In the US, consumers are ready to spend 17% more on products from companies that deliver an exceptional customer experience. Companies that focus on delivering superior customer experiences achieve better performance results than their competitors by generating 4% to 8% more revenue. Despite this trend, the pharmaceutical industry still ranks below average when it comes to customer experience. Compared to other sectors, the pharmaceutical industry lags in creating purposeful and interactive customer experiences.

Pharma marketing teams need to understand the true meaning of customer experience, its significance and the business value it creates to become truly customer centric. For those ready to evolve, here are key strategies that can guide the transformation and align with their pharma sales strategy for long-term growth:

Pharma trends affecting customer-centric marketing

·       Emergence of dedicated customer experience (CX) roles

Pharma companies are ready to create dedicated CX roles focused on delivering individual experiences for various customer segments. Usually, marketing teams mainly focus on execution due to limited channel options. However, the rise of diverse digital channels and customer touchpoints now requires more strategic and design-focused approaches. Organizations need to build stronger capabilities in experience design to fulfill this requirement. The roles require professionals who understand agile principles and test-and-learn approaches to adapt to the shifting expectations of customers.

What to expect: The emergence of new CX designer positions will use human-centered design together with data insights to deliver unified, impactful customer experiences.

·       Expansion of structures designed to enable cross-functional collaboration

Delivering consistent experiences across multiple channels requires seamless collaboration across departments. The transformation demands structural changes and the establishment of "mirrored roles" between marketing and medical affairs functions. These aligned roles support compliance requirements while allowing organizations to implement unified customer engagement approaches.

What to expect: More functional teams will include mirrors and initial product development roles that are spread across departments to achieve collaboration and consistent CX delivery.

·       Growth of portfolio and franchise-level teams

To integrate customer experiences across brands, pharmaceutical companies are expected to establish senior portfolio and franchise marketing roles. The roles will direct above-brand experience delivery and will be supported by franchise-level key performance indicators (KPIs). This approach enables better accountability in brand teams for delivering holistic customer experience and can be effectively supported through a well-aligned incentive compensation plan.

What to expect: The elevated leadership roles will focus on portfolio-wide customer experience, while cross-functional strategists work toward franchise-level performance targets.

·       Increased specialization in customer insight and engagement skills

Specialized expertise is needed to develop personalized experiences. The future CX teams will need professionals who have expertise in behavioral science, customer segmentation, content planning and channel strategy. These roles may exist within or outside of marketing departments but will be essential for translating insights into relevant engagement.

What to expect: There will be a rise in dedicated content planners and channel experts, along with behavioral science becoming a core competency within CX-focused roles.

The process of transforming an entire organization into a customer-centric model requires extensive time and effort. Marketing leaders should begin building the foundation for this change immediately by selecting the appropriate team structures and developing their talent pool.