Many healthcare and life sciences (HLS) organisations have accelerated the need for digital transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, moving to digital channels might seem a big step from their traditional in-person service.
HLS is one of those industries, teetering on the edge of complete digital reform. And as we all know, digital acceleration has countless benefits for the sector.
Platinum Salesforce partner, Waeg, supports HLS organisations with their digital strategy and ecommerce implementation. Healthcare and life sciences companies now have the opportunity to utilise Waeg’s extensive knowledge and experience.
We spoke to Waeg’s Co-founder and Managing Partner, Chris Timmerman, about the benefits HLS organisations are seeing from putting digital commerce at the centre of their commercial strategy.
Waeg turns ideas into digital solutions
The business helps large B2B organisations in their digital transformation journeys thanks to its two divisions:
Waeg Envision: focuses on strategy and creates a roadmap for organisations
Waeg Delivery: the implementation of solutions that create the strategy devised by Envision
“We exclusively work with Salesforce solutions,” said Chris. “We want to make sure we recommend future-proof solutions to our customers, and Salesforce is clearly the leader in this space. We made the strategic decision to only provide implementation services from Salesforce”.
The importance of digital experience to HLS organisations
The business world is currently embracing the digital imperative, accelerated by the COVID-19. But how does this fit in with HLS, historically a very traditional and rep-driven industry, particularly in the areas of over-the-counter, animal health, and medical devices?
As Chris explained, “Digital commerce can really support and drive growth in these areas because the customer is purchasing directly and is now able to purchase online. The objective here is to give the sales rep a new role, that of knowledgeable advisor, expert, and consultant”.
Historically, salespeople are ‘order takers’, but with the move to digital channels and self-service, reps can focus on other actions that add more value to the customer experience. HLS organisations can better engage with customers via marketing automation, explaining the benefits of the product(s) with a clear call to action that drives the customer to the business’s digital platform.
While contact with smaller customers may be expensive when done in traditional ways, this digital transformation helps drive efficiency and value for both the business and the customer.
How HLS organisations benefit from digital commerce
Waeg’s clients in the HLS space regularly see some fantastic benefits from improving the ecommerce side of their business, from the initial digital strategy, through digital communication, customer experience, and finally the full implementation of the strategy.
The process brings significant results and brings them quickly. Being able to measure the impact of promotions is something that many HLS organisations would have struggled with before. Now they see lower churn rates and actions that demonstrably drive sales. Costs are reduced across the board, and rep/customer relationships are stronger than ever.
Whereas previously the reps might have had to focus more on taking orders, they can have high-quality discussions around products and services. They no longer have a set amount of time to speak with customers and convince them to order, because the customer has access to 24/7 ordering thanks to the organisation’s digital presence. Salesforce Loyalty Management offers a new level of service to HLS organisations, giving them the ability to incentivise their customers to encourage beneficial behaviours.
If you’re interested in finding out how your business can benefit from digital transformation and digital commerce evolution, get in touch with either Salesforce or Waeg, or directly with Chris Timmerman.
You can also find out more by attending Salesforce Live: Benelux on May 18th, the ultimate showcase of digital transformation!
