In preparation for its European launch of Benlysta,
the first FDA approved Lupus drug in 50 years, Human Genome Sciences (HGS)
needed a customer relationship management (CRM) system to arm its newly formed
European commercial sales team. The company had a long list of selection
criteria including ease of use, flexibility, mobility, industry-specific
functionality, speed, and low system maintenance. Veeva CRM - the fastest
growing pharma CRM solution in the world - had proven itself already at HGS'
U.S. headquarters, but also offered international synergy for HGS Europe. After
a thorough market analysis, HGS selected cloud-based Veeva CRM for all specialty
care sales reps and medical science liaisons in Germany, Spain and France.
In June, HGS' German office began implementing
Veeva CRM and finished the project in six weeks - two weeks ahead of schedule.
HGS cited Veeva's strong pharmaceutical industry expertise and understanding of
HGS' sales model as key to the smooth implementation. Implementing with a
single flexible system across Europe will ensure HGS is able to roll out the
system quickly and at a very low cost in additional countries, including Spain
and France which are scheduled to deploy Veeva CRM next. "Veeva CRM is
extremely intuitive, and fully embraced by our field teams in Germany who are
already up and running on the system," said Kevin Crowe, associate director,
Marketing and Sales Operations, Europe at HGS. "Veeva CRM will allow us to
improve customer traction by enabling our reps to more effectively measure
calls and profile customers. Additionally, Veeva CRM is a great system for
improving customer targeting, making us more efficient at turning
non-prescribers into advocates!"
Before choosing Veeva CRM, HGS considered all of
the top offerings but had concerns that their single tenant architectures would
limit flexibility. "On-site and hosted solutions are dinosaurs, and
implementing them becomes a project in itself. It detracts from the objective
at hand which is to optimise customer interactions. Veeva CRM was the only
solution that offered us the freedom to completely focus on the customer,"
added Crowe.
HGS has also started implementing iRep - the first integrated CRM and CLM solution
designed specifically for the Apple iPad. Veeva
redesigned its CRM application to leverage the many strengths of the iPad and
added closed loop marketing functionality to allow seamless alignment of sales
and marketing strategies and execution. Already implemented in HGS' German
office, the application has transformed the sales process by enabling reps to
provide a more interactive customer experience.
"There is no other solution like iRep for Pharma,"
concluded Crowe. "Having our CRM and CLM capabilities integrated on the iPad is
extremely powerful, and I am confident it will increase our effectiveness. It
will remodel how our commercial teams operate by providing them with accurate,
rich, timely customer information on the go, and on a display that appeals to
physicians. And, iRep is so efficient and easy to use that reps will be able to
finish their call reporting when they finish their calls. To me, this is a
critical success factor for any CRM system."
About HGS
Human Genome Sciences is a biopharmaceutical
company that exists to place new therapies into the hands of those battling
serious disease. With a commitment to scientific rigor and the pursuit of
excellence, we are working systematically to achieve breakthrough results one
careful step at a time. For more information, please visit
www.hgsi.com.
About Veeva CRM
The Veeva CRM suite of applications, comprised of VBioPharma, iRep, VMobile,
and VInsights, is the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry's leading
cloud-based CRM solution. In addition, iRep has quickly become the industry's
choice for closed loop marketing on the iPad. Only Veeva CRM accommodates the
unique needs of multiple commercial teams in a single solution, improving user
adoption and sales effectiveness, while reducing cost and complexity. Veeva CRM
is now the foundation on which the pharmaceutical industry is adapting its
sales and marketing models for the future.
About Veeva Systems
Veeva Systems is the leader in cloud-based solutions for the global life
sciences industry. Committed to innovation, product excellence, and customer
success, Veeva has over 100 customers, ranging from the world's largest
pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechs. Founded in 2007, Veeva is a
privately held company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with
offices in Philadelphia, Barcelona, Budapest, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, and
Tokyo. For more information, visit
www.veevasystems.com.