact for both the business and patient access to care.
CHALLENGE:
For pharmaceutical companies, the challenge is to ensure that each HCP account is reaching its full potential in terms of engagement and prescription activity. Evaluating the performance of each account—based on historical data, forecast expectations, and overall potential—is essential for maximising resource allocation and achieving business and patient care goals. The primary challenge lies in identifying which accounts are fully leveraged and which may not be performing to their potential. For underperforming accounts, understanding the factors holding them back is crucial to devising strategies that address specific barriers, whether through increased support, education, or targeted engagement initiatives. For accounts meeting or exceeding expectations, the focus shifts to sustaining their momentum and uncovering any additional growth opportunities that might enhance their performance. This requires a systematic approach to assess account performance accurately, identify gaps or opportunities, and apply tailored interventions that ensure resources are used where they can have the greatest impact—ultimately driving optimal outcomes for both the business and patients.
APPROACH:
Leveraging our proprietary algorithm, we developed acustomized model to evaluate and optimize account performance. This modelassesses accounts based on their ordering volume, engagement consistency and latestactivity, along with incorporating forecasted performance for future insights.Additional layers, such as growth trajectory and call execution, provide aholistic view of account performance. By combining historical data, forecasts,and engagement quality, the model enables targeted interventions and reinforcesstrategies for high-performing accounts.
IMPACT:
The implementation of the VFR model has had a significant impact on both the strategic and operational levels of the business. By providing detailed insights into each healthcare provider account, this model empowers sales leadership and field representatives with a clear understanding of each account's performance status. Equipped with specific metrics and performance flags, sales teams can develop precise, targeted business plans for each account, identifying what is working, what isn’t, and, importantly, how to address any gaps. This tailored insight enables the field team to prioritise high-potential accounts and focus on areas needing improvement, maximising the efficiency of their efforts.
Beyond empowering sales teams, the VFR model has driven a measurable increase in drug uptake across underperforming accounts, contributing to an overall boost in national sales performance. By aligning outreach and engagement strategies with account potential and needs, the model supports consistent growth and sustainable performance at both the account and regional levels, ensuring that the right resources are directed where they will yield the greatest impact.